Information for Businesses

Young people need to know that there is a correlation between working hard in school and finding a job-whether that job is in a Fortune 500 company or in the stockroom of a local retail store. They need to know that attendance, punctuality, attitude, and effort count, and that nothing succeeds like hard work. Employers can reinforce these messages by asking young adult job applicants for high school performance records.

School Counts will help students understand that school performance is important and will help develop a more highly qualified workforce.

School Counts is a countywide initiative that encourages employers to use a school-based certificate that documents student performance during high school. Participating employers and ask students for their School Counts certificate.

The Alliance Committee for School Counts advocates for policies and implements programs that advance education reform. Businesses in our area are involved with the program and support these initiatives.

What you can do?

• Sign up to be a School Counts employer
• Use the School Counts certificate as one of the criteria used to evaluate high school job applicants
• Encourage other companies to participate in and support School Counts
• Allow your company to be identified as a School Counts employer in media releases and other publications
• Support the School Counts endowment fund

Make sure School Counts!

A recent survey asked corporate Presidents and CEOs if they thought that using high school performance records when hiring young adults would motivate student performance. Over 80% of the respondents said yes, and the overwhelming majority of those believed such a process would have a great deal of impact on student achievement. In areas of the country where similar programs have been in place for a number of years, tangible results have been noted: The failure rate of entry-level employees has hit an all-time low and new employee’s progress through apprenticeship programs with less remediation.

Targeted Businesses

• Retail Stores
• Restaurants
• Banks
• Supermarkets
• Mall Merchants
• Fast Food Chains
• Large Companies with entry-level positions
• Any company that hires high school students