Louisiana is making great strides in higher education, meeting one of its goals years early and is well on its way towards meeting a second goal. Louisiana set a goal of achieving 85,000 post-secondary credentials by 2030; it exceeded that with four years to spare. It also set a goal of 60% attainment – the percentage of in-state residents holding a credential higher than a high school diploma. It is now at 54%, which is a new record for the state. Higher Education Commissioner Dr. Kim Hunter Reed says schools have done a great job of leaning into improved student success.
“Better retention of students, better completion; adopting high-impact practices, remedial education reform, more students in dual enrollment starting early; truth in advising for students so we keep them on track,” Reed said.
Dr. Reed says they have more data now compared to when they first started in 2019, when they only had public post-secondary information to go on.
“Now we have proprietary school information, private school information; so we have a broader and more complete understanding of all of the completions in the State of Louisiana,” Reed explained.
Reed says when it comes to attainment, the job’s not done – achieving the 60% goal by 2030 is of utmost importance.
“We will need to exceed 60%, so that Louisiana residents are able to participate in these booming economic development opportunities across our state,” Reed noted.
