It can be a tall order to ask educated youth to pursue higher education in a state with one of the lowest national go-on rates. That”s why University of Idaho President Chuck Staben commissioned a study to better understand why Idaho students aren”t pursuing higher education. The UI McClure Center for Public Policy Research released the study in early January analyzing the causes of Idaho”s low go-on rate.
The study found that only 53 percent of Idaho female students and 38 percent of male students enrolled in a college or university the fall following high school graduation. The survey also found that not all young adults believe that postsecondary education pays off, and that male and female students think about college differently.
Priscilla Salant, director of the McClure Center for Public Policy Research, accounts this issue mostly to social issues. She said prior to this the study, many thought go-on rates among Idaho teens were low due to inadequate access to information about college.
Salant said it”s actually more of a socialization issue.
“In the minds of the students themselves, the problem is not information,” Salant said. “It”s more about attitude, beliefs and culture.”
Salant said the study suggests money is being funneled into the wrong resources for students. Salant said there are many state programs designed to increase Idaho”s go-on rates focused more on information accessibility. However, Salant said not a lot of them are working. She said there needs to be an overhaul to see which programs are working and which aren”t.
For Salant, one of the most disturbing aspects of the study was the 15 percent gender gap between the rate at which male and female students go on. The national gender gap is 9 percent.
She said one of the main causes of the gender gap is the large population of Mormon men who attend missions after high school and the higher availability of jobs directly after high school graduation for men.
“Girls see that their job opportunities will be significantly higher if they get a degree,” she said.
The gender differences are perpetuated in most K-12 school systems, Salant said. In general, she said that schools are not designed as well for boys, and some studies theorize the K-12 systems somehow cause boys to disengage from education. At this point, however, Salant said the specifics remain hypothetical.
Moscow High School principal Erik Perryman said at MHS, it”s a different story. Perryman said the go-on rate of MHS is a lot closer to 70 percent. As far as the gender gap goes, the MHS”s go-on rate is nearly 50-50.
Perryman said he attributes much of this to the area.
“College is a big part of our community,” he said. “We have a pretty highly-educated community here about the value of education.”
MHS also hosts several events throughout the year that encourage the pursuit higher education. These include a career fair attended by over 70 businesses and colleges, a financial aid night and a college night.
“These programs make kids see there”s a possibility for their future,” Perryman said.
He said the major stumbling blocks for students attending college are family circumstances and the cost factor, but steps are already being taken by the Moscow community to combat these issues.
In parallel to the study”s findings, MHS”s high go-on rates could be attributed to the many dual credit classes offered there. MHS offers over 30 potential college credits and the study found that students enrolled in dual credit classes were 73 percent more likely to be enrolled in college after high school.
UI is also working with the state on initiatives such as Complete College Idaho and the Direct Admissions program to increase college continuation rates.
“The next step is to dig deeper into the data we already have,” Salant said.
Carly Scott can be reached at [email protected]