Statement from Mississippi First
Mississippi First is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to championing transformative policy solutions that ensure educational excellence for every Mississippi child. Our mission, vision, and work are rooted in advancing evidence-based education policies that increase student achievement, improve graduation rates, and close longstanding achievement gaps across our state.
We want to be clear with our supporters, partners, and the public: Mississippi First is not affiliated with any political campaign, candidate, or elected official. The use of the phrase “Mississippi First” or “Mississippi 1st” by any political campaign or officeholder is not connected to our organization, our policy positions, or our work.
Consistent with our values of non-partisanship, transparency, and accountability, Mississippi First does not endorse candidates, participate in political campaigns, or align with partisan agendas. Our focus remains squarely on students and on advancing policies that help make Mississippi a leader in educational achievement, innovation, and quality of life.
We remain deeply grateful for the trust and support of those who share our commitment to putting Mississippi’s children first—always and without political influence.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 9, 2025 JACKSON, Miss. – Angela Bass will rejoin Mississippi First as its new Executive Director, effective July 8, the organization announced today. Angela hails from Tunica, MS, and she was the Deputy Director of Policy for Mississippi First from 2014-2019, directing several research initiatives, co-authoring policy and research reports, and providing technical […]
Dear friends, colleagues, and supporters, I was 19 when I decided that I would devote my life to what eventually became Mississippi First. It was the summer of 2002, and No Child Left Behind was set to go into effect that fall. I had spent the summer as an intern in the Mississippi Governor’s Office […]
Move comes after years of significant progress statewide in expanding, strengthening educational opportunities; Board search underway for successor Mississippi First founder and Executive Director Rachel Canter announced today that she will transition from the organization in 2025. The move comes after a transformational period for public education in Mississippi, with more and higher-quality educational opportunities […]
Jackson, Mississippi—Mississippi First is pleased to announce the release of the 2023 Public Perception of Charter Schools survey report, which provides critical insights into public understanding and support of charter schools in Mississippi. This comprehensive survey was conducted by the Survey Research Lab (SRL) at Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center. The survey captured responses from a […]
Jackson, Mississippi—Mississippi First is proud to announce the release of its newest report, 2023 Public Perception of Early Childhood Education in Mississippi, which provides valuable insights into Mississippians’ views on the importance, affordability, and accessibility of early childhood education. The survey results underscore the widespread public support for pre-K and early learning initiatives across the state. […]
Jackson, Mississippi—Mississippi First, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving education in the state, has released a new report titled Falling Behind: Teacher Compensation and the Race Against Inflation. The report provides a comprehensive look at the complex factors contributing to Mississippi’s teacher shortage with emphasis on how inflation has directly affected the impact of the recent […]
Editor’s Note: This blog post is in response to a column appearing in the LA Times titled “How Mississippi gamed its national reading test scores to produce ‘miracle gains.‘” We’re not going to link to it because we don’t believe it is worth your clicks; however, feel free to Google. *** This morning, I was […]
Jackson, Mississippi—On April 17, 2023, Mississippi celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Early Learning Collaborative Act. From a fractured early education landscape before the passage of the historic bill to a strong and thriving pre-K program 10 years later, we celebrate the success of the Early Learning Collaborative Act, which has now served nearly 26,000 […]
Jackson, MS—Today, Mississippi First released our newest report, Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover and What We Can Do About It. This report takes a deeper dive into data first reported in our February 2022 report Voices of the Shortage: 2022 Mississippi Teacher Survey, which revealed that over half of teachers surveyed reported being “somewhat” or “very likely” to […]
Jackson, MS— The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Mississippi First a $19.3 million, five-year Charter Schools Program grant to grow high-quality public charter schools in Mississippi. Charter schools are free, public, and open to all students in an eligible grade who reside in an eligible geography. The Charter Schools Program (CSP) is a competitive, national grant program eligible […]
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 […]
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 […]