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Teens Willing to Work Harder and Expect More From Education

According to the 2005-2006 State of Our nation's Youth Report

(Washington, DC) August 9, 2005 - A resounding number of teens, over nine in ten, believe that providing more opportunities to take challenging courses would improve their education. Teens also show strong support for exit exams (eighty-one percent) and requiring math and science courses for all four years of high school (seventy-five percent). These statistics are based on the results in the State of Our nation's Youth report issued today by the Horatio Alger Association. The 2005-2006 State of Our nation's Youth report is a new comprehensive study based on a survey of 1,005 young people between the ages of thirteen and nineteen from across the United States. The report allows America's young people to convey their opinions and perspectives on a broad array of personal and national issues including:

• School - 72% of students say they would work harder to meet higher academic standards
• Health - 24% of teens feel obesity is a bigger health threat than drug use or STDs
• Crime - 66% of young people feel young people convicted of serious violent crimes should be tried as adults
• Steroids - 73% of teens have less admiration for professional athletes who use steroids
• Cable TV, Internet or Cell Phone? Forced to choose, nearly half (48%) would sacrifice cable TV
• A Good Meal - 71% of teens prefer a home cooked meal over eating at restaurant, take-out or fast food
• More Choose Family - 46% of young people would choose spending more time with family over more money for material possessions or a bigger house
• Their Future - 92% plan to continue their education after high school

The report compiles the results of the national survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. This year marks the ninth consecutive year the Association has issued the report. "The State of Our nation's Youth lets us hear from this country's young people about issues that are shaping all of our lives and it helps us gain some valuable insights about how the world looks through their eyes," remarked Horatio Alger President and CEO Dennis R. Washington.

Peter Hart, President of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, notes in analyzing the survey, "The young men and women of this country know that despite all of the advancements in technology, it is as important as ever that they become educated and engaged citizens. They want to be prepared with knowledge and have the support of their family to handle the future challenges sure to come." Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. has conducted more than five thousand public opinion surveys encompassing interviews with more than three million individuals over the past thirty years.

A copy of the complete 74-page State of Our Nation's Youth report is available for free download at www.horatioalger.org. The Horatio Alger Association is a non-profit educational association, which provides programs for America's youth to learn about opportunities available in the free enterprise system. Through the generosity of its membership, more than $5 million in need-based college scholarships are awarded annually.

Read more from USA Today, High school rigor? Bring it on, students say

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