Education

Shirt Company Surprises JPS Elementary Students with Donation

At Watkins Elementary School yesterday, students took saying "thank you" to a whole new level.

Making Their Own Space

NunoErin, a design studio based in downtown Jackson, glows with color and light. With its pristine light-up furniture and colorful gaming tables illuminating restaurants, hospitals and hotels all over the world, the company meshes high technology with color and fun.

Revamp of Mississippi Education Funding Formula Proposed

Mississippi's Republican legislative leaders say they want to rewrite the state's education funding formula to put more money into the classroom and less into administrative expenses.

Teen, Expelled from School and the State, Back as Adult to Push Education

Summit Town Councilman Joe Lewis said that when Brenda Travis was expelled from Burglund High School on Oct. 4, 1961, it took his classmates minutes—"not days or weeks"—to decide they would protest.

Pop-Up Makerspace at FFT Showcasing JPS Elementary Students' Creations

One robot fires miniature red plastic cannons with fierce accuracy; others imitate dogs. With the tap of a keystroke, a 3-D printer develops families of little filament creatures. Student-designed computers with Wi-Fi access operate miniature Ferris wheels.

Unmet Needs: Children with Disabilities Caught in the Voucher Crossfire

Private School Review, a website that vets private schools, says that the state has 250 private schools. Out of these, the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, or MAIS, reports that it lists just over 80 schools in its directory.

Board Apologizes After Flap Over Separate Low-Income School

A Mississippi school board is apologizing after the superintendent was quoted saying the district might consider an optional separate school to try to boost low-income students' academic achievement.

Judge Lets Pro-Charter School Groups Join Lawsuit Over Money

A Hinds County judge will let three groups that favor charter schools intervene in a lawsuit challenging whether such schools can legally receive Mississippi education money.

The Comeback: Adult Education on the Rise

Former famed attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs says he found purpose in prison by helping educate his fellow inmates. In federal prisons, any inmate without a high-school equivalency diploma is required to take classes toward earning one.

Is Mississippi Too Selective with Charters?

Some parents in Mississippi who don't want to send their children to district schools or private schools have another option: charter schools. But as these publicly funded, privately run schools have proliferated across the nation, Mississippi's charter-school growth has been relatively sluggish. Only three charter schools exist in the state, all of which are in the Jackson area.

Mississippi Subsidizes Advanced Placement Test Fees

Historically under-served students will have increased access to advanced-placement tests, thanks to a $189,781 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Ole Miss Chancellor Calls Student's Online Comment 'Racist'

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The University of Mississippi chancellor on Friday condemned a student's online comment about lynching as "racist, offensive and hurtful" after dozens of other students said the chancellor's initial response to the comment was weak and insensitive to African-Americans.

Study: Mississippi Has 'Two School Systems'

Mississippians in the highest income-tax brackets have enjoyed the limited economic growth the state has seen since the Great Recession, according to a recent report by Loyola University in New Orleans.

Help Kids with Action and Planning, Not Ego

It's a tough time for children in Jackson, and in Mississippi overall. Truthfully, at least when it comes to poor children, the state has never been especially kind or helpful to them.

State Stiffs After-School Programs

In addition to project-based learning, SR1 kids travel statewide and compete in robotics tournaments and visit college campuses. They perform well on state-testing assessments across all subject areas, not just math. Even their parents get help from SR1on how to advocate for them as students.

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