Why should I participate?

You have been given an opportunity to share your experiences and opinions. While your name will never be used in any reports, your input will be used to improve education for our children and those in the future. We want to hear from you!

What can you contribute by participating in HS&B:22?

Districts can learn about HS&B:22 and how the collected data can be used to improve policies that support student success. They can support participation among peers and educators.

Counselors can share information about supports they offer to students in their schools.

Teachers can share information about their unique learning environments, background, and individual students' classroom experiences.

Principals can provide valuable information about their school’s unique structure and environment.

Parents can encourage their children to participate and to tell researchers about their transition to high school, their social and academic experiences, and how their school environment and culture impact their growth.

Students can join with peers across the U.S. to participate in student sessions where they will have the opportunity to share information about their high school experiences.

How will my school benefit?

Students and school staff will receive a token of appreciation if allowed by the school.

Why is this study important?

Providing national-level information that is needed to better understand what factors lead students to successful completion of high school and entry into work or postsecondary education, as well as those factors that are barriers to success, is a critical function of high school longitudinal studies such as HS&B:22. Research has long shown that increases in education attainment are associated with a wide range of important civic and life outcomes, including stronger employment prospects and earning potential, lower incarceration rates, higher voting rates, and better health and life expectancy (Cutler & Lleras-Muney, 2006; Julian & Kominski, 2011; Milligan, Moretti, & Oreopoulos, 2004; Oreopoulos & Petronijevic, 2013; Sum, Khatiwada, & McLaughlin, 2009).

Data from HS&B:22 can also contribute to improved educational experiences by documenting opportunity and achievement gaps and how well schools address inequity. Finally, HS&B:22 and its predecessor studies offer an extraordinary opportunity to study trends in students’ high school experiences and education outcomes. By maintaining linkages with NCES’s previous high school longitudinal studies, HS&B:22 data can be used to examine changes over time and shed light on the effects of various policies, demographic shifts, and school practices on student achievement, growth, and education attainment.