BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Louisiana Department of Education is getting $10 million to improve career opportunities for students with disabilities.
According to LDOE, Louisiana will be one of 20 states to get the funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Pathways to Partnerships.
“We are excited about this opportunity to further support students with disabilities as they transition to successful lives beyond high school,” said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley. “Connecting more students with career opportunities is part of our broader efforts to improve the quality of special education programming statewide, providing greater access to information and services for families and higher quality programming for students.”
The project will foster partnerships between state vocational rehabilitation agencies, state and local educational agencies and centers for independent living to help people with disabilities get jobs after high school, according to LDOE.
In August, Brumley outlined the plan to upgrade outdated special education systems and processes to provide more support and oversight for students with disabilities. According to LDOE, it included a special education playbook, enhanced family support and additional teacher and leader support.
According to LDOE, the state will control a framework that clears the way for collaboration between high schools and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services. LDOE states that, “the pilot will provide comprehensive training for students with disabilities in career exploration and job readiness.”
