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Board learns about work place program
By Diane Vance/Gate City Staff Writer
The Keokuk School Board learned about a supplemental educational program Monday that works with middle and/or high school students to provide a comprehensive school-to-career curriculum.
“Iowa is one of 30 states with Jobs for America's Graduates,” said Laurie Phelan, president of Iowa JAG. “JAG is a not-for-profit organization in business for 30 years. We go into schools that have determined a need for our services.”
Iowa JAG, Inc. started in 1999 under then-Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson. More information is on its Web site, www.i-jag.net.
“We're serving about 900 students and add 40 to 45 students each year,” said Phelan.
Students in the program are identified by the school district and I-JAG as those at the highest risk of disengaging and/or dropping out, or those who need additional support to successfully transition from high school to adults.
“We service students with three or more ‘barriers to success,'” said Phelan.
I-JAG hires a teacher for a school district after a memorandum of understanding is signed to invite the program on campus. The I-JAG teacher holds two or three classes every day with six to 16 students per class.
Local school boards determine the credit weight for the class. The teacher is under the supervision of I-JAG and the local school administration.
“We work to engage students who may be at-risk, to increase graduation rates, develop workplace competencies and aid in workplace success,” said Phelan. “We like to have 40 to 45 students in a school in our program. We provide individual career plans for each student in the program. We teach teamwork and volunteering in the community.
“In one year of classes, I-JAG teaches 37 core competencies we want Iowa high school graduates to have.
“We have a variety of models available, for middle school and high school students,” said Phelan. “In talking with Michelle (Lukavsky, Keokuk High School principal), you would get a multi-year, work-based learning program with speakers, job shadowing, summer jobs and internships.
“We teach students to prepare for careers and acquire portable skills. We are comprehensive and flexible. We don't want to overlap or step on the toes of any program you already have in place.
“We help students identify interests and achievable career plans through job-shadowing, part-time jobs, community service projects, skill competitions and service learning.”
Phelan said I-JAG makes sure to complement its curriculum with the correct business fits.
“For example, if students are to learn about energy careers, over two weeks we would have speakers and workers in the field talk with students about utilities and energy options such as wind or solar power. Students learn which skills and education are necessary for each job in a field.
“Our curriculum is performance based. Students have to demonstrate what they are learning through class projects, team projects or even a student-run school-based business. We guarantee students completing our program all have a career plan and relevant training," said Phelan.
“Our vision is lead every I-JAG student to graduation, post-secondary education, a successful career and life-long learning.”
I-JAG follows each student for one year after high school graduation to assist in continued success.
I-JAG has improved graduation rates, academic performance, attendance, job placement and continued education/training.
Phelan shared statistics with the school board:
Iowa had 3,620 high school drop-outs in the Class of 2007. (Keokuk had the lowest graduation rate in the state that year at 68 percent.)
Annually, drop-outs cost the nation $200 billion.
A third of Iowa's prison inmates are high school drop-outs. It costs an average of $30,000 annually to house a prisoner in Iowa.
The average age of prison inmates in Iowa is 23 years old.
School board member Dave Barrett asked how I-JAG defines a high school drop-out.
“Anyone who is no longer in the educational system without a diploma,” said Phelan.
High schools reporting data for federal No Child Left Behind regulations count only students who complete graduation requirements in four years as the graduation rate.
I-JAG guidelines are more generous, not counting students as drop-outs if they take longer than four years, are enrolled in alternative schools or GED courses.
Students participating in I-JAG five days a week:
Average a .3 percent annual increase in their grade point averages.
Average 4,000 hours of community service volunteering.
30 percent are first-generation, post-secondary education learners.
40 percent are minorities.
40 percent are low income.
87 percent of graduates have a positive outcome.
85 percent find a full-time job.
96 percent are placed in jobs.
42 percent transition to post-secondary education. The trend is increasing, Phelan noted.
I-JAG has a 93 percent graduation rate over eight years in the schools it partners with.
“We have 27 Iowa schools on our waiting list, not counting Keokuk,” said Phelan. “I-JAG has been eager to come to the Keokuk School District for several years. Vilsack and Pederson are particularly fond and knowledgeable about southern Iowa. Lora (Keokuk Superintendent Wolff) and I go way back. Michelle is familiar with I-JAG from our work in the Columbus Junction schools.”
Iowa businesses have invested $370,000 in I-JAG, Phelan said. The U.S. Department of Labor names JAG as the primary provider of career skills in the nation.
“So what does this cost? One teacher, teaching our program two or three credit classes five days a week costs $76,232 annually. The school district is charged $13,000 toward that cost and asked to provide a classroom. We work with the community and state corporate leaders for financial support.”
She indicated Keokuk would not go to the bottom of the 27-school waiting list.
The school board will probably add a discussion and vote about the program at its next board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, at Hawthorne Elementary School, said Wolff.
“Iowa is one of 30 states with Jobs for America's Graduates,” said Laurie Phelan, president of Iowa JAG. “JAG is a not-for-profit organization in business for 30 years. We go into schools that have determined a need for our services.”
Iowa JAG, Inc. started in 1999 under then-Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson. More information is on its Web site, www.i-jag.net.
“We're serving about 900 students and add 40 to 45 students each year,” said Phelan.
Students in the program are identified by the school district and I-JAG as those at the highest risk of disengaging and/or dropping out, or those who need additional support to successfully transition from high school to adults.
“We service students with three or more ‘barriers to success,'” said Phelan.
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Local school boards determine the credit weight for the class. The teacher is under the supervision of I-JAG and the local school administration.
“We work to engage students who may be at-risk, to increase graduation rates, develop workplace competencies and aid in workplace success,” said Phelan. “We like to have 40 to 45 students in a school in our program. We provide individual career plans for each student in the program. We teach teamwork and volunteering in the community.
“In one year of classes, I-JAG teaches 37 core competencies we want Iowa high school graduates to have.
“We have a variety of models available, for middle school and high school students,” said Phelan. “In talking with Michelle (Lukavsky, Keokuk High School principal), you would get a multi-year, work-based learning program with speakers, job shadowing, summer jobs and internships.
“We teach students to prepare for careers and acquire portable skills. We are comprehensive and flexible. We don't want to overlap or step on the toes of any program you already have in place.
“We help students identify interests and achievable career plans through job-shadowing, part-time jobs, community service projects, skill competitions and service learning.”
Phelan said I-JAG makes sure to complement its curriculum with the correct business fits.
“For example, if students are to learn about energy careers, over two weeks we would have speakers and workers in the field talk with students about utilities and energy options such as wind or solar power. Students learn which skills and education are necessary for each job in a field.
“Our curriculum is performance based. Students have to demonstrate what they are learning through class projects, team projects or even a student-run school-based business. We guarantee students completing our program all have a career plan and relevant training," said Phelan.
“Our vision is lead every I-JAG student to graduation, post-secondary education, a successful career and life-long learning.”
I-JAG follows each student for one year after high school graduation to assist in continued success.
I-JAG has improved graduation rates, academic performance, attendance, job placement and continued education/training.
Phelan shared statistics with the school board:
Iowa had 3,620 high school drop-outs in the Class of 2007. (Keokuk had the lowest graduation rate in the state that year at 68 percent.)
Annually, drop-outs cost the nation $200 billion.
A third of Iowa's prison inmates are high school drop-outs. It costs an average of $30,000 annually to house a prisoner in Iowa.
The average age of prison inmates in Iowa is 23 years old.
School board member Dave Barrett asked how I-JAG defines a high school drop-out.
“Anyone who is no longer in the educational system without a diploma,” said Phelan.
High schools reporting data for federal No Child Left Behind regulations count only students who complete graduation requirements in four years as the graduation rate.
I-JAG guidelines are more generous, not counting students as drop-outs if they take longer than four years, are enrolled in alternative schools or GED courses.
Students participating in I-JAG five days a week:
Average a .3 percent annual increase in their grade point averages.
Average 4,000 hours of community service volunteering.
30 percent are first-generation, post-secondary education learners.
40 percent are minorities.
40 percent are low income.
87 percent of graduates have a positive outcome.
85 percent find a full-time job.
96 percent are placed in jobs.
42 percent transition to post-secondary education. The trend is increasing, Phelan noted.
I-JAG has a 93 percent graduation rate over eight years in the schools it partners with.
“We have 27 Iowa schools on our waiting list, not counting Keokuk,” said Phelan. “I-JAG has been eager to come to the Keokuk School District for several years. Vilsack and Pederson are particularly fond and knowledgeable about southern Iowa. Lora (Keokuk Superintendent Wolff) and I go way back. Michelle is familiar with I-JAG from our work in the Columbus Junction schools.”
Iowa businesses have invested $370,000 in I-JAG, Phelan said. The U.S. Department of Labor names JAG as the primary provider of career skills in the nation.
“So what does this cost? One teacher, teaching our program two or three credit classes five days a week costs $76,232 annually. The school district is charged $13,000 toward that cost and asked to provide a classroom. We work with the community and state corporate leaders for financial support.”
She indicated Keokuk would not go to the bottom of the 27-school waiting list.
The school board will probably add a discussion and vote about the program at its next board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, at Hawthorne Elementary School, said Wolff.
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