What can we learn from today’s youth?

Why do some students do better than others? To find out, Reader’s Digest invited 2,130 high-school seniors to take a special academic test and then answer a list of personal questions. Among the poll’s top findings are strong family links that give kids an edge in school. For instance, students who lived with two parents scored high more often on our test than students who didn’t. Students who regularly shared mealtimes with their families tested better than those who didn’t. This "family gap" showed up for students of all backgrounds.
     Today’s youth are far more optimistic about themselves and their futures than is generally believed. Four out of five were confident they would be able to "make things better for myself and for other people". Almost the same number described their lives at home as "pretty good" or "wonderful".
     As has been in other polls, not all groups tested equally well. Children with college-educated parents tested better than kids whose parents didn’t go past high school. Whites tended to score higher than blacks. Boys scored higher than girls. But more importantly, the Reader’s Digest poll revealed that, within each group, strong family links were a significant factor.
     With the help of Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. , last spring, the Reader’s Digest surveyed a reprehensive cross-section of high-school seniors in classrooms across the nation.