EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Louisiana has been successful at expanding access for its economically disadvantaged four-year-olds through a number of state and federally funded pre-K programs. Today, more than 90% of these four-year-olds can access a publicly funded pre-K slot, and most are of high quality.

By contrast, for children under age four in Louisiana, especially economically disadvantaged children, high- quality early care and education is extremely difficult to access. Overall, only 15% of these youth under age four have access to any publicly supported programs.

A recent report from the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children highlighted the economic costs to both Louisiana employers and workers caused by this lack of access to child care. The report found, as a result of child care-related issues:

  • One in seven parents with a child age four or under had turned down a promotion at work;

  • Nearly one in five reported leaving full-time employment for part-time work;

  • Almost half of both men and women reported missing work regularly due to problems with child care;

  • One in six had quit a job, and one in 13 had been fired.

  • The report concluded that inadequate access to child care costs Louisiana employers $816 million annually due to employee absences and turnover. It pegged the loss to the state at nearly $84 million in tax revenue due to lost workplace productivity and $1.1 billion to Louisiana’s economy from the spillover effects.

In order to send all children to kindergarten ready to learn, we must consider doing the following:

  • Expanding access to high-quality early care and education programs for all at-risk children in Louisiana from birth through age four;

  • Investing in programs that provide working families access to quality child care programs that provide rich, early education experiences; and

  • Making early care and education as one of the top priorities for new revenue sources and conduct a review of existing dedicated funds to determine if they remain a priority or whether they could be redirected to early childhood services through the appropriations process.

K-12 EDUCATION

In the past ten years, the state has raised academic standards and expectations of students.

Scores on LEAP and ACT have improved; more students than ever are eligible for some level of TOPS scholarship; high school graduation rates have reached historic highs with more than 81% of students earning a degree; and more than 40% of students are earning college credit or an industry-based credential while still in high school.

The data results are clear – students are making progress across any number of measurements, which is driven by two decades of statewide policies that are seen as some of the strongest in the nation. Louisiana must continue this trajectory and accelerate it where possible.

To advance K-12 Education policies that work, we must consider:

  • Maintaining a strong school accountability system, rigorous K-12 academic standards and high-quality assessments and continue to build upon a wide and dynamic array of education choices for students and parents; 

  • Providing greater opportunities for Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment coursework;

  • More carefully aligning Jump Start programs with in-demand, high-quality jobs and regional needs;

  • Increasing access to opportunities for all students to earn postsecondary credit and credentials while still in high school;

  • Strengthening efforts to recruit qualified educators into the teaching profession and retain them. This should include raising teacher pay to the Southern regional average and providing a differential pay component in future salary increases to address areas of critical need;

  • Holding school districts accountable for implementing the local education plans required by the Every Student Succeeds Act for driving improvements in low-performing schools and those with identified groups of low-performing students and provide teachers with high-quality curricula and strong professional development;

  • Continuing to expand course and school choice.

HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The issues the state faces are clear:

1) Louisiana’s level of education attainment is low,

2) the population lacks the education and training to meet workforce needs, and

3) low education attainment perpetuates high levels of poverty.

Studies estimate that 56% of the jobs in Louisiana will require some sort of postsecondary credential. Louisiana falls far short of having enough educated workers to fill that need. Another concern is the sheer number of undereducated adults in the state. Currently, 1.4 million adults – more than half of the adult population – lack a postsecondary credential. Nearly half of those adults live in poverty, they have higher rates of unemployment than others and their wages are lower.

To increase our education levels and our economic competitiveness, we must:

  • Providing greater affordability for students, balancing needs-based aid, merit awards, and financial assistance for adults;

  • Supporting expansion of The University of Louisiana System initiative called Compete LA aimed at the 633,000 citizens in Louisiana who have some college credits, but no degree. The program offers 28 degree programs, many available online, designed to make it easier for working citizens to access higher education and earn a degree on a timeline that works for them;

  • Continuing to grow the Fast Start program and advocate for additional training (like the North Baton Rouge Training Initiative) and recruitment of skilled trades men and women to combat the workforce shortage in critical sectors such as construction and manufacturing;

  • Appropriating a meaningful level of recurring dollars to expand access to high-quality early childhood care and education, with a focus on birth to age;

  • Strengthening efforts to recruit qualified educators into the teaching profession and retain them, including raising teacher pay to the Southern regional average and providing a differential pay component in future salary increases to address areas of critical need; and assuring all teacher and support worker pay raises are in the MFP;

  • Working to achieve the Board of Regents’ goal of ensuring that 60% of Louisiana adults have a high-value credential or postsecondary degree by 2030;

  • Removing barriers that make it difficult for students to transfer credits between institutions, a problem that increases costs and delays completion;

  • Enhancing the focus within postsecondary education to meet the workforce and knowledge needs of a more diversified, modern and changing economy;

  • Emphasizing early literacy supports and outcomes;

  • Improving access to post-secondary education for all students through ongoing support of needs-based financial aid such as Geaux Grants.