On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Joey Rutherford UM Higher Education PhD student and assistant director of the Center for Research Evaluation (CERE) presented at the Pathways 2 Possibilities Educators and Pathfinders Breakfast Meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The conference was attended by school counselors, teachers, administrators and local business partners, which provide educators with data relating to the impact that Job Expos have on 8th grade students and their career trajectories.

“Kids did come away feeling interested in a new career pathway,” Rutherford said.  “However, by the ninth grade students interest in a career field has waned. We think this could be due to students not receiving any reinforcement from their teachers and/or counselors once they return.”

Rutherford notes the findings from CERE’s Pathways 2 Possibilities (P2P) project uses data collected through a two-day expo for eighth-grade students, who are residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Jackson, the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi to help determine outcomes.  P2P exposes 8th grade students to career pathways and educates them in terms of roles, duties, and expected earnings using interactive exhibits that are operated by professionals in the field. 

“Over the next year, we are going to see what type of reinforcements students could receive once they return from the expo,” Rutherford said. “A toolkit is being developed that provide teachers and counselors with the tools to incorporate job exploration into their curriculum.”  

Since 2016, CERE has been working with P2P to provide feedback on expo implementation and outcomes.

By Veronica Crawford