Urban Adolescents' Postschool Aspirations and Awareness

The young adult years (approximately the age when one leaves high school to age 23) are pivotal to adult life success. They are the years when adolescents typically assume dramatic increases in responsibility for self-direction in areas such as socialization, independent living, citizenship, employment, education, and mental and physical health. From initial experiences in those years, the young adult lays foundations for how his or her life will progress in various domains. The purpose of the present study is to document urban adolescents' understanding of their aspirations and means for reaching them in their young adult years while still early in their high school years. The authors investigate whether there are differences based on if the students have a learning disability.