Tennessee Awarded Highest Marks for JTG Student Success

Monday, September 24, 2007 | 07:00pm

Jobs for Tennessee Graduates Receives National Award for Second Consecutive Year

Nashville, TN – The Jobs for Tennessee Graduates (JTG) program earned the highest national performance award for participants’ superior graduation rate and post-secondary success rate. Tennessee’s JTG students achieved a 96.2 percent graduation rate for the 2006-07 school year and more than 82 percent are now participating in higher education, military service or the workforce. This is the second consecutive year for Tennessee’s program to receive the award.

“Jobs for Tennessee Graduates has a proven track record of helping students succeed academically while preparing them for life after high school,” Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said. “The program provides a learning setting where these students can develop the skills and determination to focus on their goals. The result is improved graduation and drop-out rates. I commend the JTG educators and students on this considerable accomplishment.”

“The Department of Labor and Workforce Development partners with Education to provide 50% of the funding for this program,” Labor Commissioner James Neeley said. “We see it as a valuable service for our youth in Tennessee to ensure that they are successful in the workplace upon graduation. We congratulate JTG on the program’s continued success as a national leader.”

Tennessee’s program received the ‘Five of Five Award’ at the Jobs for America’s Graduates training seminar in July. States must meet or exceed performance standards in five categories to achieve this honor. The following chart illustrates how Tennessee students performed compared to the minimum standard set by the national organization.

Standard

National Benchmark

Tennessee Students

Graduation Rate

90%

96.21%

Positive Placement Rate

80%

82.08%

Job Placement Rate

60%

61.20%

Full-Time Placement Rate

80%

86.90%

Full-Time Job Placement Rate

60%

67.24%

Additionally, more than half of Tennessee’s JTG teachers received the Five of Five award for teachers.

The Jobs for America’s Graduates model is used in 28 states to help lower the dropout rate and raise academic achievement and career success, particularly among at-risk youth. For more information on these programs, visit www.jag.org or http://www.jag.org/tennessee/.

For more information, contact Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel.Woods@state.tn.us.

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