The Potential Impact of H.R.1 on School Funding
By Grace Breazeale, Director of Research and K-12 Policy On May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping domestic policy bill, H.R.1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). If the bill is passed by the Senate and signed into law, it could indirectly lower the amount of state funding that school districts receive and reduce […]
Parents’ Campaign Long-Term Comparison of INSPIRE and Senate Bill 2332 Erroneous
This post is part of our ongoing analysis of 2024 education legislation. See our bill tracker here for all analyses. Mississippi First has spent the last year closely researching the impact of MAEP on districts throughout the state in order to determine how best to direct additional resources to students with the greatest needs. Having built up […]
Evaluating Equity in Mississippi’s 2024 School Funding Proposals
This post is part of our ongoing analysis of 2024 education legislation. See our bill tracker here for all analyses. In the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers have introduced two separate school funding proposals that each promise to inject at least an additional $200 million into funding for public education in Mississippi, with the House plan providing about […]
How We Meet the Needs of English Language Learners
Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale | K-12 Policy Associate In this Post: How We Meet the Needs of English Language Learners Mississippi’s population of students who identify as English Language Learners (ELLs) has grown in recent decades, […]
The Growing Popularity of the Balanced Academic Calendar
Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale | Director of Research and K-12 Policy As most districts welcomed students back to school in August, districts on a balanced academic calendar were already going into their second month of the […]
Trends in High School Graduation and Postsecondary Enrollment Rates
Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale | Director of Research and K-12 Policy Mississippi’s high school graduation rate has steadily risen over the past five years, which would typically be a cause for celebration. But in this case, […]
We Raised the Rate: 2023 Pre-K Legislative Review
By Micayla Tatum, Director of Early Childhood Policy After four legislative sessions, we are excited to announce that our bill to permanently raise the per-pupil funding rate, HB 817, passed! The Governor signed the bill into law on April 17. This bill increases the state share of per-pupil pre-K funds from $2,150 to a minimum of $2,500 per […]
Ensuring the Effectiveness of Social-Emotional Learning
Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale | Director of Research and K-12 Policy In early 2021, the Mississippi Department of Education released its first-ever social-emotional learning (SEL) standards. The release of these standards was a positive step towards increasing […]
The Devastating Consequences of Declining School
Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale | Director of Research and K-12 Policy Mississippi experienced a steep decline in public school enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many schools have yet to experience the full consequences. Since enrollment is directly […]
Roadblock to Recovery: Student Absenteeism
Editor’s Note: This blog post is a part of a new ongoing series of posts dedicated to K-12 education policy in Mississippi. *** By Grace Breazeale I K-12 Policy Associate In this Post: Roadblock to Recovery: Student Absenteeism As school districts take steps to recover from pandemic learning loss, they should not underestimate how rising rates […]