As experts in our field, we share our knowledge and insights with policymakers and the public through publications, presentations, and briefings.
Mississippi First is an expert in state-funded pre-K. Since our founding in 2008, we have published a variety of research about pre-K, including our seminal report, Leaving Last in Line, which led to the passing of the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013. We also publish the state’s only community-by-community look at pre-K access and quality through our State of Pre-K reports.
Public charter schools are one strategy to increase access to high-quality public education in Mississippi. Mississippi First was instrumental in getting the Mississippi Charter School Act of 2013 passed. Our publications on charter schools include reports, poll findings, and explainers.
Mississippi First is a strong advocate for rigorous standards, commonsense testing policies, and aligned accountability systems. Find copies of our report on testing as well as links to our accountability blog posts.
In recent years, a new problem in a decades-old challenge has emerged: the number of new Mississippi teachers has sharply declined, exacerbating the teacher shortage and threatening the success of public education in Mississippi. In 2020, Mississippi First released their first investigation of the educator pipeline crisis in Mississippi.
Periodically, we publish reports, briefs, or memos on general topics in education outside of priority areas of focus. Examples include our 2017 general education survey report.
