Education

Your Rx Kit

Nothing is worse than being sick, but being sick your first time away from home can be particularly rough. Grab a container with a lid and fill it with these must-have items. Keep it nearby in your dorm, and you'll be ready to hit the books (or the parties) again in no time.

Mississippi Eligible for Education Funds From Feds

Mississippi is eligible for additional education and Medicaid funds after the U.S. House passed a $26 billion state aid bill yesterday.

Education Advocates Promote Racial Dialogue

At a community forum this morning, Jackson Parents for Public Schools Executive Director Susan Womack said that the community must address race issues to over come challenges facing the majority-black Jackson Public Schools District.

Doing School

I was never a stellar student. It's not that I'm not bright; I always tested well, 98th and 99th percentile on standardized tests in everything but math. Most of my teachers, however, utterly failed to engage my interest.

Change Where It Matters

In an age when television airwaves and opinion pages burst with outraged faces and voices on both sides of the political spectrum, one group of Mississippi youth is conducting public discourse in a more level-headed light. What's more, these high schoolers are learning how to enact social change where it matters most: the community.

Lorenda Cheeks

Lorenda Cheeks' work to improve educational opportunities for Jackson Public Schools students is receiving national attention.

Mississippi Worst in the Nation for Child Well-Being

Mississippi ranks last in the nation for overall child wellness, according to findings from an Annie E. Casey Foundation study released earlier this week.

Keeping Kids In School

Inside the Medical Mall's Thad Cochran Center, a group of students and teachers hover around a circular table.

Slow Progress On Pre-K

Early-childhood education in Mississippi is the big engine that couldn't: Despite reams of documentation showing its economic and educational benefits, pre-kindergarten has not attracted the political support—and public funding—in Mississippi it has in many neighboring states.

Tough Times Await Bigger JPS Board

Jackson Public Schools will enter the coming school year with a lean budget and a growing Board of Trustees. The five-member school board, which already boasts four members with less than a year of experience each, is set to add two new members this fall.

Panel Tweaks State Grading System for Schools

Mississippi's model for evaluating schools and school districts could change next year, if the state Board of Education approves changes recommended by a panel today. The state Commission on School Accreditation, which reviews the state's grading system for schools and school districts, voted today to recommend two changes to the state Board.

Paige Still Discourages School Unionization

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said this morning that he has not changed his mind on what he considers the negative impact of teacher's unions like the National Education Association.

Council To Vote on Bigger JPS Board

The City Council is set to vote tomorrow on an expansion of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees from five to seven members. Proponents of the move argue that it will make the school board more accurately represent the city, with one member corresponding to each of the city's seven wards.

JPS Approves 12 Percent Smaller Budget

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees approved a budget yesterday that cuts staff work days and eliminates 125 unfilled teaching positions. The $270.7 million budget for the upcoming school year is 12 percent smaller than last year's, reflecting drops in state funds and local revenues.

Doing Good: A ‘New Focus' for At-Risk Youth

Since Virgie Peterson, 12, joined the New Focus For Youth Intervention program at the Jackson Medical Mall last fall, she went from being a C student to becoming a straight-A student.

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