Mississippi First Releases Recommendations for Selecting a State Superintendent
By Rachel Canter | 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 in the […]
One Voice Stands Along; 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 | Executive Director There are no sacred spaces left in America. This is the thought I keep coming back to after the […]
Mississippi First Releases 2021 State of Pre-K Series Brief 4: Access to Pre-K, 2017-2018
This is the fourth and final brief in the State of Pre-K Series. The 2021 pre-K briefs as a whole provide strong evidence that the collaborative program is the path to expanding quality pre-K statewide. Today, we are releasing the fourth and final brief of the series. The fourth brief provides pre-K access data on the […]
Mississippi First Releases 2022 Mississippi Teacher Survey
In our previous report, Nothing in the Pipes: Educator Crisis in Mississippi, we explained how the rising cost of college attendance and the declining value of teaching salaries may be squeezing aspiring new teachers out of the pipeline. To build on that analysis, we surveyed 6,496 Mississippi public school teachers—1 in 6 teachers statewide—in November 2021 to […]
Statement on American History in Public Schools
By Rachel Canter | Executive Director 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 […]
Mississippi First Releases Report on Pandemic’s Impact on Early Learning Collaboratives
This fall, we surveyed all the Mississippi early learning collaboratives to get a clearer picture of the challenges and successes they experienced during the COVID crisis in the 2020-2021 school year. The information collected was published in our newest report titled, Resilience: Pandemic Impact on Early Learning Collaboratives (2020-2021). We gathered information in six key areas: […]
Mississippi First Releases Three Big Ideas for the Future of Schools for Families, Teachers, and Students
Today, we are excited to release our policy vision, “The Future of Schools: Supporting Families, Teachers, and Students.” This publication details three ways that Mississippi First believes we can change with the times in order to better serve all of our students. Families: Align and Extend the School Day and School Year Juggling school and […]
Mississippi First Releases 2021 State of Pre-K Series Brief 3: Poverty and Pre-K Access in Mississippi, 2017-2018
This is the third brief in the State of Pre-K Series. The 2021 pre-K briefs as a whole provide strong evidence that the collaborative program is the path to expanding quality pre-K statewide. Mississippi First releases a third 2021 pre-K research brief demonstrating the benefits of pre-K for children living in poverty. Since our founding, Mississippi […]
Mississippi First Releases New Resource to Support District Communications
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. To support Mississippi school districts, we are excited to announce the publication of Learning from the Moment: District Communications During a Pandemic. […]
Mississippi First Releases 2021 State of Pre-K Series Briefs 1 and 2 Examining the Role of the Early Learning Collaboratives in Increasing Quality and Access to Pre-K
These are the first two of four briefs in the State of Pre-K Series. The 2021 pre-K briefs as a whole provide strong evidence that the collaborative program is the path to expanding quality pre-K statewide. Today, Mississippi First is releasing two pre-K research briefs demonstrating the positive impact Early Learning Collaboratives have had on the […]