AI and teens study

 A recent survey found that more than 40% of teens are likely to use artificial intelligence to complete their schoolwork, but 60% consider it cheating. As AI-powered tools like ChatGPT become more prevalent in schools, educators are grappling with how to incorporate AI use responsibly, emphasizing it as a tool to assist learning rather than a replacement for learning.

Junior Achievement. (2023). AI and tomorrow's jobs. Author.

https://jausa.ja.org/dA/79df6c0f56/criticalIssuePdfDocument/AI%20and%20Tomorrows%20%20Jobs.pdf

Teens' Career Interests Study

Fewer boys want to pursue a science, technology, engineering and math career, according to a recent survey of teenagers. Boys' interest in STEM fields declined from 36% last year to 24% this year, but girls' interest in STEM fields remained unchanged at 11% of all surveyed girls. The
declining interest in STEM could be due to children's fear of inadequacy. But STEM isn't the only field witnessing a decline in interest, as desires for careers in the arts dropped from 18 percent to 13 percent. Meanwhile, interest in careers in medical and dental fields increased from 15 to 19 percent, with girls "far more likely to choose this path" than boys, according to the survey, which may be due to girls' passion for helping people.

Grocholski, E., & McWilliams, L. (2018). Teens' interest in STEM careers. Junior Achievement and Ernst & Young.  https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-usa/press-releases/-/asset_publisher/UmcVLQOLGie9/content/new-research-reveals-the-differences-between-boys%E2%80%99-and-girls%E2%80%99-career-and-college-plans-and-an-ongoing-need-to-engage-girls-in-stem

Funk, C., & Parker, K. (2018). Women and men in STEM often at odds over workplace equity. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/01/09/women-and-men-in-stem-often-at-odds-over-workplace-equity/

STEM Field Support Worldwide

A new, multi-country survey by Lenovo of students around the world revealed that students in emerging countries – India, Mexico and Russia—are prioritizing and pursuing science-related careers over students in developed countries, including Canada, Japan, the U.K. The research presents some differences in how students around the world view science as a career aspiration. Some key findings:

-       While 89 percent of students think science is “cool,” only slightly more than half are considering pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).

-       India ranked highest (82 percent) for those who believe it’s very important for their country to lead the world in science. In contrast, students in the US, UK and Canada and the UK trailed at 73, 60 and 55 percent, respectively.

-        A majority of students (57 percent) would rather travel anywhere on Earth than the Moon if given the chance.

-        The two most common reasons for hesitating to pursue a career in STEM—lack of confidence/ability to do well and too much work.

Lenovo (2011). 2011 Lenovo global student science & technology outlook. Quarry Bay, Hong Kong: Lenovo. http://news.lenovo.com/customer-stories/2011-lenovo-global-student-science-and-technology-outlook.tekdownload

Workplace skills and knowledge report

This scholarly report addresses many questions educators are asking about teaching to make sure students get the college and career readiness skills they need to prosper in the 21st century. The report has a comprehensive index that educators will find useful for research on particular topics of interest as they implement Career Technical Education, Common Core, the Next Generation Science Standards and STEM programs and initiatives. The report describes  key skills that increase deeper learning, college and career readiness, student-centered learning, and higher order thinking. These labels include both cognitive and non-cognitive skills- such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, effective communication, motivation, persistence, and learning to learn. 21st century skills also include creativity, innovation, and ethics that are important to later success and may be developed in formal or informal learning environments. This report also describes how these skills relate to each other and to more traditional academic skills and content in the key disciplines of reading, mathematics, and science.In addition, features related to learning these skills are identified, which include teacher professional development, curriculum, assessment, after-school and out-of-school programs, and informal learning centers such as exhibits and museums.
Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. (2013). Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13398

Social networking and employability study

A study of social networking found significant correlations between profile quality and academic performance, hirability, and job performance.
Kleumper, D., Rosen, P, & Mossholder, K. (2012). Social networking websites, personality ratings, and the organizational context: More than meets the eye? Journal of Applied Social Psychology. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2011.00881.x
http://http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2011.00881.x/pdf

Reading at 16 Linked to Better Job Prospects

Reading books is the only out-of-school activity for 16-year-olds that is linked to getting a managerial or professional job in later life, according to study. Researchers asked more than 17,000 people born in 1970 about how they spent their downtime when they were 16 years old and their careers when they turned 33. The findings show that girls who had read books at 16 had a 39 percent probability of a professional or managerial post at 33, but only a 25 percent chance if they had not. For boys who read regularly, the figure went up from 48 percent to 58 percent. None of the other activities surveyed were found to have a significant effect on their careers.
University of Oxford (2011). Reading at 16 linked to better job prospects
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/110804.html

California education study

This report about California education assesses the state of the multiple pathways model of combining academics with career education and the field's shared identity, standards of practice, knowledge base, leadership and grassroots support, policy support, and funding. It also makes recommendations.
Howard, Don, & Patrick Wu. (2009). Assessing California's Multiple Pathways Field: Preparing Youth for Success in College and Career. San Francisco: James Irvine Foundation.
http://www.irvine.org/images/stories/pdf/pubs/assessingmultiplepathways.pdf

Career academies report

This report examines the long-term impact of the Career Academies high school reform initiative on primarily Hispanic/Latino and African-American students: their labor market participation and outcomes, such as earnings; postsecondary education; and family stability.

MDRC. (2008). Career Academies: Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood. New York: Author.
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/482/full.pdf

Schools and technology preparation survey

Schools fail to teach innovation
It's widely believed our ability to innovate and prepare students for careers in science and technology will be key factors in keeping the U.S. competitive in the global economy. Yet, nearly three out of five American teens (59 percent) do not believe their high school is preparing them adequately for a career in technology or engineering, according to the 2008 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, an annual survey that gauges Americans' attitudes toward invention and innovation.

Tech career planning study

Schools Fail to Teach Innovation
U.S. teens say they aren't being prepared well for technology and engineering careers. The disparity is more pronounced among some groups historically underrepresented in these fields. Roughly two-thirds of African-American teens (64 percent) and teen girls (67 percent) believe they are not being prepared well in school for these careers.
Lemelson-MIT Program. (2008). Lemelson-MIT Invention Index. Cambridge, MA: MIT.
http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-08index.html