Students recognize the value of education, but the majority report being bored in school and not seeing the relevance of their courses to everyday life. Overall, Maine students are self-confident, ambitious and view their parents as good role models. The survey is designed as a diagnostic tool to help schools assess the conditions, behaviors and attitudes that affect student aspirations and the total learning environment from the student perspective. The early numbers reflect national educational reform challenges, but also social concerns and consequences that are beyond the scope or ability of schools and that require broad community, state and federal resources and interventions, according to McIntire. While the majority of Maine students feel safe and supported, their responses suggest that they are experiencing some conditions and consequences stemming from an achievement-driven society perceived as becoming less civil and caring, more tolerant of disruptive and disrespectful behavior and less accountable for the common good and needs of others.
Boys seem particularly vulnerable in most categories examined in the survey.
Forty-six percent say they often have difficulty learning because of other students disrupting the class, and only half think that teachers handle disruptive students effectively. Student perceptions of respect go in all directions. Nearly 63 percent say they do no community or volunteer work, but over 31 percent of seniors report doing one to two hours of community service per week. The free, voluntary survey represents the first major phrase of the Maine Aspirations Benchmarking Initiative, which has the potential of tapping the perspective of every sixth through 12th grader in Maine public schools. Since the first of the year, nearly 250 schools throughout Maine have requested the survey and will receive individual reports to use in responsive, student-centered reform efforts.