Education

Audit Finds Explicit Material on School-Issued Computers

A review by the Mississippi auditor's office found pornography and other explicit material on computers that some public schools issued to middle school and high school students.

Charter School Funding Case Before Hinds County Judge

A group of parents with children in Jackson Public Schools challenged Mississippi's funding mechanism in the state's charter-school law in summer 2016, and this morning Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Dewayne Thomas heard oral arguments from several attorneys in the case.

MAEP, Mental Health Among #MSLeg Cuts

Public schools should prepare for more budget cuts, as the Mississippi Adequate Education Program took a hit in the budget lawmakers passed late Monday, March 27.

'Big, Black or Boy' Preschoolers Face Higher Expulsions and Suspensions

Implicit bias starts early in education—really early. New research shows that boys, black children and especially black boys are more likely to be expelled or suspended from early education program than their peers who commit similar offenses.

Bracing for Budget Cuts, Sparing Ed Funds

Impending and deep budget cuts have tainted many-a-committee comment and shadowed several debates this legislative session. With less than two weeks left until lawmakers leave Jackson, they must sign off on a budget that so far means reductions to almost every state agency.

Groups Seek to Open 9 Charter Schools in Mississippi, Two in Jackson

Nine charter school operators say they're interested in opening new schools in Mississippi.

Students, Parents, Business Leaders Rally for "Seat at the Table" in Ed-Formula Re-Write

Students, parents and advocates gathered at the Mississippi State Capitol on Thursday, March 16, calling on lawmakers to slow down the process of rewriting Mississippi's education funding formula and hold public hearings with parents, teachers and students before dramatically changing the way schools are funded in the state.

JPS Shrinks as Charters Pull Students, Money

In Dr. Freddrick Murray's view, Jackson Public Schools has to be proactive to get in front of the myriad problems the district faces, from decreasing enrollment and funding at most levels to maintaining the district's 60 schools and buildings with enough teachers, staff and maintenance.

Dyslexia Voucher Expansion Bill Passes Senate

House Bill 1046 expands vouchers or scholarships, depending on whom you ask in the statehouse. Either way, the legislation advanced late on Wednesday night after more than two hours of debate.

Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Pioneers'

DeVos called historically black colleges and universities "living proof" that more options for students means greater access and quality, when in actuality HBCUs were not so much a choice as they were a necessity for African Americans looking to attend colleges and universities back when the law barred them from "white" colleges.

MPB Bridges Education As Cuts Loom

Ronnie Agnew watched PBS shows like "Sesame Street" when he was growing up in Saltillo in rural Mississippi. Now the executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Agnew tells the story of a friend who lived to be 103 years old, illiterate most of his long life until he discovered public broadcasting.

EdBuild: New Formula in Hands of Few

Mississippi's new education funding formula is in the hands of a few lawmakers and the statehouse leadership—and what it will look like or how much money will go into the formula are still a mystery to the public and the press.

Mississippi Could Expand Dyslexia Voucher Program

Mississippi lawmakers could expand a program enabling students to use state money to attend schools with specialized help for dyslexia.

Supreme Court Could Decide Transgender Case. Or Not.

Both the transgender teen who sued to use a boys' bathroom and the Virginia school board that won't let him still want the Supreme Court to issue a definitive ruling in their ongoing dispute, even after the Trump administration retreated from an Obama-era policy on bathroom use.

Administration Lifts Transgender Student Bathroom Guidance

The Trump administration on Wednesday ended federal protection for transgender students that allowed them to use public school bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities.

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