Starkville Oktibbeha Early Learning Collaborative The Starkville Oktibbeha Early Learning Collaborative has four sites: Emerson Preschool, ICS Head Start Oktibbeha County, Sudduth Elementary, and West Elementary. It has served 618 four-year-olds since its founding in 2017. Number of Classrooms in ELC 14 Students Served in 2022-2023 280 Number of Sites in ELC 4 “We want…
Read MoreLearning to be a Better Instructor and Advocate
Editor’s Note: During the summer of 2022, Mississippi First hosted two communications interns. Each intern wrote a reflection about their experience. *** By Meredith Kent I Mississippi First Summer Intern 2022 Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, I saw first-hand how the structure of a curriculum can help or harm the educational foundation that someone must have…
Read MoreBe the Change You Wish to See in Mississippi
Editor’s Note: During the summer of 2022, Mississippi First hosted two communications interns. Each intern wrote a reflection about their experience. *** By Mari Lampkin I Mississippi First Summer Intern 2022 The summer I turned twelve, I went on a field trip with the Sunflower County Freedom Project. We were at a civil rights museum somewhere…
Read MoreIntroducing Our Charter School Fellows!
Public charter schools empower communities to design high-quality, public educational experiences to meet their students’ needs. Charter schools are free, public, and open to all children in relevant grades. In the 2022-2023 school year, Mississippi will have eight public charter schools operating in Jackson, Clarksdale, and Leflore County. Because Mississippi is a new charter school…
Read MoreSelecting a State Superintendent
By Rachel Canter I Executive Director Mississippi First has published a public memo to the State Board of Education to support the selection of a new state superintendent. This choice will not only be the most important decision the State Board makes this year; it will also be the most important decision they will make…
Read MoreOne voice stands alone; together, we become the answer to our prayers.
Editor’s Note: This is a personal reflection by Rachel Canter in response to the tragedy in Uvalde. It reflects her thoughts and feelings alone. It was originally published in an email. *** By Rachel Canter I Executive Director There are no sacred spaces left in America. This is the thought I keep coming back to…
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