Leaders in Policy. Excellence in Education.
Legislative Session Tracker 2022We are a leading voice for state-funded pre-K, high-quality public charter schools, strong and sensible standards and accountability policies, high-quality curriculum, and great teachers and leaders.
As experts in our field, we share our knowledge and insights with policymakers and the public through publications, presentations, and briefings.
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School districts have had to grapple with a host of new communications challenges this year. The best way to navigate the new school year is by learning best practices for communications from districts across the state.
Learn from the MomentMississippi schools have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Every student now has access to a device, and the state is working to expand broadband access. These circumstances make it the right time for districts to establish a one-to-one technology initiative. Mississippi First developed this guide as a roadmap to ensuring your district's technology program has a lasting legacy.
Establish your Districts One-to-One InitiativeFor too many years, Mississippi teachers have not been compensated for their hard work and dedication to our children. This is reflected in uncompetitive salaries and a lack of financial aid to earn the credential it takes to be an educator. Teachers are now leaving the state to teach, leaving the field of education, or deciding not to enter in the first place.
Learn How We Can Keep Our Teachers
To say this has been a big week for teacher pay would be an understatement. On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and Senate Education Chair Dennis DeBar announced a proposal to restructure the state’s teacher salary schedule in a way that would, according to Hosemann and DeBar, provide an average raise of $4,700 over two…
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Today, we released a statement on American history from our Executive Director, Rachel Canter. In partnership with that statement, Mississippi First has developed the following principles for assessing curriculum-related legislation. These principles are based on our organizational values. Racism is abhorrent in all forms at all times. Slavery was a grave moral sin. So was…
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By Rachel Canter When I was a first year teacher, I asked my students a basic question about American history—“Why do we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday every year?”—as a way of introducing Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Without exception, the answer I got from every class was that Dr. Martin…
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