Cowen Institute analyzes state’s new career diploma for high school students

The Cowen Institute at Tulane University released Jump Start: Career Pathways for High School Students, a policy brief analyzing a new education initiative that seeks to strengthen programming and improve outcomes for career and technical education (CTE) in Louisiana high schools.

Through Jump Start, all high school students will have the opportunity to pursue a CTE diploma that will provide an industry-certified credential upon graduation. Jump Start aims to align industry with high school education, ensuring students can choose to graduate with skills needed for jobs that exist locally.

“All students should graduate high school with true opportunities for post-secondary success,” said Amanda Kruger Hill, executive director of the Cowen Institute. “Quality career training can give students an advantage whether or not they choose to pursue a degree at a four-year college. This brief will inform parents, students, and educators about the changes coming to our high schools, and the new options available to students.”

The brief examines which career pathways high schools across New Orleans will offer students, the careers those pathways link to, and the considerable impact Jump Start could have on high school education in the city and state. The Louisiana Department of Education launched Jump Start in 2014 at the behest of the Legislature and will fully implement it by the 2017-2018 school year.

The brief is available online at coweninstitute.org.

The Cowen Institute’s mission is to advance public education and youth success in New Orleans and beyond.