Decisions for Tomorrow was first published in 1965.The authors surveyed almost the entire population of high school seniors in the state of Minnesota in 1961, some 45,000 young people, in order to study post-high-school plans. The findings of the study are reported here and are compared with findings of a similar survey made a decade earlier. The students were asked during their senior year to provide information about their plans for after graduation, and the eventual behavior of the students was compared with their prediction. Numerous correlations were observed between the students' plans and such factors as ability, school achievement, socio-economic status, and personality. In addition, comparisons were made between the 1950 and 1961 studies to determine whether any observable trends might be attributable to factors as diverse as the orbiting of Sputnik or the increase in number and quality of school counselors.Special emphasis is given to the examination of the college-bound students. Their achievements, aptitudes, and personalities are compared with the same characteristics in youngsters not planning to go to college. However, the authors point out that whether concern is centered on college preparation or on larger questions of manpower, the plans and goals of high school students are of crucial importance in a society which is based on mass education of the highest possible quality.Volume 9 in the Minnesota Library on Student Personnel Work
