In partnership with Mississippi Teach Plus, we are inviting all Mississippi teachers and teacher advocates to join us THIS WEEK and NEXT (thanks to Mother Nature’s winter storms we are adding another week!) in showing support for at least a $3,000 pay increase for Mississippi teachers. We are calling on the legislature to make a…
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This op-ed originally ran in the Clarion-Ledger on February 5, 2021. It was written by Toren Ballard, our director of K-12 policy at Mississippi First. Both current and aspiring public school teachers in Mississippi are increasingly faced with a dilemma: pursue a meaningful career educating the next generation of Mississippians–or earn a paycheck capable of…
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The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), in partnership with Mississippi First, has launched a new website for Mississippi teachers to increase teacher access to high-quality instructional materials. The site, Mississippi Instructional Materials Matter, offers a centralized location for Mississippi math and social studies teachers to review high-quality, standards-aligned materials that have been evaluated and adopted…
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School will be different this fall for every Mississippi child. To help districts and parents stay informed, we created a new page on our website. Re-Opening Plan Tracker We have compiled a Google Sheet that provides school plans, social media accounts, and website information for every school district in Mississippi. Know re-opening plans vary widely…
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PLEASE NOTE: This is an informational blog post about actions taken by the State Board of Education. It does not describe a special program run by Mississippi First. We do not have any authority over licensure nor are we running an educator preparation program or a Praxis program. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak in…
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Updated on 3/12/2020 at 12:30 PM CST: The Senate voted unanimously to pass SB2864 on March 4, 2020. It has now been transmitted to the House. Today, the Senate Education Committee voted to extend the Mississippi Employer-Assisted Housing Teacher Program and remove the requirement that the program be administered in conjunction with the Federal National…
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HB274 UPDATE on 3/11/20: The House unanimously passed HB274 yesterday. It will now be transmitted to the Senate. The House Education Committee passed HB274 on February 25, 2020. The bill updates the requirements applicants must meet to qualify for the Higher Education Legislative Plan (HELP) Grant Program to align with changes in the college preparatory…
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