Who Influences High School Students’ Education and Career Decisions

High school students rely primarily on family members and themselves when thinking about further education and careers, according to a new report. The National Center for Education Statistics released a new Statistics in Brief report today (January 23) entitled High School Students’ Views on Who Influences Their Thinking about Education and Careers. This report uses data from the 2012 follow-up of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 to examine who public high school students view as their main influence when they are considering education after high school and careers. Among the findings: • Family members were most often reported as the main influence for students’ thinking about education after high school, followed by the students themselves; school staff (teachers and counselors) were less frequently reported as the main influence. • Family members and students themselves were most often reported as the main influence for students’ thinking about careers, with school staff less frequently reported as the main influence. • Family members more often were reported as students’ main influence for thinking about postsecondary education than for their thinking about careers, while students reported relying on themselves more when thinking about careers than when thinking about postsecondary education.