Education

Subscribe

Straitjacket of Straight Thinking?

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees may be holding back its superintendent, but depending on whom you ask, that may not be a bad thing.

Mississippi Test Scores Show Mixed Results

The Mississippi Department of Education released 2009 state school test results today showing slight gains in some areas and decreases in others. The 2008-2009 school year was the second year during which students took a more rigorous series of exams, the Mississippi Curriculum Test 2 in middle school and a revised Subject Area Testing Program in high school. Interim State Superintendent of Education John Jordan said in a statement that the results indicated that there was "still much work to be done."

Last Balloon Out of Canton

When I arrive at the Canton Equine Center early July 3, I'm sleepy. But I slowly awake as I watch hot-air balloons aficionados staring up at the rich, orange sky.

Hinds County Sheriff Launches Teen Driving Program

The Hinds County Sheriff's Department announced today the start of a teen safe-driving program aimed at reducing the number of teen deaths due to car accidents.

JPS Board Seeks Budget Audits

The Jackson Public School Board chose not to approve some aspects of the school budget last night, including money for some new buses, textbooks and school nurses, citing the need for more information from the superintendent's staff. Board member Jonathan Larkin said the board did basically approve the district budget, however, amounting to more than $230 million.

From A to C but where is B?

Youth Media Project

Oftentimes children will explain to you that they want to change the world or impact their society without knowing how.

One Veggie at a Time

On July 1, the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Johnson Foundation ranked Mississippi the No. 1 most obese state in the nation. The year before, CQ Press named the state the No. 1 unhealthiest state in America.

Year 2: ‘Being the Media'!

Youth Media Project

The Jackson Free Press is thrilled to host the second summer of a joint youth media effort by public and private school teens in Jackson. last year, they critiqued the media. This year they are stepping up and being the media themselves!

Banking on PRIYDE

Sixteen-year-old Laurin Paris is using her fashion sense to get her to college.

Address This: Guide to 2009 Commencement Speakers

Commencement speakers are like doctors: sooner or later you have to see one. With commencement ceremonies coming up, motivational speakers are coming to spread their knowledge and encouragement to the graduating classes. While cheering for your favorite graduate(s), be sure and listen to their pearls of wisdom. You might be surprised.

‘Nature's Ritalin'

On a recent Friday afternoon at the Poindexter Park After-School Club, a third grader named Andrea fell in love with caterpillars.

Texting Ban Affects Only Teens

A new bill signed into law by Gov. Haley Barbour last week mandates that teens under 18 with an intermediate license or learner's permit cannot text friends and family while they are behind the wheel.

Murrah Student Wins Economics Award

[Verbatim] Zachary Yoder from Murrah High School in Jackson was named the 2009 Economics Student of the Year, an honor given to the student with the highest individual scores on the Mississippi Council on Economics' statewide Economic and Financial Literacy Challenge. Students compete on the topics of microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics and current events.

Boys & Girls Club to Close?

More than 1,000 Jackson schoolchildren could be left unsupervised after school if a local community organization does not receive donations soon. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi plans to close three of its six Jackson-area facilities at the end of the school year if it does not raise $500,000 by April 1.

'Criminalizing' Kids

Donte Thompson says he hardly learned anything in alternative school. Forbidden to talk from the moment he stepped on the school bus, Donte did what little work he received using water-damaged, outdated textbooks.

Blogs