With almost all good-paying jobs today requiring at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, our primary goal for high school redesign is to keep all students in school and on track for high school graduation. Each year almost 15,000 students drop out of Louisiana public schools, unequipped with the skills to earn a living wage or to contribute to the economy of our state. To curb the dropout problem, we are instituting an electronic Early Warning System that alerts schools to students that are at high risk of dropping out based on indicators such as poor attendance, low or falling grades, and disciplinary problems. We are also implementing programs that will ensure every student receives the academic and personal supports needed to be successful in high school. And because both national and state ata reveal that the primary reason students drop out is that they do not see the value of high school courses, we are revising our Comprehensive Curriculum to include more work-based learning activities, creating new and more relevant courses, and adopting new career-focused instructional models, all with the purpose of clearly connecting high school learning to the future career needs and interests of students. In addition to the above actions, we are providing targeted assistance to high schools that have the highest dropout and lowest graduation rates in the state.

Our second goal for high school redesign is to ensure that our high school graduates are prepared for postsecondary education. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission's workforce Gap Analysis, about 75% of our state�s jobs require some level of postsecondary education. Yet, only 37% of our public high school students continue to a Louisiana public 2-year or 4-year college, and about 1/3 of these require remedial coursework upon college entry. We know we must do a better job of preparing our students for college, so we are in the process of reviewing our standards and curriculum to make sure they are aligned with college expectations. Beginning with the 9th grade class of 2008-09, all of our high school students must enroll for at least two years in the new LA Core 4 Curriculum, which is now required for admission to our state�s regional 4-year universities. We are also instituting programs such as our Dual Enrollment and advanced Placement initiatives to provide much larger numbers of students with the opportunity to experience rigorous college-level coursework and to begin earning college credit while still in high school.

Our third goal is to ensure that our students develop the skills they need to be successful in the 21st Century workplace. Employers across the state are telling us that vast numbers of our high school graduates lack the basic competencies needed for entry-level positions and, consequently, businesses are faced with critical shortages of workers in almost all high demand, high wage occupations. To address this issue, we are in the early stages of a major effort to significantly improve career preparation by integrating career learning within the academic curriculum, engaging all students in job shadowing and work internship experiences, and greatly expanding career-tech program options for students. We are also providing better support to students in the area of career planning through the structured use of resources such as the new LA ePortal website and the creation of 5-year Education and Career Plans for all students.

Improving student access to postsecondary education is our fourth and final goal for high school redesign. To accomplish this, new sources of financial aid such as the new GO Grants program will make college affordable for all students. Also, increased opportunities for high school students to earn college credit through dual enrollment, articulated credit, and AP courses will not only enable students to get a head start on a 2-year or 4-year college program, but ultimately reduce the cost of a college education.