When Kim Rider and her team contact a former student, they aren鈥檛 just checking in鈥攖hey鈥檙e also gathering data.
Rider oversees career and technical education in Allen Parish, a region of rural Louisiana known for pine forests and the state鈥檚 largest casino. The 4,000-student school district offers classes in agriculture and health sciences, courses in coding and welding, and internships at the hospital and the district offices.
Yet Rider can鈥檛 be sure that her program steers students toward successful careers. That鈥檚 because Louisiana, like many states, lacks a system for tracking students once they enter the workforce. To follow students鈥 career paths, Rider and her colleagues must ask the graduates themselves for updates.
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