[Burnham] Stakes Raised for Mississippi SchoolsThe difference between Mississippi's old school-accountability rating system, which rated schools from Level 1 to Level 5, and the school and district accountability system that the state will implement this school year is like the difference between competing for a …
Consolidation: The Same Old Story?The issue of school consolidation is popping up in anticipation of another cash-strapped legislative session. Calls for merging some of the state's 152 public-school districts aren't new in lean budget years, despite a lack of evidence of its value.
Burnham Selected as Superintendent of SchoolsThe Mississippi Board of Education announced its unanimous selection for Superintendent of Schools yesterday: Dr. Tom Burnham, 56, who held the position from 1992 to 1997. Burnham replaces Interim Superintendent Dr. John Jordan, who took on the job when former-Superintendent …
Laurence C. JonesA hundred years ago, Laurence Clifton Jones established The Piney Woods School in rural Rankin County with $2 and three students. Jones, born Nov. 21, 1884, in St. Joseph Mo., graduated from the University of Iowa in 1908. He turned …
Sweet and SafeThese days, not a lot of people go door-to-door for trick-or-treating. Many families attend local harvest festivals or parties at their kids' schools or churches. Nevertheless, if you are taking your kids out this Halloween, remember to practice these few …
Parents, Educators Call on JPS to Renew Music ProgramComplaints inundated Jackson Public Schools Board members after a tie vote on Oct. 20 failed to renew a music education program that serves elementary students across the district. The roughly $300,000 program, a collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, brings …
Lukisha CorkLukisha Cork, 35, knows an opportunity worth grabbing when she sees it. The Greenville mother of four boys, aged 12 to 17, will be receiving her certified nursing assistant certificate on Friday, along with four of her family members. The …
JSU Gets $500K Entergy GrantJackson State University is dedicating a laboratory and a new power-systems degree track in its engineering program, thanks to a grant from Entergy. The power company has awarded JSU with $400,000 to purchase equipment for a new laboratory and an …
Update: School Board Meeting CancelledThe Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees has canceled a special meeting today, because "additional information is needed for a recommendation to approve Qualified School Construction Bond Projects," according to a release. The agenda was to include time for public …
Bus Strikers Want Deal SoonUnion bus drivers for Hinds County schools say the part-time pay for drivers isn't enough to keep food on the table.
Parents Should Make Plans for Getting Kids to SchoolWith school bus drivers employed by First Student threatening a strike beginning Thursday morning, the Hinds County School District is urging parents to make alternate plans for getting their kids to school tomorrow.
JPS Board Drops Music ProgramThe Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees failed to renew funding for a music education program yesterday, effectively discontinuing a 42-year-old collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Board members voted 2-2 on renewing the program. Members Jonathan Larkin and Ann …
Dr. James Bowley"I love my job!" proclaims Dr. James E. Bowley on his Web site. Bowley, an associate professor in the Millsaps College department of religious studies, teaches courses on the Bible and related religious traditions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. "What's not …
Johnson: Test Scores Reflect Education FundingMississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson blames legislators for the state's low rank in a national summary of elementary school math grades. "The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009," released yesterday, outlines achievements of fourth- and eighth-graders on the National Assessment of …
Teens Expect JSU HazingA Former Forest Hill High School band director and a local Jackson attorney say that high-school students know what they're getting into when they try out for the Jackson State University marching band, the Sonic Boom of the Southand that …