An excellent early education experience for every child (A Blueprint Mississippi 2011 recommendation)
- $5-million for Mississippi Building Blocks
- Based on a per-student cost of $2,000, this will allow MBB in 2013-2014 to reach approximately 2,500 children in child care centers located primarily in low-income areas of Mississippi
An excellent teacher in every classroom (A Blueprint Mississippi 2011 recommendation)
- $12-million appropriation for Teach for America (TFA)
- Reform universities’ teacher education programs to require more focus on content areas (the subjects teachers teach) as well as instruction in Common Core State Standards and in diagnostic/formative assessments and data analysis will not require legislation
- Raise the standards for admission into universities’ schools of education will not require legislation
- Include in the teacher compensation package a merit-based approach that provides significantly increased compensation for teachers who demonstrate excellence in moving students forward; teachers should be evaluated on student growth measured over the course of the school year versus basing performance on a single end-of-year test such as MCT2
An excellent leader in every school and district (A Blueprint Mississippi 2011 recommendation)
- Transition to all appointed superintendents by 2015; elected superintendents would be eligible for appointment by their boards
An excellent public school for every Mississippi child – authorize charter schools in zones of chronically underperforming schools (A Blueprint Mississippi 2011 recommendation)
- Permit charters only in school zones where the local schools have been underperforming for the two (or more) most recent years
- Grant charters only to entities that have a track record of success in working with low-performing schools
- Prohibit virtual charter schools; charter schools students should have access to online courses through the existing Mississippi Virtual Public School program
- Charter schools and their management organizations should be non-profit
- The charter should be subject to the same assessments and accountability as all other publicly-funded schools
- All eligible children living within the attendance zone in which the charter school is located should be included in the lottery
- There should be a single, non-politicized authorizer of charter schools
Resources that are adequate for success – halfway to full funding
- $150-million increase in Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) funding in the 2013 Legislative Session
- Fully fund the MAEP by the end of the 2014 Legislative Session
