Standards are becoming harder and Mississippi kindergartens start school behind their peers in other states
Jackie Mader
Jackie Mader received a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she was a recipient of the 2012 Fred M. Hechinger Journalism Education Award. Prior to attending Columbia, she taught special education in Charlotte, N.C. and trained first-year teachers in the Mississippi Delta.
Posted inEducation, Higher Education
After Years of Reform, a Sign of Hope for a Rural Mississippi School
In rural Mississippi, a focus on reading basics, intervention, shows promising third grade results
Posted inEducation, Higher Education
Testing Gives Third-Graders Upset Stomachs, Tears and Even Fevers
Darla Miller, a third-grade teacher in the Neshoba County School District, says that Common Core has not changed much in her classroom, but testing has led to extensive changes. Photo: A Teacher Like You This year was the first year that Mississippi teachers taught the Common Core standards in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. It […]
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Why is ‘High Quality’ So Elusive in Mississippi’s Child Care Centers?
JACKSON, Miss. — After 25 years as a commercial lender for a large bank in Indiana, Glenn Farmer’s future suddenly looked uncertain. His company was going through a restructuring that would phase out his department. Instead of looking for a new finance job, Farmer made an unexpected career move: He took over his parents’ preschool […]
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Do You Know How Your Childcare Center is Doing? Why It’s Hard to Find Out
Children play with materials at Highway 90 Daycare in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Owner Sherrie Jones has relied on private help to make improvements to her center. Photo: Jackie Mader LELAND, Miss. — When new mom Elizabeth Harris needed to find childcare, she turned to other parents in this small Delta town. She and her husband narrowed […]
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Four Models of Non-Traditional Schools at SXSWedu
Could a self-driving bus be the classroom of the future? Non-traditional school models from SXSWedu
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In Rural Mississippi, Social Studies Gets a Common Core Makeover
Fourth Grader Lakiya works on a writing assignment during social studies. This year marks the first time that all math and English teachers in Mississippi are teaching the new Common Core standards. But the words Common Core aren’t used here anymore — the state has renamed them the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards. While […]
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The Biggest Losers in the No Child Left Behind Rewrite
Rural school districts and states with large, rural populations are poised to lose a disproportionate amount of funding and opportunities to innovate under a bill proposed by House Republicans, according to a report by the Obama administration. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke at an on-the-record breakfast with reporters Monday morning to further detail […]
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Vouchers May Be Ticket Out of Public Schools for Kids With Disabilities- But is That a Good Thing?
JACKSON, Miss. – Some students with disabilities may get a chance to leave the public school system here – but advocates and parents aren’t sure it will improve their education. Lawmakers in Mississippi will soon debate a bill to give special education students vouchers for private schools, which supporters say will boost their options and […]
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Have Legislators Thwarted Chance to Bring Funds to Cash-Strapped Mississippi Schools?
CARROLLÂ COUNTY, Miss. — Students in this rural district ride to school on aging buses, then sit in 20-year-old portable classrooms or decrepit buildings reading outdated textbooks. The district of 1,009 students has only two teaching assistants to help in classrooms, and Superintendent Billy Joe Ferguson makes an annual salary of $18,000. Such details only […]
