About Us
JAG-Missouri
Founded in 1979, Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) helps students recognize and unleash their potential by ensuring they graduate from high school and are ready to move into college, military service, or a career.
JAG serves students who have academic potential, but who also face significant barriers, such as poverty, challenging family situations, and a history of personal trauma. Since its founding in 1979, JAG has served more than 1.4 million students.
Over the 40 years, JAG has been able to double the rate of disadvantaged youth securing jobs; nearly double the rate of higher education enrollment and completion; and triple the rate of securing full-time jobs.
JAG works with talented, but socially unprepared, students. JAG works because it sees the value of these students and unleashes the potential they have. JAG students have talent, grit, and a hunger to learn. They want to succeed and have a better life. And they want to be productive citizens. All they need is someone who believes in them and creates the opportunity to show what they can do. JAG does that.
I felt hopeless because no matter what I did, I thought the future I wanted was too far out of reach. I wasn’t smart enough or rich enough to live the life I wanted. Because of this, at the age of 15, I exploded. Everything parents pray their child isn’t doing, I was, or I was trying to. In the midst of this self destruction, the greatest opportunity came up and shook my hand. I went from dropping out to picking up my cap and gown. JAG didn’t save my life, it taught me how to save my own.
Kaleah - JAG-Missouri Graduate
JAG-Missouri at a Glance
Mission Statement
JAG-Missouri helps students reach their full potential by graduating from high school and being successful at whatever careers they choose after graduation.
The JAG Advantage
Students benefit from the “JAG Advantage,” a set of three strategies to propel JAG into its next half-century:
- Project Based Learning (PBL)
- Trauma Informed Care
- Employer Engagement
Every year since it was founded, JAG students have achieved a high school graduation rate of 90 percent or higher. Over the 40 years, JAG has been able to double the rate of disadvantaged youth securing jobs; nearly double the rate of higher education enrollment and completion; and triple the rate of securing full-time jobs.
The Success of JAG-Missouri
At its core, JAG is both a school-dropout prevention program and a school-to-work program, thus helping JAG-Missouri address the workforce development needs of the state, while providing services to students in both urban and rural settings.
JAG students face multiple barriers to success. For example, typically about 80 percent of the JAG-Missouri students are on free or reduced lunches.
Because of its proven record of success, JAG-Missouri has grown from six programs in six schools serving 225 students in 2014-15 to 115 programs in 79 schools with over 5000 students in 24-25.
The Board of Directors, co-chaired by Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson, is committed to growing the program to serve more Missouri youth and the Board intends to continue providing the schools with approximately half the annual funding for the program.
JAG has been a life changer.
JAG pushes us out of our comfort zone. It has truly helped me find my voice. I have learned how to voice my opinions the right way – when to speak and when to listen. Without JAG I have no doubt I would still be living my old life. I wish I could have found my voice sooner, but the important thing now is: I have found it, and I will never let it go.
Bri - JAG-Missouri Graduate
JAG-Missouri At-A-Glance
- JAG-Missouri offers the in-school program for middle schools, high schools and alternative schools. JAG is a course elective that counts toward graduation.
- The middle school program focuses on good decision-making and leadership skills. The high school and alternative school programs focus on career exploration, resume building, interview skills, and work experience.
- DESE has determined that JAG will be counted toward meeting MSIP 6 goals, especially “High-Quality Career Education (TL3).” JAG also addresses the goals in “Intra- and Inter-personal Skills (TL4)” and “Educational Equity (Definition 1-B).”
- A full program is 35-50 students selected based on their number of barriers – the average for JAG-Missouri students is 10-12. For alternative programs, a full complement is 25-35 students and the performance measures for alternative programs are different.
- JAG-Missouri provides half of the estimated annual cost for the program, not only for the first year, but for every year the school has the program.
- The curriculum focuses on 37 core competencies developed in concert with business and industry, with the goal of preparing students to be outstanding employees.
- Much of the work of the JAG students occurs through the Career Association.
- While the JAG Specialists are hired by and employees of the school district, JAG National and JAG-Missouri provide continuous training.
- One of the value-added elements of JAG is the year-long follow-up with all seniors, which includes a monthly contact to ensure students are on a pathway to success.
- By achieving high graduation rates, JAG-Missouri also helps defeat the well-known negative consequences of dropping out of high school: higher rates of unemployment, public assistance, and incarceration, and even greater risks of poor health.
Before I joined JAG, I was lost. JAG provided assistance in pinpointing a career and making steps in order to pursue it. My JAG Specialist motivated me to make connections and to continue my education in the emergency response industry. JAG has changed my life!