City & County
Josalyn Filkins, Principal at Midtown Public Charter School
When Josalyn Filkins sat down with the Jackson Free Press, she talked about her plans for the future of the school and for engaging with the community as Midtown tries ...
Cover
Chronically Absent: Is Quality Education in Juvenile Detention Possible in Mississippi?
Rankin County Youth Court Judge Thomas Broome told the Jackson Free Press with some pain that before 2006, juvenile-detention centers in the state didn't have to have school. With few ...
Education
'Young, Fun, Sexy and Hot': Education Leader Wants Passion in Teaching
Ron Clark, founder of the Ron Clark Academy, a private, nonprofit school in Atlanta, says he wants education to be "young, fun, sexy and hot."
Education
No 'Failing' Districts, but Two Jackson Middle Schools Get 'F' in State Scoring
Just over a third of Mississippi's public-school districts scored a "C" than any other grade on the Mississippi Department of Education district accountability scores released this week.
Civil Rights
Kids, Cops and Community Policing
In a nation that is noticing the high incidents of police killing, particularly of black men, public outcry from groups like #BlackLivesMatter and others insist upon police transparency and accountability ...
Education
Lawsuit: Charter School Law 'Heralds a Financial Cataclysm' in Mississippi
On July 11, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of some Jackson parents against Gov. Phil Bryant, the Mississippi Department of Education and Jackson Public Schools, ...
LGBT
Simons Says: HB 1523 ‘Is About Bigotry’
Rabbi Jeremy Simons knows his Bible too well to lend credence to people who cherry-pick verses to use it to support House Bill 1523, a law that many criticize as ...
LGBT
UPDATED: 'Still in Legal Limbo': HB 1523 Down in Mississippi, But Not Out
Late last night, U.S. District Court for Southern Mississippi Judge Carlton Reeves stopped Mississippi's controversial HB 1523, the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Religious Discrimination Act, in its tracks.
Education
Feeding Jackson's Hungry Children: Summer Program Continues Until July 15
Hundreds of Jackson-area children gathered at McWillie Elementary School today to for the opportunity to eat lunch, learn healthy habits and, time permitting, hit the Quan.
Education
For Student Achievement, Facilities Matter
This past February, the Yazoo County School District made a $4.2-million deal with Schneider Electric, a global company that specializes in automation and energy, to make its schools "greener" in ...
Education
Mississippi Sees Growth in Early Childhood Literacy, Graduation Rates
Mississippi's public-school students are showing significant gains in graduation rates and kindergarten literary, the Mississippi Department of Education is reporting.
Education
Lynch Street C.M.E. Church Hosts Summer Reading Program
For the fourth grade students at Lynch Street C.M.E. Church's "Teach, Read, Learn (TRL)—Summer Reading Program" this morning, synonyms were a breeze.
Education
How Deaf Kids Learn in Mississippi
The Mississippi School for the Deaf is the only school in the state that exists primarily to serve deaf children. To do it well isn't cheap.
Education
Legislator: Mississippi Superintendents 'Crossed the Line' in Support of 42
Mississippi public-school districts can no longer use funds to pay their administrators' fees to the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents without forfeiting their state funds.
Education
Trans Children in the Balance in Mississippi
On Tuesday, May 24, the nine-member Mississippi Board of Education decided unanimously to disregard the federal government's Title IX guidelines to protect transgender students from discrimination just days after the ...
LGBT
Resisting the Tide: Trans Mississippians Speak Out
Title IX is usually associated with sex-based equity in athletics, but advocates say it actually applies much more broadly.
Education
Mississippi Education Award Not About Charter-School Legislation
Though Mississippi often ranks low among other states in education, the state got high marks recently from a national education group this month.
City & County
Avoiding the School-to-Prison Pipeline
When the parents, students, faculty, and staff at Forest Hill met in the auditorium to discuss violence and fighting at the community chat the night of May 4, the room ...
Justice
Mississippi GOP Reps: Superintendent Should Oppose Transgender Rules or Step Down
A group of Mississippi House Republicans emailed a letter today directly to state Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright, asking her to step down unless the Mississippi Department of Education swiftly reverses ...
LGBT
UPDATED: Obama Tells Schools How to Protect Transgender Students' Civil Rights
Today the Obama administration issued a directive offering "significant guidance" to school districts on curbing sex-based discrimination in schools, specifically against students who do not identify with the gender commonly ...
City & County
‘The Right Leadership’: The JFP Interview with Dr. Carey Wright
Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, recently sat down with the Jackson Free Press to talk about education legislation, school funding and charter schools.
City & County
UPDATED: Frustration Over Violence, Chaos at Forest Hill Community Chat
The auditorium of Forest Hill High School was packed Wednesday night where parents, students and teachers sounded off to Jackson Public Schools' top administration, airing their frustrations about violence and ...
Education
Could an After-school Network Solve Mississippi’s Education ‘Crisis’?
Proponents say high-quality after-school programs are one solution to Mississippi's ongoing education problems, including some of the lowest scores on national tests, and Operation Shoestring's data seems to support their ...
Education
Public-school Tests Glitch Across State
Twelve thousand Mississippi students spent nearly 20 minutes unable to take their Mississippi Assessment Program tests yesterday morning.
City & County
What Black Dads Do: First Class Father Present for Duty
This year, Jackson Public Schools named Steve Collins Parent of the Year for his efforts. Yet, Collins is like a lot of other African American fathers: involved with their children's ...
Person of the Day
LaShunna McInnis
LaShunna McInnis, a 10th-grade English teacher at Provine High School, was recently named Jackson Public Schools' Teacher of the Year for the 2015-2016 school year.
LGBT
Lance Bass Brings His Green Thumb Back to Mississippi, Says State Leaders Are 'Backward'
Former NSYNC member, author and philanthropist Lance Bass says he and his husband, artist Michael Turchin, come back to visit Mississippi at least five times a year.
Education
Factcheck: The Charter Scoop
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board helped us factcheck some statements made in interviews about charter schools, including by Forest Thigpen in this issue and in the March 9 interview ...
Education
Thigpen: ‘No Such Thing’ as ‘Private Charter Schools’
Mississippi Center for Public Policy President Forest Thigpen insists that charter schools not only play fair in the state of Mississippi, but have the ability to change the game of ...
Education
Rankin Assistant Superintendent, Ridgeland Businessman New Mississippi Board of Education Members
Dr. Jason Scott Dean of Madison and Edward "Buddy" Bailey of Brandon both received the Senate Education Committee's blessing for their appointment to the Mississippi Board of Education this Monday.
Economy
JPS: Charter Schools Cost Jackson Half A Million Dollars, Drain Needed Resources
New charter schools are a money drain on Jackson Public Schools, the district's chief financial officer, Sharolyn Miller, warned Thursday.
Ed Update: HB 1523, Charter Schools and Appointed Supes
Now that Gov. Bryant has signed SB 2438 into law, Mississippians are past the days of voting for their school district superintendents.
Education
Debating Restraining, Secluding Kids
The Mississippi Board of Education released an updated restraint and seclusion policy this month that inaugurates more stringent regulations for when adults working in public schools can use force in ...
Person of the Day
Molly Bashay
Molly Bashay is the newest policy analyst for Hope Policy Institute, a division of HOPE, which includes Hope Credit Union and Hope Enterprise Corporation, a community development financial institution in ...
LGBT
HB 1523's Religious Refusals Could Discriminate Against Public, Private Students
Although the Mississippi governor and legislators who support HB 1523, the "Freedom of Conscience of Religion Act," say it will not contribute to discrimination against the LGBTQ community, many legal ...
Cover
Jumping the Line: Caught in the Crossfire of Ridgeland's Demographic Struggles
Many parents in urban areas, met with the spatial and academic barrier of their zip codes, have no choice but to send their children to the public school available to ...
City & County
JPS Gifted Students Teach Classmates About Mardi Gras with a Parade
Decked out in feathers and beads and decorative umbrellas, the sixth-grade Northwest Jackson IB Middle School students hosted a lively parade celebrating the historical and cultural significance of Mardi Gras ...
City & County
Parents’ Conundrum: Mississippi Charter Schools
Jackson mom and business owner Tracie James was dissatisfied with the lack of one-on-one opportunities at school for her youngest son, formerly a North Jackson Elementary School student in Jackson ...
LGBT
Protesters Against Anti-LGBT Bill Shout Down Mississippi Legislators at Rally
Protesters gathered on the steps of the Capitol on March 29 to rally against the passage of HB 1523, which would make discriminating against the LGBT community legal.
Education
'Save Our Children Act' Amendments Appear in More Bills
Sections of Rep. Omeria Scott's failed Mississippi Save Our Children Act have ended up into another education bill as an amendment weeks after it was added to the already-controversial Parent ...
Person of the Day
Chief Phyliss Anderson
President Barack Obama has appointed Phyliss J. Anderson, the first-ever female tribal chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, to serve on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.
City & County
Clergy, Bomgar Call for End to Mass Incarceration, Private-Prison Reform
Rep. Joel Bomgar, R-Madison, stood with an interdenominational Christian group of clergy Wednesday at the Capitol, saying that mass incarceration serves none of his beliefs as either a Christian or ...
Justice
Doing Juvenile Detention Right ... Finally
After a long fight against oppressive juvenile-justice policies and negligent practices in Mississippi, 2012 was a watershed year for juvenile rights in Mississippi.
Education
Amendment Hijacks Parent Involvement Bill: 'Not About Teachers'
Rep. Gregory Holloway, Sr., D-Hazlehurst, helped mold the Parent Involvement and Accountability Act, which would "grade" parents in C, D or F districts on their involvement in their children's education.
Education
Helmick: ‘Private’ Charter Schools Drain Public Schools
When the Jackson Free Press sat down again with Joyce Helmick, president of the Mississippi Association of Educators, she repeatedly called charter schools "private charter schools."
Education
Mississippi Charter Law One Step Closer to Changing
Tuesday's Senate session rang with reprobation from Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, who spoke bitterly about Mississippi First, a group that he says acts as a front group for charter schools.
Education
Durant Public Schools District Continues to Resist Consolidation
Durant Superintendent Edwin M. Robinson says the citizens of Durant are vehemently opposed, and have been since House legislation required pre-consolidation reports from the two school districts last year.
Education
JPS Elementary Student Hosts Reading for World Read Aloud Day
Eight-year-old North Jackson Elementary School 3rd grader Josiah Calvert already has plans to attend the University of Mississippi.
Education
Education Bill Roundup
The 2016 Mississippi Legislature is steamrolling ahead with bills affecting public education. Here are a few for consideration.
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