ConnectEDU Selected by Louisiana to Deploy Statewide Customized College and Career Access Web Portal

BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) today announces a partnership with ConnectEDU, Inc., (www.connectedu.com), the leader in developing web-based college and career access solutions.  ConnectEDU will collaborate with the State to develop the first Louisiana statewide college and career planning web portal that utilizes student academic performance data. The web portal will provide an integrated, data-driven college and career planning resource for students, parents and counselors.

The web portal will be made available at no cost to students and schools and will include multi-year planning tools that map high school curriculum pathways to a broad range of postsecondary opportunities, technical programs and careers. Additionally, embedded longitudinal data reporting tools will empower State policy makers with unique insights into the State's high school-to-college-to-career pipeline.

"The goal of the State's investment in this portal is to ensure that Louisiana students are better able to find college and career opportunities, and successfully navigate the critical transitions associated with those opportunities," said Melanie Amrhein, Executive Director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.  "To achieve this goal, the State is proud to partner with ConnectEDU to provide students with a comprehensive college and career access web portal, driven by student data."  

The web portal will serve as a medium through which Louisiana college access organizations, postsecondary institutions and employers can connect students with critical information and opportunities.  Local counselors will receive training in advance of the web portal's launch, to coincide with the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.  Students in grades 8 - 12 will have access to the web portal wherever they connect to the Internet.

"We are proud to partner with the State of Louisiana to provide this valuable resource to students," said Craig Powell, CEO of ConnectEDU. "We look forward to leveraging our innovative technology platform and distinct understanding of college access populations to help Louisiana students manage their education, launch their careers, and secure a more stable financial future."

Louisiana is the fifth state that ConnectEDU has partnered with to launch the company's statewide college and career access solutions.

About ConnectEDU:

ConnectEDU is the web-based leader in empowering learners to manage their education, launch their careers and secure a more stable financial future. Created, developed and run by people who have worked in every area of college counseling, admissions, and career development, ConnectEDU uses information technology to connect real learners and real data with real colleges, and real career opportunities. ConnectEDU makes the college admissions process simpler, more efficient, more reliable and more effective. ConnectEDU's approach gives every learner, from every neighborhood across the country, the best opportunity to achieve their dream of a college education and promising career.  To learn more about ConnectEDU visit www.connectedu.com.

Press Contacts:

ConnectEDU
Kathleen Lucente
Red Fan Communications
Office phone: 512-551-9253
Cell phone: 512-217-6352
[email protected]

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA)
David E. Roberts
Assistant Executive Director
Marketing and Outreach, LOSFA
Office Phone: 225-219-7577
[email protected]

SOURCE ConnectEDU