JAG Partners with Headrush: Calls Educational Platform a “Game Changer” for Students & Teachers

Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), a school-to-career program that supports young people of great promise, has partnered with Headrush, a company that produces innovative educational software, to support students and teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. JAG is Headrush’s largest and first national partner.
 
“Headrush is a game-changer for JAG students, who can use the platform to easily access projects, scholarships, job opportunities, employer connections and more. It’s also a valuable resource for JAG Specialists (teachers), providing a warehouse of ready-made content and a playlist of projects for them to utilize.  That way, busy Specialists can spend less time developing content and more time engaging with their students,” said Jenn Beal, Director of Education at JAG.
 
“The JAG National network is proudly using the Headrush platform as a tool to support and overcome learning loss, the homework gap, and credit recovery during the pandemic and its aftermath,” said Ken Smith, President of JAG.  “Beginning in March 2020, when schools shut down, JAG pivoted, shifting to virtual support and training, seamlessly providing tools and resources for the most vulnerable students nationwide. As we navigate back from this global crisis, the Headrush platform will be instrumental to keep JAG students engaged, inspired, and learning.”

Headrush -

• Is flexible and able to accommodate the various ways connections are made and instruction is administered.
• Uses agile learning management to promote authentic student-driven projects.
• Increases students’ exposure to employer partners, scholarships, and career opportunities.
• Helps Specialists (teachers) access content and manage data, which is especially important during this year of unprecedented disruption.
• Is a long-term solution to save Specialists time and so they can focus on engaging JAG participants in a virtual space.

“JAG pursued this partnership because Headrush is PBL (project-based learning) driven. Their focus on project management, student-led experiences, and in tracking progress really made Headrush the right choice to partner with JAG. Headrush’s values and ideology align perfectly with JAG’s. We’re excited about this partnership and look forward to many successes together,” Beal explained. “Additionally, JAG is preparing for future opportunities with a completely virtual program application to reach students who are unable to connect with a traditional JAG program.”

”We’re thrilled to work with JAG to support thriving, learner-centered communities across its extensive 40-state network. Headrush will supercharge how JAG Specialists are already enabling student success, whether that be through streamlined project management, more robust content remixing, or easier to find scholarships, internships, and job placements aligned to student interests" said Shane Krukowski, COO & Co-Founder of Headrush. “Our partnership further empowers the talented JAG Specialists to maximize their students’ successes and overcome challenges – making them more future resilient.”
 
JAG has just launched a Headrush pilot program, which will run from March to May 2021.  During this timeframe, Specialists and leadership from various JAG Affiliates will try the platform, access resources, leverage content, and engage their students.  In July, JAG will provide Headrush training for all Affiliates, who will have the opportunity to utlize the platform in earnest starting this fall.

In the last four decades, JAG has helped over 1.5M of our nation’s most underserved young people overcome significant economic, emotional, and academic challenges. Today, the same populations JAG was founded to support have been hit the earliest, hardest, and are most likely to be impacted the longest by the COVID-19 pandemic. This compounds the ongoing challenges of discrimination and inequality many have faced.  
 
For 40 years – even amid the pandemic – JAG participants have consistently achieved outstanding results. This includes a 95.7% graduation rate (compared to an 84% average national graduation rate). JAG graduates are also 230% more likely to be employed full-time compared to their peers and twice as likely to go to college. In June of 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shared that 18-19 year olds represented the age demographic most negatively impacted by COVID-19 layoffs, with a national unemployment rate of 33%. For JAG graduates, that rate was three times less (11%).
 
About Jobs for America’s Graduates
 
The JAG National Network has a footprint across 1,500 communities in 40 states and impacts more than 76,000 young people annually. JAG graduates consistently achieve outstanding results, including a 95.7% graduation rate. JAG graduates are 230% more likely to be employed full-time compared to their peers, and twice as likely to go to college. For more information, visit https://jag.org.
 
About Headrush
 
Headrush was founded with the realization that barriers can be significantly lowered by the smart application of the right software. Dedicated to creating educational software that makes a difference in schools today, the Headrush mission is and will always be to foster self-empowered learners who are future-ready.

Contact Information

Adrienne Walkowiak

Communications

Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG)

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