College and career supports for students vary across and within schools

The majority of teachers and principals think their schools are doing a good or excellent job of preparing students for future careers, but some programs focusing on that transition are more common than others, according to new results from the RAND Corp.’s American Educator Panels.
For example, 89% of principals and 85% of teachers responded that students can earn college credit in high school, but only about a third said their schools offer seniors opportunities to prepare for college coursework. According to educators’ reports, programs such as assistance with college applications and educating families about financial aid options were more common in urban and high-poverty schools, while dual enrollment programs were more common in non-urban and low-poverty high schools.