In January, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary with a breakfast at the State Capitol. Several legislators, education policy partners, and even a few former interns stopped by to congratulate us on our first decade. “For the last 10 years, Mississippi First has championed transformative policy solutions ensuring educational excellence for every Mississippi child. We are proud…
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Jackson, MS—Today, Mississippi First released Understanding District and State Testing in Mississippi. This report uses field research on testing practices in four diverse Mississippi school districts to determine how many tests Mississippi students take and how much time they spend taking those tests. It also describes common school district testing practices, such as how testing…
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Today, Mississippi First released Mississippi Voices: Public Perception of Pre-K-12 Education in Mississippi, a report revealing public perceptions of the issues that Mississippi First supports as well as perceptions of the broader public education context in Mississippi. The report is based on the responses of 504 adults in Mississippi. The 27-item scientific survey covered public…
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EdBuild recommended eliminating the 27% rule as part of the funding re-write. Do you know what the 27% rule is, and who it benefits? You may be surprised. Watch the video below to learn about the 27% rule. [Editor’s note: This video looks at how the 27% rule affects school funding using EdBuild’s calculated totals…
Read MoreJackson, MS—Yesterday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a lawsuit alleging that the Mississippi Public Charter Schools Act of 2013 is unconstitutional under the Mississippi Constitution. We are confident the claims will be answered in court. Today, we would like to make a few points about both the substance of the lawsuit and its…
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Today, Governor Bryant signed SB 2161 into law. This bill requires charter schools meet or exceed graduation requirements set by the State Board of Education, makes teachers eligible for PERS if they work in a charter school, gives teachers 3 years to earn state certification as long as no more than 25% of a charter school’s…
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