The Ambitious Generation: Americas Teenagers, Motivated But Directionless

Presenting a surprising portrait of American youth that contrasts with the conventional image of Generation-X slackers, this significant study finds that U.S. adolescents today are much more ambitious than teens of previous eras. More adolescents than ever expect to graduate from college, earn graduate degrees and become well-paid doctors, lawyers, judges, engineers, professors, architects, athletes or business executives. Yet their collective expectations are not reasonable, the authors assert, because they outstrip the projected number of such jobs in the year 2005. Schneider, a University of Chicago sociology professor, and Stevenson, senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Education, base their conclusions on the Alfred P. Sloan Study, a five-year national research project that tracked more than 8000 adolescents in the 1990s; the authors also analyzed major studies of youth from the 1950s through the 1980s. Compared with the 1950s generation, today's teens have fewer long-lasting friendships and spend more time alone; many remain in college more than four years, instead of leaping into marriage, parenthood and (for males) the working world directly after high school, as '50s teenagers did. Straightforward and accessible, the book provides a useful roadmap for parents and teachers who want to help students match their abilities and resources to educational opportunities and the job market. This worthwhile report should spark national debate and discussion. (Apr.)