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COLUMBUS (AP) -- Gov. Bob Taft will focus on making sure high school students are better prepared for college and the workplace in Wednesday's State of the State speech, the last of the annual addresses for the two-term governor.
Taft plans to announce an initiative based on recommendations before a committee of teachers, professors, business people and lawmakers he convened last fall to focus on producing better prepared students.
The goal of the Partnership for Continued Learning is to create a more unified educational system from early elementary school through college to better prepare Ohioans for the future.
The initiative will ensure "Ohio high school graduates can succeed on the job or in college," Taft spokesman Mark Rickel said Monday.
Taft, a Republican, isn't providing further details on his proposal, other than to say Ohio needs to do more to make sure a high school diploma still has value.
The speech comes as Ohio continues to face bleak economic news. State unemployment rose to 5.9 percent in December, up from 5.7 percent in November, even as the national unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent.
"Our youngsters are no longer going to be able to find a job in the community, go to work there and expect to retire 30 years later with a gold watch," said Senate Education Chairman Joy Padgett, a Coshocton Republican. "Those days are gone."