Raising the Bar for Graduation Pathways to College and Work: Early Signals on How Louisiana's Education Policy Strategies Are Affecting College and Career Readiness

Abstract

H igh schools in Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the nation, have faced multiple challenges in preparing graduates for college and the workplace. Although the state's graduation rate has been improving, it was 77 percent in 2015 (most recent data available), seven percentage points below the 2016 national average of 84 percent (Sentell, 2018). Only 64 percent of Louisiana's graduating high school seniors enrolled in a two-or four-year college in 2015, compared with the national average of 70 percent in 2016 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). Louisiana ranks 48th among American states in terms of the percentage of residents (23.8 percent) who hold bachelor's degrees (U.S. Census Bureau, undated). Less than half of Louisiana students who started a four-year program finished within six years (Lounsbury, 2017),

College and Career Readiness: A Literature Synthesis

“…Another approach to college and career readiness has been to create graduation pathways. In 2012, the state of Louisiana assigned two graduation pathways: one focused on preparation for college and the other on career and technical education (Culbertson et al, 2019). After implementing the pathways program for 7 years, school officials determined that students needed the flexibility to switch pathways during their high school tenure.…”

“…They also needed information concerning the opportunities afforded within each of the pathways. Partnerships were established among various high schools, local institutions of higher education, and employers to provide students with exposure to college courses and career opportunities (Culbertson et al, 2019).…”

Recovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Progress, Challenges, and Options for the Future

“…It is important for high school graduates to have access to these opportunities. (Culbertson, Baird, et al, 2019).…”

“…The newly established USVI Workforce Development Board, as part of the Cradle to Career initiative, offers an opportunity to develop new high school CTE policies and programs, drawing on USVI workforce projections and good practices from other states. Other U.S. regions and states have also worked to align high school CTE with workforce needs in recent years, with new approaches in Louisiana, Ohio, Colorado, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia(Buller, Menardi, and Nicholas, 2017;Culbertson, Baird, et al, 2019; National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, 2014). For example, Louisiana developed a program to hire industry professionals as CTE instructors to address CTE teacher shortages; created partnerships between schools and local universities, community colleges, or industry associations to offer some classes outside of the high school for students; and aligned high school CTE offerings with regional workforce need projections…”