New YouScience report reveals a systemic design gap in American education as record-high completion rates fail to produce students with a clear, intentional direction for their lives

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — YouScience®,the leading education technology company transforming college and career readiness through its award-winning platform YouScience® Brightpath, today released its annual Post-Graduation Readiness Report. The findings expose a growing gap in American education, with rising graduation rates not translating into real-world readiness.

Drawing from a nationally representative survey of over 1,000 students from the graduating classes of 2022 through 2025, the 2026 report identifies a “readiness crisis” that has become the new normal.

Key findings from the report include:

The readiness gap: 77% of graduates describe themselves as only moderately, slightly, or not at all prepared for life after high school.The confidence baseline: 69% of students lack strong confidence in their post-graduation plans, a figure that has held steady as an ongoing trend, not a temporary disruption.The end of the default to a college degree: Four-year college enrollment has fallen from 55% in 2019 to 36.7% in 2026, this is no longer a temporary decline, but a permanent reset in how students approach their future.The majority is no longer college-bound: 63.3% of graduates are choosing pathways outside of a traditional four-year university, including community college, trade school, workforce entry, or no defined plan.A generation navigating without a map: 62% of students are “drifting” into their future without intentional, deliberate plans.The power of aptitude discovery: When students receive structured support to understand their natural talents, their sense of preparedness nearly triples (13% to 33%) and confidence more than doubles (19% to 41%).

“The 2026 findings confirm that our education system is optimized for the wrong outcome. Completion is up, but clarity is not,” said Edson Barton, CEO of YouScience. “The failure is architectural. We have built a system that measures credits and GPA rather than self-knowledge and direction. To close the readiness gap, we must shift our focus from getting students through high school to getting them ready for life.”

The report also highlights deepening inequities across the country. Female students are more likely to feel unprepared (46% vs 41% of males), and the Western United States reports the lowest preparedness levels in the nation at 50%. Furthermore, public school students report the lowest confidence and preparedness levels compared to all other school types, highlighting a significant challenge for equity in education.

To close the readiness gap, YouScience calls for a fundamental shift toward four core capabilities:

Discover: Building self-knowledge through aptitude discovery before high-stakes decisions are made.Plan: Connecting learning to intentional, personalized pathways well before graduation.Validate: Providing certifications and real-world projects that translate learning into recognized credentials.Connect: Linking students to internships and employer partnerships at scale.

“Students are not unmotivated; they are navigating a system that wasn’t designed to guide them,” added Barton. “The data shows that when we provide students with the tools to discover who they are and where they can go, the results are transformational. It is time to update the system’s design to match the realities of the modern workforce.”

To read the full 2026 Post-Graduation Readiness Report, or see how Brightpath equips schools to drive real student outcomes, visit youscience.com.

About the report
The 2026 Post-Graduation Readiness Report is the fourth annual study examining how recent high school graduates navigate life after graduation. Based on a nationally representative survey of over 1,000 students from the classes of 2022–2025, it provides critical insights into evolving trends in student confidence, preparedness, and the structural changes required to support the next generation.

About YouScience
YouScience® is the leading education technology company dedicated to empowering individuals with the data and credentials needed to succeed in school, career, and life. Its award-winning platform, Brightpath, is the only College & Career Readiness solution built for both compliance and impact—powered by scientifically backed aptitude discovery, industry-recognized certifications, and meaningful career connections. YouScience currently serves more than 13,400 educational institutions and millions of users nationwide.

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SOURCE YouScience

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 28, 2026 /CNW/ – goeasy Ltd. (TSX: GSY), (“goeasy” or the “Company”), one of Canada’s leading consumer lenders focused on delivering a full suite of financial services to Canadians with non-prime credit scores, will release its first quarter 2026 results after the market closes on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

The company will hold its first quarter 2026 earnings conference call for analysts and investors on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Call Details

Local – Toronto: +1 (416) 945-7677
North American Toll Free: +1 (888) 699-1199

-or-

Participants may listen to the webcast by registering via the following link https://app.webinar.net/wRYMgAD0jeA. A recorded version will be available under the same link immediately following the conclusion of the conference call.

To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at https://emportal.ink/4sYSTIF to receive an instant automated call back.

A recorded playback of the conference call will also be available until May 20, 2026 by calling North American toll free +1 (888) 660-6345, or +1 (289) 819-1450, passcode 25661 #.

About goeasy

goeasy Ltd. is a leading Canadian provider of non-prime consumer lending solutions, offering a suite of financial products through its easyfinancial, easyhome, and LendCare brands. goeasy offers unsecured and secured instalment loans, point-of-sale financing, and lease-to-own merchandise through its omni-channel model, which spans online, mobile, and hundreds of locations nationwide.

Driven by its team members’ dedication to expand access to credit for underserved communities and helping customers strengthen their financial futures, goeasy has proudly served more than 1.6 million customers while building an award-winning culture. Shares of goeasy Ltd. are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol GSY. For more information, visit www.goeasy.com.

For investor inquiries, contact:

James Obright
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Capital Markets
investor_relations@goeasy.com 

For media inquiries, contact:

mediainquiries@goeasy.com

SOURCE goeasy Ltd.

Consultwebs, the nation’s premier legal digital marketing agency, is proud to announce the publication of its 2026 Digital Marketing Predictions for Law Firms.

RALEIGH, N.C., April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This strategic guide is designed to help attorneys maintain authority and credibility in a “Generative Engine” era.

Strategic Analysis by Industry Leaders
The report is anchored by the work of Grant Brott, Tanner Jones, and Magnus Simonarson. Under the leadership of President Magnus Simonarson, Consultwebs has leveraged its 26+ years of historical data to forecast the emergence of a “Human-First” digital era.

Director of Strategy Grant Brott provides a deep dive into Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a critical new discipline. As Google integrates AI more deeply into Search, Brott predicts that “Prompts = Zero-Click” behavior will become the norm. To counter this, Brott said firms must prioritize E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) and lean into traditional media-outreach tactics to keep their brands visible to AI site crawlers like those from ChatGPT.

Maximizing Authority in 2026
VP of Business Development Tanner Jones highlights that firms must “skate to where the puck is going” by diversifying visibility across diverse channels.
The report identifies several high-authority signals for the upcoming year:

Informational Gain: Content must deliver unique, intent-driven value that goes beyond generic word counts to solve specific user “prompts”.

Voice and Accessibility: Voice-enabled inputs and inclusive web design will be standard for high-performing legal sites.

Video SEO: As LLMs begin surfacing video content in chat responses, video SEO on platforms like YouTube and TikTok has become critical.

First-Party Data: For PPC, a robust first-party data strategy is essential to navigate tightening privacy regulations and improve ad targeting.

The “Human-Centric” Design Shift
A major prediction for 2026 is the rise of “Human-centric” copy as a counterbalance to “AI fatigue”. The analysis concludes that while AI tools can automate grunt work, “Human perspective will stand out in a sea of AI-generated content”.

Download the Analysis
Law firms looking to thrive in 2026 can download the full analytic report at Consultwebs.com to explore detailed predictions on SEO, PPC, Social Media, and Video Marketing.

About Consultwebs
Founded in 1999, Consultwebs provides custom digital marketing solutions for law firms, focusing on measurable ROI and long-term growth.

Press Release Service provided by 24-7PressRelease.com

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SOURCE Consultwebs