It meant tackling Algebra II during summer school and pulling all-nighters before tests, but Kate Vokey knew she wanted to finish high school.
"If you want to go out and be something big in the world, you need to have a good educational background," said Vokey, 18, who graduates from Portland High School next month and will go to college.
Education experts say that attitude is driving Maine's high school graduation rate for 18-to-24-year-olds - the highest in the country at 94.5 percent - and turning the state's population into a more educated one.
In 2000, 85 percent of adults in the state indicated they had high school diplomas, an equivalency degree or higher levels of education, up from about 79 percent in 1990, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released this week.
That puts Maine third in the category for the region, behind New Hampshire and Vermont.
Experts attribute part of the rate change to a demographic shift, in which an older, less-schooled population is being replaced by younger, more educated people.
But the overriding factor, reflected across the country, may be recognition that education is the key to success in an uncertain economic climate and increasingly knowledge- based job market.
"Educational attainment is clearly correlated to personal prosperity and to opportunity," said Yellow Light Breen, spokesman for the state Department of Education. "Schools and society are doing a much better job of articulating that."
At Portland High School, counselors help freshmen map their learning goals for the next four years while emphasizing "the need to continue education beyond high school, whether it be a four-year college, two-year college or a technical program," said Timothy Walker, director of the guidance department.
"Having a high school diploma alone these days, for many, isn't going to create the opportunities," he said.
The word is getting out: The number of people who received bachelor's, graduate or professional degrees is up from about 19 percent in 1990 to nearly 23 percent in 2000.
While a significant improvement, Maine still ranks last in that category among the six New England states. The picture, experts say, would be even worse if people who moved to Maine for information and technology-based jobs were omitted.
State officials would like to see the rate grow to 30 percent by 2010. The goal became more important after a recent study by state planners correlated per capita income with the percentage of adults who had at least four-year college degrees, as well as the dollar amount per worker spent on research and development.
David Silvernail, director of the Center for Educational Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine, said it is not clear why so many residents graduate from high school but choose not to pursue higher education. In some cases, students may not be aware of financial aid available to them, he said. Studies indicate family background and school environments play roles.
"Many children may be from homes in which they would be the first college graduate, so it may be difficult for them to see the value," said Silvernail, who is studying college enrollment patterns among Maine residents.
Of course, family can do the opposite.
On days when she wanted to give up at school, Vokey would seek inspiration from her mother, who returned to college and last week, at 42, earned a master's degree in social work.
"She was (on the) dean's list all through (college)," said Vokey, who plans to study fashion retail. "I thought, if she can do it, I can do it."
Julia McCue, staff researcher, contributed to this story.
Staff Writer Josie Huang can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:
jhuang@pressherald.com
