Today, more than one in five high school students graduate with a “career” diploma, compared to less than 2% before Jump Start, and the number of industry credentials awarded has increased from 17,885 in 2014 to more than 90,000 in 2018, the state Department of Education says.
At the 2020 Jump Start Convention in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, John White, the state superintendent for K-12 education, called for restructuring how the system works, which he says would keep it on the “cutting edge” and help combat any stigma, The Center Square reports. White’s statements about upping students’ industry credentials were in line with the Louisiana Board of Regents’ latest master plan, which increases focus on talent development by making the way in which students move from high school to a postsecondary institution more intentional.
There are 51 Jump Start “pathways,” for students, compared to 16 “career clusters” recognized at the federal level. White plans to ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish a “more cohesive set of pathways” that is easier for students, parents, educators and employers to understand. Other goals of “Jump Start 2.0” include increasing access to workplace-based learning and creating new regional governance structures. Read the full story.
