Jackson Free Press

Early today, word came down from the top of the JFP tower all the way down to the basement where I am located, that we could set up a pick'em game. I have gone out and set up an account for a few fantasy games.

Mississippi might not top every list in educational achievement, but at least it’s straightforward about it.

It pays to be honest. Achieve.org recognized the state for closing the “honesty gap”—the difference between how much students have actually improved on National Assessment of Educational Performance examinations and how much students are reported to have improved on NAEP examinations for the 2014-2015 school year.

A Mississippi Department of Education press release explains that the Achieve.org report released last May revealed many states mislead the public on whether or not their students are actually proficient in basic math and reading skills. Mississippi's NAEP results have improved, with figures in the double digits showing that improvement. In 2014, in fact, Bailey APAC Middle School and Northwest Middle School, both in the Jackson Public School District, outscored all other JPS middle and high schools on math assessments.

For narrowing the gap between actual test scores and reported test scores, HonestyGap.org recognizes Mississippi as a “Top Truth Teller” for the 2014-2015 school year.

Check out the full MDE press release here.

Sierra Mannie is an education reporting fellow for the Jackson Free Press and the Hechinger Report. Email her at [email protected].

State superintendent Dr. Carey Wright released her annual report today, which includes how and where school districts spend their state, federal and local dollars. Data included in that report show that school districts use state funds to operate at least half of their budgets on average, while local and federal funding make up the rest of a district's budget.

In total, 67 percent of all funds (federal, state and local) go toward instructional costs, while a little over 10 percent of that funding goes toward general and school administrative costs. School districts also spend a large chunk of their money on support costs for maintenance and building costs, tech support and transportation, the report shows.

The average expenditure per pupil in the 2015-2016 school year was $9,704, Wright's report shows. The average teacher salary was $44,416.

“The report provides evidence that the education reforms and legislative initiatives that have been implemented throughout our state are working,” said Wright said in a press release. “Mississippi students are benefiting from the state’s investment in public education.”

The report also highlights several grants Mississippi received, including a $6.6 million grant for MDE to improve their data system with a focus on evaluation and early learning.

Read the full JFP interview with Carey Wright and see http://www.mdek12.org/MBE/R2017.