Sponsored by East Baton Rouge Parish School System
East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s Pathways to Bright Futures program is helping students get an earlier start on earning college credit or industry-based credentials (IBC) that will ultimately lead them toward higher-paying, in-demand jobs.
The tuition-free program, now in its third year, was presented by Superintendent Sito Narcisse as a new and exciting opportunity for students. “Our students have the potential to earn an associate degree, or an industry-based credential, along with a diploma by the end of high school, while saving themselves from the rising cost of tuition and student loan debt for two years of post-secondary education,” Narcisse says.
Pathways to Bright Futures offers five options: technology, construction and manufacturing, medical and pre-med, transportation and logistics, and liberal arts and management. The pathways were created in partnership with local business and industry leaders to fill workforce gaps in high-needs, high-wage and high-growth jobs.
Each year of high school, EBR students can take at least one Advanced Placement course where they can earn college credit after taking an exam, take part in dual enrollment at a participating college, or earn an industry-based credential. Teachers from such institutions as Baton Rouge Community College teach the classes in person and virtually, while EBR teachers supplement the work. Business and industry partners include ExxonMobil and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.
The EBR School System successfully launched Pathways to Bright Futures as a pilot program at Glen Oaks High School during the 2021-22 school year. There are currently about 4,500 students enrolled. The number of students enrolled in advanced coursework at the school increased from 20 students to 244 students. More than 80 percent who participated in dual enrollment earned at least three hours of college credit. “The data shows us that students have the ability to succeed if challenged to do so,” Narcisse says.
School system officials are looking forward to seeing the first class of program participants graduate in 2025. “That is going to be an exciting time when these kids walk across the stage with diplomas and with associate degrees,” says Suguna Mayweather, EBR Schools Supervisor of Academic Programs and leader of the Pathways to Bright Futures program.
With some adjustments, Pathways to Bright Futures was implemented for every ninth grader throughout the district at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. Last year, 83 percent of students who engaged in dual enrollment in the district earned college credit, which matches the pilot program. For more information about Pathways to Bright Futures or the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, visit online at ebrschools.org.
