The amount of time and effort students and parents put into planning, and how early they get started, are important factors in achieving access to postsecondary education. Schools play a key role in making planning resources, information and opportunities available and accessible. Educators believe that students should start post-high school planning in ninth grade or even earlier, but relatively few students report starting earlier than 10th grade.
Young adults who did not continue their education after high school were more likely than others to say they wished they had started planning earlier, and were also more likely to report that they would do something different if they could start over again. Most reported that they would go to college. Among the most helpful approaches that schools take in preparing students for postsecondary education, educators list:
- spending class time on college and career planning - consistent, ongoing individual attention or advising