The N.J. Chamber Foundation is Seeking Corporate Support for the Program which Boasts a Grad Rate of between 96% and 100%

Here is some good news: A program designed to help high school students develop the skills needed to flourish in college and in the workplace is having extraordinary success in the state's cities, and is expanding under the new management of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

The program, called 'Jobs for New Jersey's Graduates', had a 100 percent graduate rate at Newark's Barringer Academy of the Arts and Humanities high school last year. At the school, 17 seniors and 11 juniors participated in the program, and all 17 seniors graduated.

The program, geared toward students who are at risk of dropping out, was in a total of four schools last year in Camden, Newark and East Orange, and the graduation rates ranged from 96 to 100 percent. This school year, even after seed money from the state has dried up, the program has expanded to a total of 11 schools in Newark, Camden, East Orange, Carteret, New Brunswick and Vineland. Around 500 students are expected to participate, up from 134 last year.

Replicating Success

"Last year's high graduation rates are outstanding and it makes perfect sense to replicate the program's success in schools throughout the state," said Donna Custard, president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation. "We are thankful for the support of sponsors such as the Prudential Foundation, Walmart, AT&T, IBM and PNC Bank."

But more support is needed. The N.J. Chamber Foundation is appealing for state appropriations and additional corporate sponsors to support the program and further expand it. "We will be in 11 schools this year and the following year we want to double it," Custard said. "We want every at-risk student to have the opportunity to participate in 'Jobs for New Jersey's Graduates' because it works."

The announcement of the program's expansion came at a spirited press conference in Newark on Sept. 14 featuring Custard, Newark Public Schools Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf, State Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz, Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr., Sandra Strothers, Education Program Development Specialist at the state Department of Education, two students who recently graduated the program at the Barringer Academy and their teacher.

I have no doubt that the expansion of 'Jobs for New Jersey's Graduates' will help us reach more students and change their lives for the better," said Superintendent Cerf.

Sen. Ruiz (D-Essex) agreed. "This is a program that works," said Ruiz, who serves as chair of the state Senate Education Committee. "Stats don't lie. 100 percent is 100 percent. This should be in every school. We should be advocating, not just educating."

The Challenge is Funding

The state Department of Education established the 'Jobs for New Jersey's Graduates' program in 2011 with seed money from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. That seed money has since run out and the N.J. Chamber of Commerce Foundation was asked to assume management of the program in an effort to raise financial support from the private sector.

Companies like Prudential, Walmart, AT&T, IBM and PNC Bank have answered the bell, and the N.J. Chamber Foundation is looking for more supporters who want to make a real difference in the lives of New Jersey's most at-risk students.

"If we can catch at-risk students before they fall through the cracks, and wrap this program around them, and move them in the direction of a career and a productive life, it benefits everybody," Custard said. "It's good for society. It helps the economy. It drives the engine."

'Jobs for New Jersey's Graduates' is part of a national initiative called 'Jobs for America's Graduates,' better known as JAG. Participating students, chosen by teachers and guidance counselors, study leadership and employment skills, and receive academic support, access to inspiring guest speakers, tours of local businesses, and mentoring as they consider pursuing college or a career. Students, who take JAG as an elective, also have the opportunity to attend statewide and national conferences where they befriend and compete with program participants from all over the nation. Graduates of the program continue to receive support for 12 months after high school graduation to help them as they transition into college or a career.

The Students and the Teachers

"At JAG, I had to learn to come out of my shell, articulate myself and network," said Kelvin Olivier, who graduated Barringer in the spring and is now a freshman at Bloomfield College with an eye on law school. "Those skills have already helped me get a job on campus."

Chary Peralta, another spring Barringer graduate, said she was homeless in eight and ninth grades. "In JAG, you learn communication skills, interviewing skills and networking," said Peralta who now touts that she owns her own car and is enrolling in a program to become a dental hygienist. "You learn that no matter what is going on in your life, JAG will help you get through it, and there are no excuses."

Elizabeth Clark, who has taught the program in Barringer Academy for the past five years, said she has seen up-close how the program works.

"When I think about the impact of JAG, I think about the students that didn't care about their education until they were paired up with mentors from AT&T, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and they realize they can overcome their obstacles," Clark said. "I think about the students that go to the JAG national conference in Washington, D.C., and come back and become leaders in the school community. I think about the students who believe they can go to college. I think about how we made these students critical thinkers and they are able to think outside the box."

Former JAG students Peralta, once homeless and now enrolling in the program for dental hygienists, and Olivier, who is pursuing a law career, returned to their old JAG classroom at Barringer Academy in Newark on Sept. 14 for a day. This time, they were the guest speakers.