Missouri JAG Director speaks to students and Parents

On Friday, October 5th, the Portageville Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) conducted their Second Annual Installation and Initiation Ceremony at the Portageville School cafeteria.

Missouri JAG Director Paul Kincaid was the guest speaker.

Kincaid shared some history and figures about the JAG programs.

“JAG has been in Missouri for more than 30 years, having been established in 1981. Over those years, JAG-Missouri has involved some outstanding individuals, and included many success stories,” said Kincaid.

“JAG-Missouri has had significant success in recent years. For the class of 2015, JAG-Missouri finished first in the nation with a 99 percent graduation rate. For the class of 2016, the graduation rate was 98.75 and JAG-Missouri achieved the “5 for 5” designation, having met or exceeded the goals established by JAG National for graduation rate, total civilian job placement, and military service rate, positive outcomes, full-time jobs rate, and full-time placement rate,” he added.

As of July 1, 2017, JAG-Missouri, Inc., began operating as a separate nonprofit organization under a Board of Directors. The goal is to continue to grow the program while maintaining the level of quality achieved in recent years, he noted.

In a hand-out material about JAG, it reads, “The overarching purpose of the JAG-Missouri program is to provide participants with classroom and work-based learning experiences that result in a quality job, leading to a fulfilling career after graduation.”

JAG-Missouri provides an effective “Future Ready” strategy to strengthen education systems by serving youth needing additional assistance in completing a secondary education, pursuing post-secondary education or training, and/or entering the workforce in a quality job leading to a career.

JAG-Missouri operates 26 programs in 22 schools, serving a diverse population of students across the state of Missouri. The primary process objectives differ depending on the program type. JAG-Missouri has three types of program applications:

Middle School Application-The primary mission of the Middle School Program is to help 6th to 8th graders to transition more successfully from middle to high school. Specialists will provide an array of counseling, skills development, career association, and experiential learning experiences that will improve their academic performance, school behavior, attendance, confidence, participation, and self-esteem. Middle School participants will improve their skills in leading and being an effective member of a team.

High School/Multi-Year Application-After three decades of operating the Senior School-to-Career Program, the Multi-Year Dropout Prevention Program is rapidly becoming the most popular of the high school programs in hopes of keeping students in school through graduation. There is considerable interest in recruiting students in the 8th grade and deliver support services for four years prior to graduation from high school. Due to graduation requirements, only 25 percent of the graduates will be enrolled in the program for the entire four years. However, the early intervention has resulted in similar graduation outcomes for those with or without four years of support services.

Alternative Education Program Application - The Alternative Education Programs operate similarly to the Multi-Year Program except the students served are less likely to succeed in a traditional high school program. Usually, a Specialist will work with 25-35 students due to the individual counseling and support services required by an alternative education participant. Barrier identification and tracking are especially important for an Alternative Education Program so that additional support services can be identified to help students overcome and/or cope more effectively with barriers to staying in school through graduation or transitioning into the workplace and/or pursuing a postsecondary education. Specialists will use the 87 competency-based modules as well as individualized instructional tools to achieve the core competencies and as many additional competencies as needed and time permits.

For 2018-19, JAG-Missouri includes 40 programs at the following 29 schools (in alphabetical order):

Arcadia Valley High School in Ironton

Bismarck High School

Bolivar High School

Caruthersville High School

Central Academy of Excellence in the Kansas City Public School District

Central (in Park Hills) Middle and High School (two cohorts)

Charleston High School

East Carter Middle and High School

Farmington Middle School and High School

Hayti Middle and High School

Hillsboro Middle School and High School

Jennings Education Training School (JETS) in the Jennings School District

Jennings High School

Kennett High School

Lebanon Hillcrest Education Center

Mexico Alternative High School

Normandy High School

Plato High School

Portageville Middle School and High School

Risco Middle and High School

Riverview Gardens High School

Roosevelt High School in the St. Louis Public School District

South Pemiscot Middle and High School

Study High School in the Springfield Public School District

Sumner High School in the St. Louis Public School District

Vashon High School in the St. Louis Public School District

West County High School in Leadwood

West Plains High School and Zizzer Academy