Education

House Nixes Plan for District for Failing Schools

House members have rejected a plan to create a separate statewide school district in Mississippi to take over individual failing schools.

Miss. Sees Improvement in AP Scores but Still Last in Nation

More low-income and black students in Mississippi are passing college-level Advanced Placement exams in high school although pass rates for students overall remain low and stagnant.

Alignment Jackson: Creating the Village

A powerful concept that promises to stem the growing tide of Jackson's high-school dropouts was on the agenda Feb. 4 at the Parents for Public Schools Lunch Bunch meeting at the Jackson Medical Mall.

Teachers to 'Jump Through Hoops' for Pay Raise?

Another marathon debate session in the Mississippi House of Representatives ended with the 86-26 passage of a bill to increase teacher salaries by about $4,250 over four years.

Lawmakers Consider Some School District Mergers

Four more pairs of school districts could face mergers under bills passed Tuesday by Mississippi legislative committees.

Gunn Eyes Teacher Raise Up to $4,250 Over 4 Years

House Speaker Philip Gunn and fellow Republicans want to give a $1,500 raise to most public school teachers in 2015 and 2016, and a projected raise of around $2,750 over the following two years, assuming state revenue continues to grow at a healthy rate.

Senate Sends Teacher Paycheck Measure to Governor

The Mississippi Senate voted 48-0 Friday for a bill meant to ensure teachers get a full August paycheck, though local school board representatives question its legality.

Lawmakers Asked to Decide Tuition Plan's Fate

After 16 months of studying whether to reopen the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program, the board that runs it wants the Legislature's opinion.

Community Colleges Seek to Pay Tuition for All

Community college leaders are pushing a plan to pay costs not covered by existing financial aid for recent high school graduates who enroll full time.

Miss. House Seeks August Pay for School Employees

State lawmakers say they've got a plan to ensure teachers get paid in August, but school board leaders say they don't believe the fix is legal.

What Mississippi's Lawmakers Are Proposing for Education

Lawmakers in Mississippi have proposed more than 200 education laws for the 2014 session, in what is poised to be the second consecutive legislative session with a heavy focus on schools.

Immigrants' Group Seeks Expanded In-State Tuition

The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance is asking lawmakers to approve in-state college tuition for children who graduate from high school in Mississippi after being brought to the U.S. by parents who lack proper immigration documents.

Speak Up, and Show Up, for Jackson Public Schools

Recently, on a frigid winter night a dozen or so advocates for education, including students, sat around a table at the Eudora Welty library and discussed the issues facing public education today, both good and bad.

Wright Emphasizes Preschool and Teacher Training

New state Superintendent Carey Wright is emphasizing more money for state-funded preschool and to improve literacy instruction in early grades.

Rally: Schools Budget Gap an 'Injustice'

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program lays out the bare minimum that schools need to operate, but lawmakers almost never follow it.

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