The failure of students to receive an adequate K-12 education also affects the workplace and college. Public Agenda, a nonprofit think tank, surveyed 250 employers, 250 college professors, 700 teachers, 700 parents, and 700 middle-school students for a 1998 report. A majority of both employers and professors believed that most students leave high school without the most basic of skills. For most skills, only a minority of surveyed professors and employers ranked students as being "fair" or better (see Table 1, below).[46]
|
Table 1 - Students with Skills Deemed "Fair" or Better by
Employers and Professors
|
|
Skill Area
|
Employers
|
Professors
|
| Grammar and spelling
|
23%
|
23%
|
| Ability to write clearly
|
27%
|
19%
|
| Basic math skills
|
38%
|
35%
|
| Work habits/being organized and on time
|
42%
|
31%
|
| Being motivated and conscientious
|
44%
|
40%
|
| Speaking English well
|
50%
|
65%
|
| Being curious and interested in new things
|
52%
|
49%
|
| Ability to use computers
|
66%
|
69%
|
[46] Richard Whitmire, "High school graduates score F's," The Detroit News, 9 January 1998, p. 5A.
