Подростки оптимистичны, но не чувствуют готовности к будущему: исследование фонда Уолтона

ROGERS -- Generation Z students are optimistic about the future, but many say they do not feel prepared for it, according to a recent Walton Family Foundation study. Khatya Cerna Lima is a senior at Rogers High School. She said when people her age look at their futures, they sometimes lack a clear vision. "There's a lot of people, like a lot of kids my age, that don't know what they're doing," Lima said. "They're just kind of hoping for the best, graduating, and then taking like a gap year and figuring out what they want." The Walton Family Foundation has partnered with Gallup since 2023 to produce Voices of Gen Z, a national survey that aims to gather Generation Z's perspectives on their lives, education and futures. Gen Z includes people born between 1997 and 2012 -- those who are now ages 14 to 29. The study found that while people in this age group are generally excited about their future, they are less confident that they are ready to tackle it. The study also found these attitudes are tied to their experiences in school. Students expressed in surveys that their teachers did not try to make content in the classroom interesting or connect it to future goals, aspirations or career paths. About 4 in 10 students said their coursework is not interesting or important, and 3 in 10 said there are no adults in school who understand their interests. Another 3 in 10 said they do not belong in school or have an adult who regularly checks in on them. The report found that ensuring student success goes beyond academic performance. Students must also feel like they belong, forming meaningful connections with their teachers, mentors and peers. Researchers acknowledged that forming those connections is a challenging ask for teachers who are already stretched thin. Research from a separate Walton Family Foundation and Gallup study found that about half of teachers always or very often feel burned out at work. About two-thirds say their current workload is already too high. The study suggested the effective use of artificial intelligence on certain tasks could help reduce teacher workloads and better engage students. Some Arkansas teachers are already putting AI into practice. Lindsay Rankin, a special education teacher at Young Elementary School in Springdale, said she uses the technology to help create personalized assignments. "I can upload a worksheet and say, 'I need this worksheet to be turned into comprehension questions with visuals for a second grade student who has low fine motor skills and struggles to read anything over kindergarten level,'" Rankin said. "AI can put those out there. We need to be trained on the tools." CAREERS, EDUCATION AND MEANING A separate June survey conducted by the Walton Family Foundation, Gallup and the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Making Caring Common project found that 79% of Gen Z respondents reported that they want a job focused on helping others. "Gen Zers who feel like they are needed by others and make a positive difference in others' lives -- through their work or otherwise -- are about three to four times more likely to experience meaning or purpose, which are strongly correlated with better mental health," Richard Weissbourd, faculty director of the Making Caring Common project, said in a news release. Lima, the Rogers senior, said her family's experiences have inspired her to seek a career in medicine. "I was very inspired by my sister, who's special needs, and I've always like been like the type of person to want to care for somebody," Lima said. "I feel like I did know that, but I didn't know how I was gonna get there." In Arkansas, Act 930 of 2017 requires public school students to have a student success plan by the end of eighth grade. That plan is reviewed and updated annually and is meant to guide the student along graduation pathways and prepare them for college or a career. Tina McClure, the director of secondary academic counseling for Rogers Public Schools, said that process starts early by encouraging elementary and middle school students to explore careers. Teachers bring in guest speakers who followed different job paths. Students take a career awareness class starting in sixth grade. Rogers students who wish to enlist in the military can take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test every fall and spring. The district provides career and technical education pathways for students seeking employment immediately after high school, as well as Advanced Placement classes and Cambridge International coursework for those who are college-bound. Lima said Crystal Marquez, a school counselor, helped her narrow down job possibilities. Lima is taking certified nursing assistant classes for one semester and then plans to take radiology classes. Some of her classes are offered through Northwest Arkansas Community College, while others are offered through Petra Allied Health. "It'll give me an opportunity to see what I'm getting myself set up for," Lima said. "It helps me compare the two to see which one I would actually like to do." While career counselors can help students find their way, students who are low-income and non-college-bound report lower rates of engagement and belonging than their peers. Students whose families are less financially secure are less likely to feel that their schoolwork is important, that they belong at school and that they have adults who encourage them to pursue their goals. About one in four children in Arkansas depend on programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to meet their basic needs, according to a report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Marquez said the Rogers district works hard to make sure such students feel they have a bright future. She encourages them to try all kinds of extracurriculars and different career and technical education programs. "I think it's a balancing act between finding something that they love and something that's a career focus," she said. McClure said the school also helps students meet their basic needs at home to reduce stress. The district has created a resource called the Dignity Closet to provide basic, everyday needs such as clothing, personal care items and school supplies to students at no cost. The school also has social workers at hand. Those resources help Rogers students feel ready to take on the future, McClure said. "We see a lot of our students really flourishing in that," she said. "It gives them confidence and they get excited about what's coming next."