Helping all students succeed

May 6, 2021

Many students want to succeed in school and in life, but sometimes there are barriers keeping them from reaching that success.

To knock down those barriers, the South Dakota Department of Education hosts the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) program. JAG is a state-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting young people of great promise.

According to the South Dakota Department of Education, the JAG-SD model is implemented during the school year as elective class and school personnel identify students with at least five of the more than 50 barriers to success, who will benefit from the competency-based employability skills curriculum.

To participate in the program, school districts will need to provide:

• Salary and benefits for JAG Specialist
• Release time for JAG Specialist to attend bi-monthly team meetings
• Board resolution adopting program
• Funds allocated for transportation to business field trips, college visits, and travel for training.

To learn more about starting a Jobs for America's Graduates program at your school, please visit our JAG-SD webpage.