Author: Emily Gautreaux

New College Board Data Shows Louisiana’s Rapid Improvement in AP Exam Scores

Louisiana high school students have made significant gains in college-level academic performance, with new data showing the state recorded the nation’s largest increase in the percentage of Advanced Placement (AP) Exams earning qualifying scores since 2019, according to this news release from the Louisiana Department of Educaiton. .

According to results released by the College Board, Louisiana’s qualifying score rate climbed from 37.4% in 2019 to 69.1% in 2026, representing a 31.7-percentage-point increase. The improvement was more than twice the national rate of growth during the same period, bringing Louisiana within 2.2 percentage points of the national average.

The findings marked an important development for Louisiana’s public education system, particularly as schools continue working to strengthen college readiness and expand opportunities for students to earn college credit before graduation. In 2019, Louisiana’s qualifying AP score rate trailed the national average by 20.5 percentage points. Seven years later, that difference had narrowed to just 2.2 points, reflecting sustained improvement in exam performance.

The number of qualifying scores also increased substantially. Louisiana public school students earned 11,118 qualifying scores in 2019, compared with 21,383 in 2026. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley attributed the progress to the combined efforts of students, teachers, counselors, and school administrators. He emphasized that stronger AP Exam performance demonstrates students’ ability to meet college-level academic expectations while still enrolled in high school.

The improvement is particularly noteworthy because Advanced Placement courses require students to engage with challenging academic material and demonstrate their understanding through standardized examinations. Unlike traditional high school coursework, AP classes are designed around introductory college-level expectations, providing students with opportunities to develop analytical, research, writing, and problem-solving skills.

Louisiana’s latest results also demonstrated substantial year-over-year growth, with more students earning qualifying scores and a greater percentage achieving the highest possible exam ratings. In 2026, students earned 21,383 qualifying scores, an 8.8% increase from the 19,653 recorded in 2025. The percentage of exams receiving a qualifying score increased from 63% in 2025 to 69.1% in 2026, representing a 6.1-percentage-point improvement. Additionally, 13,244 Louisiana students earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam, an increase of 6.3% from the previous year.

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jenna Chiasson credited Louisiana educators’ continued refinement of instructional practices for the improvement. She also highlighted the potential financial and academic benefits of earning college credit before high school graduation.

Administered by the College Board, the AP Exam Program allows high school students to complete college-level coursework across numerous academic disciplines. Available subjects include English, mathematics, science, history, social studies, world languages, computer science, and the arts. At the conclusion of an AP course, students may take a standardized examination scored on a five-point scale. Scores of 3, 4, or 5 are generally considered qualifying results, although individual colleges and universities establish their own AP credit and placement policies.

Students who earn qualifying scores may receive college credit, satisfy introductory course requirements, or qualify for placement into more advanced coursework, depending on the institution. These opportunities can potentially reduce the number of courses students must complete after entering college, offering greater flexibility in their academic schedules and potentially lowering educational expenses.

The Louisiana Department of Education is expected to release school-system and individual-school AP results later in 2026, offering a more detailed picture of performance across the state.

For Louisiana educators and institutions, the results underscore the importance of rigorous academic opportunities, effective instruction, and access to advanced coursework. As Louisiana approaches the national qualifying score average, continued attention to AP participation and performance will remain important in evaluating how effectively high schools prepare students for postsecondary education.

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Flaky Cheddar Pastry Turnovers Filled With Sweet Apples

Apple pie and sharp cheddar cheese are a familiar pairing, but this recipe brings the two ingredients together in an unexpected way. These All-Cheddar Crust Apple Turnovers, which are adapted from Food52, replace traditional butter-based pastry with a dough made from grated sharp cheddar cheese, creating a delicious contrast between sweet fruit and savory pastry.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Add 1¼ cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the grated sharp white cheddar and pulse approximately three times, just until the cheese is incorporated. Pour the cold water evenly over the mixture, then continue pulsing in short bursts until the dough develops a crumbly, curd-like texture. The mixture should hold together when gently squeezed between your fingers.
  2. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Transfer the dough onto the wrap and gently shape it into a square. Fold the plastic tightly around the dough, pressing lightly to create an even shape. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to two days. This resting period allows the flour to hydrate while keeping the cheese-based pastry firm enough to roll.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a medium bowl, combine the peeled, sliced Pink Lady apples with the light brown sugar and remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss gently until evenly coated, then set aside. Allowing the apples to rest briefly gives the sugar time to draw out some of their natural juices.
  4. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and divide it into four equal portions, approximately 86 grams each. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll each portion into a 6-by-6-inch square. Work gently to maintain an even thickness without excessively handling the dough. Once the pastry squares are ready, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour to the apple mixture and toss until evenly distributed. The flour helps thicken the fruit juices as the turnovers bake.
  5. Divide the apple filling evenly among the four pastry squares, using approximately 100 grams or a heaping ½ cup per turnover. Arrange the apples diagonally across the center of each square rather than piling them into a mound. Fold one corner over the filling to meet the opposite corner, forming a triangular turnover. Gently stretch the dough if necessary, then press the edges together and crimp with a fork to seal.
  6. Using a small, sharp knife, cut two or three short slits into the top of each turnover. These openings allow steam to escape during baking. Carefully transfer the pastries to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each one. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms develop a deep golden-brown color and the pastry appears crisp. Add the missing cheese measurementInclude the egg wash step

These Apple Turnovers With an All-Cheddar Crust offer a delicious balance of sweet and savory flavors, bringing together tender, brown sugar-coated apples and a crisp, golden cheddar pastry. The sharpness of the cheese complements the natural sweetness of the fruit, creating a distinctive twist on a familiar dessert. Whether enjoyed fresh from the oven or at room temperature, these homemade turnovers showcase how a few simple ingredients can transform a classic pastry into something unexpected and satisfying.

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Avila Beach Combines Hot Springs, Coastal Trails, and Pacific Ocean Views

Tucked along California’s Central Coast, Avila Beach offers a quieter alternative to some of the state’s better-known seaside destinations, as per this travel blog article from Travel + Leisure. The small community in San Luis Obispo County combines a sandy shoreline with a walkable waterfront, coastal trails, natural mineral springs, and opportunities to spot marine wildlife just offshore.

That combination recently earned Avila Beach some national attention. A study from HelloMillions examining 50 lesser-known American beach destinations named Avila Beach the top “hidden gem” beach destination on the West Coast, giving it an overall score of 7.87. The study considered online search volume and an image-based beauty score to identify attractive coastal destinations that receive less attention online than major beach towns.

While rankings come and go, Avila Beach has plenty to offer beyond its latest recognition. Located along the San Luis Obispo County coast, the town sits in a sheltered, south-facing cove. Its geography helps protect the area from some of the fog and wind experienced elsewhere along the Central Coast, contributing to Avila Beach’s reputation for relatively sunny, mild conditions.

Much of the community centers around the waterfront. The Avila Beach Promenade runs parallel to the sand, placing restaurants, cafés, shops, and ocean views within a compact area that is easy to explore on foot. The Avila Beach Pier extends roughly 800 feet into San Luis Obispo Bay and provides a vantage point for watching seabirds, dolphins, harbor seals, and other marine life.

Whales are another potential sight offshore. Several species travel through Central Coast waters during their annual migrations, and whale and wildlife watching is one of the area’s notable seasonal experiences. Sightings vary throughout the year, so visitors hoping to see migrating whales may want to check current wildlife reports before their trip.

Away from the waterfront, one of the easiest ways to explore the landscape is along the Bob Jones Trail, also known as the City to the Sea Trail. The paved route follows San Luis Obispo Creek through a leafy corridor of sycamores and other vegetation before reaching downtown Avila Beach. The official tourism site lists the distance from the Ontario Road trailhead to the end of Avila Pier at about three miles, making the route manageable for either a leisurely walk or bike ride.

Travelers interested in a more challenging coastal outing can look toward the trails around nearby Port San Luis. ThePecho Coast Trail leads across coastal bluffs toward the historic Point San Luis Lighthouse. Access is offered through scheduled guided hikes, so advance reservations are important when planning this particular excursion.

Avila Beach also has an attraction rarely associated with a California beach trip: natural mineral springs. Avila Hot Springs traces its history to 1907, when mineral water was discovered while drilling for oil. Located about two miles inland from the beach, the property now includes a hot mineral soaking pool and heated freshwater swimming pool. Because operating hours and rates can change seasonally, checking current information before arriving is recommended.

The surrounding valley adds another dimension to a weekend along the coast. Visitors can stop for locally grown produce and seasonal goods at Avila Valley Barn or spend more time exploring the scenic backroads and coastal communities found along California Highway 1. San Luis Obispo is also nearby, making Avila Beach an easy addition to a longer Central Coast itinerary.

Avila Beach may have received attention as a lesser-known seaside destination, but its appeal is not dependent on staying undiscovered. Between its sheltered shoreline, mineral springs, coastal trails, wildlife viewing, and compact downtown, the community offers plenty of reasons to slow down and spend more than a few hours along this stretch of the California coast.

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New Orleans Native Jon Batiste Narrates American Amazon

New Orleans native Jon Batiste is lending his voice to a cinematic journey through one of North America’s most remarkable—and often overlooked—natural regions. The acclaimed musician narrates and serves as an executive producer of American Amazon, a new giant-screen documentary exploring the wetlands, forests, rivers and wildlife of the American Southeast, according to this article from Nola.com.

The film will begin showing in select IMAX and giant-screen theaters and museums on November 13, 2026, with MacGillivray Freeman Films handling distribution. Produced by Grizzly Creek Films in association with PBS’s Natureseries, the 40-minute documentary travels through Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. A two-part version is also scheduled to air on PBS in early 2027.

Louisiana provides a fitting introduction to the journey. American Amazon opens on Lake Maurepas, where a pirogue glides across the water as Batiste plays his melodica. From there, the documentary begins revealing an interconnected Southern wilderness of swamps, flooded forests, blackwater rivers, springs and ancient trees. The Louisiana setting also creates a natural connection for Batiste, whose New Orleans-area roots have long influenced his music and creative work.

Writer and director Eric Bendick said the idea for the project developed while his team was making Path of the Panther in Florida. As the filmmakers studied the natural history of the Southeast, they began recognizing just how unusual the region was. Photographer and producer Mac Stone, a National Geographic Explorer, also helped the team uncover landscapes and wildlife stories that eventually became central to the documentary.

Those discoveries stretch far beyond the familiar images of Southern swamps. American Amazon showcases ancient cypress forests and creatures that can be remarkably difficult to spot. Among them is the eastern hellbender, a large aquatic salamander that spends much of its life concealed beneath rocks in cool streams. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that hellbenders are North America’s largest salamanders and can reach about two feet in length.

Other sequences capture natural events that appear only during narrow windows of the year. Synchronous fireflies, for example, coordinate their flashes during their mating season, creating striking nighttime displays. The phenomenon is so unusual that places including Great Smoky Mountains National Park carefully manage annual viewing opportunities to protect the insects and their habitat. Filming moments like these required the production team to plan around seasons, weather and the unpredictable behavior of wildlife.

Specialized technology helped reveal even more. Remote camera traps allowed the filmmakers to document wildlife with less human presence nearby, producing scenes ranging from swallow-tailed kites high in cypress trees to unexpected interactions among wetland animals. In Louisiana, wooded wetlands provide habitat for an extraordinary variety of wildlife; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge alone supports more than 200 species of resident and migratory birds.

While American Amazon acknowledges threats such as habitat loss and development, its central approach is to first introduce audiences to the beauty and biodiversity of the region. Bendick has explained that the filmmakers hope familiarity can encourage people to better understand the landscapes around them before considering the larger challenges involved in protecting interconnected ecosystems and wildlife corridors.

For Louisiana viewers, that may be one of the documentary’s most compelling ideas. The swamps, cypress forests and waterways that can seem familiar are part of an ecological region filled with natural events that remain largely unseen. By putting those landscapes on an IMAX-sized screen, American Amazon invites audiences to look more closely at a wilderness that has been here all along.

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Science, Nursing and MBA Programs Help Drive Enrollment Growth at Nicholls

A larger freshman class, improved student retention and strong growth in several academic programs helped shape the fall 2026 semester at Nicholls State University, even as lower dual-enrollment participation contributed to a modest decline in the university’s overall headcount, according to this news release from the university.

Official fall enrollment figures showed 5,795 students enrolled at Nicholls on the 14th class day. Among them were 1,088 first-time freshmen, representing a 1.4% increase from the previous year. Graduate enrollment also climbed 4.1%, adding to signs of growth in both new undergraduate enrollment and advanced degree programs. Detailed figures are available through the university’s Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness and Planning, which publishes enrollment reports for the fall, spring and summer semesters.

Nicholls’ overall enrollment decreased by approximately 1.7%, but university officials attributed much of that decline to fewer local high school students participating in dual enrollment. Dual-enrollment programs allow students to take college-level courses while still enrolled in high school, meaning changes in participation can affect a university’s total enrollment without necessarily reflecting a similar shift in its traditional undergraduate population. Once dual-enrollment students were excluded, Nicholls’ year-over-year enrollment remained approximately even.

Another significant measure came from student retention. Nicholls reported a 74.93% first-time freshman retention rate, an increase of 1.5%. Retention generally measures the percentage of first-year students who return for their second year, making it an important indicator for colleges because enrollment growth depends not only on attracting new students but also on supporting those already on campus.

Nicholls President Jay Clune said the combination of freshman growth and improved retention suggested that the university was seeing progress both in recruiting students and keeping them enrolled. He connected the figures to Nicholls’ broader goal of providing students with a strong collegiate experience in Louisiana.

The number of students receiving Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS, awards also increased by 3.9%. TOPS is Louisiana’s state scholarship program for qualifying high school graduates and includes several award levels based on academic requirements. For Louisiana institutions such as Nicholls, changes in the number of TOPS recipients can provide another indication of the composition of the incoming and continuing student population.

Growth was especially noticeable within the College of Sciences and Technology, where enrollment rose 5.2%. The college includes programs in areas such as applied sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, petroleum engineering technology and safety management, all of which contributed to the increase. The college offers associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs along with pre-professional pathways in scientific and technical fields.

Enrollment at the Thibodaux Regional Health System School of Nursing increased 1.1%. Additional growth could follow the completion of expanded nursing facilities scheduled for later in fall 2026. Nicholls offers several nursing pathways, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and graduate-level options designed to prepare students for clinical practice and advanced roles in health care.

One of the university’s largest percentage increases occurred at the graduate level. The Master of Business Administration program recorded a 65.5% enrollment increase. Nicholls offers both evening and online MBA pathways through the Al Danos College of Business, providing options for recent graduates as well as working professionals seeking an advanced business degree.

Taken together, the fall 2026 figures present a more detailed picture than the university’s overall enrollment change alone. While total headcount declined slightly because of lower dual enrollment, gains among first-time freshmen, returning students, graduate students and several academic programs showed areas of continued growth as Nicholls entered the new academic year.

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Pecan Pie with Buttery Homemade Crust

Few desserts showcase pecans quite like a well-made pecan pie, and this version adapted from Louisiana Cookin’, takes the classic a step further with a buttery homemade crust, deeply flavored filling, smooth caramel sauce, and fresh whipped cream. The recipe comes from chef Frank Brigtsen, whose Brigtsen’s Restaurant in New Orleans is particularly known for its Louisiana cooking.

Ingredients for the Pecan Pie:

For the Dough and Filling for Pecan Pie

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup Karo dark corn syrup
  • 7 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • 1 cup raw medium pecan pieces
  • 1 cup all-purpose white flour
  • ¼ cup darkly roasted and ground pecans
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup ice water
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon table salt

For the Caramel Sauce and  Whipped Cream

  • 4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 ½ cups granulated white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Directions for Pecan Pie:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using the large holes of a hand grater, grate the very cold butter directly into the flour. Gently work the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water and mix just until the dough comes together, taking care not to overwork it.
  2. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll to about ⅛-inch thickness. Place a 10-inch pie pan upside down over the dough and cut around it, leaving approximately a 1-inch border. Fit the dough into the pan, then trim and crimp the edges. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
  3. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and whisk for another minute. Mix in the dark corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, salt, and ground roasted pecans. Once smooth, stir in the raw pecan pieces.
  4. Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is browned on top and the crust is light golden brown. Cool the pie at room temperature for at least 1 hour before slicing.
  5. For the caramel sauce, combine the sugar and ¾ cup water in a 12-inch skillet and whisk together. Bring to a low boil over low heat and cook until the sugar begins to caramelize. Continue cooking, whisking occasionally, until evenly browned. Slowly and carefully add the heavy cream. Continue cooking over low heat until the caramel dissolves into the cream and becomes smooth. Whisk in the butter and remove from the heat.
  6. For the whipped cream, chill a mixing bowl for 30 minutes. Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla and whisk until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until serving.
  7. For the full Brigtsen’s-style presentation, spoon ¼ cup caramel sauce onto each plate, place a slice of pie in the center, and top with 3 tablespoons of whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint if desired. The pie slices most cleanly after cooling and can then be gently warmed before serving.

With its flaky butter crust, deeply toasted pecan flavor, and rich caramel finish, this pie delivers more complexity than a standard pecan pie while still keeping the familiar character of the classic dessert. The combination of ground roasted pecans and larger pecan pieces gives the filling both depth and texture, while the whipped cream balances the sweetness of the caramel sauce. Serve each slice slightly warm for the best contrast between the tender filling, crisp crust, cool cream, and silky caramel.

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