Numerous bills have been filed that address school funding, open enrollment (crossing district lines), vouchers, charter schools, school standards, and how school boards are selected. Most of these bills have not yet been taken up in committee, but this is a heads-up just in case they make it out of committee and onto the calendar […]
Vouchers, Tax Credit Scholarships, Opportunity Scholarships, and More The following bills have been introduced in the 2014 Legislative Session; all are designed to divert taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools. Public schools operate under the most stringent standards of government accountability and transparency; private schools are completely unaccountable to taxpayers for the public dollars
Voucher Bills Filed This Session Read More »
We are watching carefully as bills are introduced on the legislative website, and among the things we’ll be watching for is anything that smacks of a voucher. Warning: a voucher by any other name is still a voucher. And it’s a bad deal for public school children. Vouchers divert taxpayer dollars from public schools to private
Watching for Vouchers Read More »
Reality Check Click here to see the myths being floated about Common Core…and the reality! And read what a mathematician says about the way Common Core math develops students’ intellectual flexiblity and expands their capacity to apply math in new, real-world situations. Common Core State Standards These college- and career-ready standards provide Mississippi parents a consistent, clear understanding of
Common Core State Standards: Moving Mississippi Children To Success Read More »
The National Board Certification Program is a voluntary assessment designed to develop, recognize and retain accomplished teachers. National Board Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years for a candidate to complete. Candidates must successfully demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices in order to be awarded the
National Board Certification Recognizes Excellent Teachers Read More »
Just yesterday, Mississippi business leaders reaffirmed their support of Common Core State Standards, noting that when global and national businesses get ready to invest in a new plant location they want to be able to compare states on “common” measures of workforce quality and readiness. At the Mississippi Economic Council’s Capital Day event in Jackson, MEC President Blake
Common Core State Standards Endorsed by MS Business Leaders Read More »
At the Mississippi Economic Council’s 2014 Capital Day event, Speaker Philip Gunn was unequivocal about his support for an across-the-board teacher pay raise and said it will be on the agenda in the House of Representatives this session. While he supports merit pay, Speaker Gunn was clear that he also supports an increase in the
Mississippi Teachers Deserve a Pay Raise Read More »
Lately, the airwaves have been abuzz with talk of funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), the state law that promises our children resources sufficient for an adequate education.Here’s the bottom line: the recession is over. State revenue is back to 2008 levels, which was the last year that the MAEP was fully funded. It’s time for the Legislature
It’s Time to Fund a Decent Education for Our Kids Read More »
A student is disabled under Section 504 if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities are listed in the Americans with Disabilities Act and include learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, speaking, sleeping, bending, caring for one’s self, lifting, walking, standing, hearing, seeing, etc. Included in the
Voucher-Eligible Impairments in SB 2325 and HB 765 Read More »
State leaders, frustrated by Mississippi’s perennial placement near the bottom of education rankings, have taken to saying that they want to “fund what works” in education. The implication is that they want to move away from the per-student funding provided through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and instead simply fund their pet education programs.
Fund Students (MAEP) or Pet Programs? Read More »
