The five-year initiative New Skills for Youth (NSFY) aimed to transform career readiness education and bridge the skills gap by supporting innovative strategies in 10 states across the United States. NSFY was one of the earliest and most impactful philanthropic investments in career pathways and career readiness in recent history and helped spark…

Whether through transfer and articulation, through grants that bring disconnected learners back to higher education or through short-term credentialing and applied bachelor's degrees, four-year institutions remain integral to career pathways systems beyond the traditional degree pathway. They also have a clear role in supporting all learners,…

A mismatch remains between the skills employers seek in new hires and the skills applicants possess. This study encompassed an evaluation of the impacts of the Quality Enhancement Program on students' work readiness competencies, including oral, written, and digital communication skills, at Nunez Community College. The Quality Enhancement Program…

This research project investigated teacher perceptions, understanding, and instructional practices in one local school district in Louisiana through the lens of the WorkKeys assessment as an indicator of career readiness. Within the school district, 40 secondary teachers in the subject areas of English, mathematics, and science completed a…

Economic downturns, like a global pandemic, magnify the need for timely, accurate, and complete data that policymakers need to make data-informed decisions that will help workers, businesses, and their communities recover. Good data helps to better understand what's working and what's not in terms of creating greater access to workforce…

This qualitative study explores the perceived barriers to professional advancement among Black Americans who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in Louisiana. Through in-depth interviews with 36 participants spanning four generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation…

The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge and skills that are needed within Louisiana postsecondary institutions to obtain four- and five-star jobs in computer and information technology. The study will examine computer science and information systems curricula at select colleges in the state and compare course offerings with skills…

Exploring Summer Youth Employment Programs: Increasing Access Through Career Pathways builds the case and provides actionable recommendations for state-led support in the intentional alignment of summer youth employment programs (SYEP) with career pathways and the work-based learning continuum, including through Career Technical Education (CTE).…

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, state education leaders have been developing numerous innovative approaches to supporting high school students who are pursuing career pathways and preparing them for successful outcomes beyond secondary education. This topical brief summarizes state needs and strategies related to supporting…

In the fall of 2013, the College of Business at Nicholls State University, in collaboration with industry, launched a 4-year Bachelor's program in management specifically designed to train graduates for employment in firms competing in the oil and gas sector of the maritime industry. The development and implementation of this maritime management…

Each year, ACT releases data on the most recent class of high school graduates. In addition to providing an objective and standardized measurement of readiness used in college admissions decisions, the data provided by the ACT® test can be used to inform states, districts, schools, teachers, parents, and students themselves about students'…

Louisiana was one of the 10 states selected to participate in New Skills for Youth (NSFY). NSFY, launched by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 2016, is a $75 million, five-year initiative, aimed at strengthening and expanding high-quality career pathways for youth. As part of this initiative, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE, and…

Despite the myriad of challenges that families, students, teachers and policymakers faced in 2021, the momentum to transform education did not waver. New opportunities for students unfolded in more than a dozen states through expanded private and public school choice. An additional 1.7 million students gained eligibility for private choice alone,…

With the new era of higher education centered on reshaping curricula in community colleges, educators and researchers are left with the task to develop innovative ways to keep students focused. The perceived best practices to educate students are always changing and with the millennial generation geared more towards participatory and hands on…

The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) was created to support teachers in implementing college and career readiness standards. Teachers work collaboratively with coaches to further develop their expertise and design standards-driven, literacy-rich writing assignments within their existing curriculum across all content areas. Findings from…