Education

USM to Cut Nonresident Tuition in Bid to Boost Enrollment The University of Southern Mississippi is cutting tuition for students from outside the state in a bid to boost enrollment and revenue.
Education Chief Touts Wraparound Services in Mississippi Ask Arlesia Gilson, a sixth-grader at Carver Elementary School, how her school changed in recent years and she says, "It got harder." But four years into a five-year, $30 million grant, U.S. Secretary of Education John King said he believes …
Mississippi Sets New Score Levels for A-to-F School Grades Mississippi's public schools and districts have a new scoring system in place for assigning A-to-F grades after a series of dustups that started last month.
State Fund Mismanagement Threatens Afterschool Programs Like ShoestringA month after the Mississippi Department of Education announced it would slash 21st Century Community Learning Center grants, kids at Operation Shoestring, a nonprofit afterschool program in Jackson, still make time to learn and play.
Mississippi Charter Board Rejects Plan for 3 Jackson Schools Mississippi's Charter School Authorizer Board Monday rejected an application from an Ohio-based group to open three elementary schools in Jackson, meaning the board will approve no new charter schools this year.
Public-School Rankings Present Concerns for Districts, FamiliesEven though Davis Magnet International Baccalaureate Elementary School in the Jackson Public School District is ranked an A by the Mississippi Department of Education—and the best elementary school in the state by SchoolDigger.com— principal Dr. Kathleen Grigsby says it is …
Jackson Elementary School Ranked Best In StateSchoolDigger.com, a popular school-ranking website, has rated Davis Magnet International Baccalaureate Elementary School the best elementary school in the state of Mississippi.
Raining Paper Cats and DogsInside Cassandre Connolly's Siwell Middle School art class on a recent Thursday morning, it was raining paper cats and dogs.
Youth Judge Fights School-to-Prison PipelineJust a few years ago, sagging pants and disrupting instruction at school were almost certain to land a kid in front of Jackson County Youth Court Judge Sharon Sigalas. At that time, Sigalas says the school districts under her jurisdiction …
Two More Mississippi Universities Furl State FlagTwo more Mississippi universities have stopped flying the state's flag, which prominently features the Confederate battle emblem.
Mississippi Seeks Groups for $1M Prekindergarten Expansion Mississippi education officials are seeking applications from groups seeking $1 million to expand state-funded prekindergarten classes.
Opponents of Charter Schools Ready for Quick Judgment in LawsuitIn a small room in the Jackson office of the Southern Poverty Law Center, challengers to the state's funding portion of the charter-school law spoke out about the negative impact they believe the schools have on their children's lives.
Teach For America and the Retention ProblemSchools across Mississippi struggle to keep teachers, which educators and experts say is due in part to low salaries and an overall inability to keep Mississippi's most promising young adults in the state.
Lawmakers Zero in on College Readiness During Budget Hearing Mississippi lawmakers are starting public hearings to evaluate state spending, and they're focusing on why some students finish high school without being fully prepared for college.
Mississippi Charter School Challengers Seek Quick Judgment A group suing over how Mississippi's charter schools are funded and governed is pushing for a quick ruling in the case.