Education, Community and Workforce Development in Rural Mississippi

An American Youth Policy Forum Field Trip — March 17-19, 2003

This field trip was organized to learn about statewide education reform initiatives, community organizing for education reform, and successful after-school and out-of-school youth programs in the Delta region of Mississippi.  The field trip focused on:

• Education Reform, with visits to public schools in Jackson and the Delta, a meeting with the newly appointed Mississippi State Superintendent of Education to learn about the state accountability plan, and meetings with local advocates working to improve schools at the local level.

• Community Development, with visits to the Foundation for the Mid South, a regional development foundation; Southern Echo, a regional organization providing technical assistance to grassroots community-based organizations in Mississippi and throughout the South and which is very involved in lobbying for quality education for students in Mississippi’s poorest districts; and the highly successful Quitman County Community Development Organization in Marks, MS.

• Workforce Development, with a visit to the Tri-County Workforce Alliance.

• Youth Achievement and Development, with visits to successful programs offering both in and out-of-school time programming, including the Sunflower County Freedom Project, an after-school program designed to increase student achievement and college preparedness which uses the history of the Civil Rights Movement as a starting point, and the Algebra Project, a math literacy program and school-by-school organizing project.

Background

The Mississippi Department of Education has made strides in increasing student achievement; however, disparity between urban and rural districts remains.  The Mississippi Delta region continues to be affected by the legacies of slavery, the Civil War, segregation and Jim Crow laws, and sharecropping.  Nearly half of all children in the Delta, and 84 percent of African American children, live in poverty.  Only one-fourth of adults are high school graduates, and only five percent have a college diploma.  Racial segregation in the schools is commonplace, as over 90 percent of public school students in the Delta are black.  White students in the Delta generally attend private academies.  At the same time, the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement is evident in the many community organizations active in the Delta region.

The Algebra Project/ Positive Innovations

Students at Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi

Trip participants visited Lanier High School in Jackson to learn about the Algebra Project, a math literacy program working with schools and communities to ensure a standard of mathematics education that requires children to be mathematically literate.  The Algebra Project is designed to significantly increase the proportion of rural and inner city students who complete algebra in late middle school or early high school and who successfully complete college preparatory mathematics.  Drawing on his experience organizing black voters in Mississippi in the 1960’s,  founder Bob Moses developed the concept for the Algebra Project when he was a MacArthur Fellow volunteering at the Martin L. King Elementary School in Cambridge, MA from 1982-1987.  The mission of the Algebra Project is to change the culture surrounding education at the local community level using organizing tools of the Civil Rights Movement.  In Racial Equations:  Math Literacy and Civil Rights, Moses asserts that “the absence of math literacy in urban and rural communities throughout this country is an issue as urgent as the lack of registered black voters in Mississippi was in 1961.”  The Algebra Project works with parents to compel their schools to offer eighth graders Algebra I, a course crucial to getting students on schedule to complete the math sequence necessary for college preparation.

Moses, who teaches mathematics at Lanier High School, authored an experientially based curriculum called the Algebra Project Transition Curriculum (APTC), which constitutes the core instructional materials in Algebra Project teacher professional development.  This curriculum is used to prepare middle school students for grade 8 Algebra.  The constructivist, cooperative and inquiry-based pedagogy underlying the APTC is consistent with standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and emphasizes the use of hands-on exercises, observation, communication, reflection, modeling and applications of non-standard and standard symbols in the “mathematicization” of real-life events. 

At Lanier High School, trip participants met with Positive Innovations Director David Dennis to learn about the Southern Initiative of the Algebra Project (SIAP).  Begun in 1991, SIAP is directed by Positive Innovations, Inc. which is responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of the programs and activities of the project in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.  SIAP sites work collaboratively as a region, and meet annually to hone programmatic strategies for professional development and teacher training, community involvement and youth leadership development. 

Dennis explained that the greatest challenge for the SIAP is changing the culture in a school so that the adults in a school community increase their expectations of students’ abilities.  Algebra Project schools have proven that poor students of color can learn algebra by middle school if educators and parents believe they can and support their efforts.    For instance, St. Helena Elementary School in St. Helena, SC, with a 98 percent African American student body, the lowest test scores in the county and 97 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, outperformed all other schools in the county (including affluent Hilton Head Island) on state math assessments within five years of implementing the Algebra Project curriculum.  Eighty percent of St. Helena students perform at or above “basic” on the state test.  In schools where the project is in full implementation, not only do students’ math scores rise, but reading scores rise and disciplinary problems decrease.  Due to its success, the Algebra Project has been chosen by Arkansas as the new state-wide curriculum.

Dionne Allen described the SIAP Young People’s Project, (YPP) a program she coordinates to teach youth about math and to prepare youth to lead workshops for other youth.  Currently the YPP is training high school students to facilitate workshops for middle school and elementary school students, in addition to after-school and church programs.  

Participants met with Visiting Lanier High School Teacher Peggy Quinn, who was using her sabbatical leave from the New Britain, CT public schools to teach at Lanier and further develop an Algebra Project curriculum for 9th grade.  “We don’t accept a student not being able to read after they leave high school, but we do accept that some kids ‘get math’ and others do not,” Quinn noted.  The premise of the Algebra Project, she explained, is that everyone can and should learn mathematics and teachers and students need to believe this. 

Trip participants were invited to observe Ms. Quinn’s class in action.  Quinn uses games and experiential learning to teach math concepts to her students.  “We start with ‘people talk,’” she explained.  “Then we move on to develop our own symbols for what’s being discussed.  Finally, we work with the standard symbols of algebra.”  Participants also visited a classroom where Visiting Artist Jolivette Anderson applied a similar theory of cultural literacy to her English class. 

Ruthie Sales, who directs the programs of SIAP in Jackson, explained that the Algebra Project is being implemented in seven elementary schools and two middle schools which feed into Lanier High School. Principals of the schools that feed into Lanier High School have agreed that they will adopt the Algebra Project as an initiative for their math curricula.  In the 2001-2 and 2002-3 school years, all 9th grade students at Lanier took Algebra I and all Algebra I teachers used the Algebra Project curriculum. 

Sales, who works directly with the math teachers, explained that the biggest hurdle is getting teachers to change their attitudes.  Most do not believe their students can do it, and as a result, the kids do not believe they can do the work.  This is further complicated by the fact that many of the teachers she is working with have problems themselves with the material, so she has to approach the training with sensitivity to this reality.

Participants were curious about how the Algebra Project and its Southern Initiative are documenting their success.  Dennis answered that they have a lot of material, including video from classrooms, but that they lack funds to analyze and present this information.  He also admitted the Algebra Project has difficulty collecting the necessary data to document its success. 

Funding for the Southern Initiative of the Algebra Project comes primarily from school districts that contract with SIAP directly.  Jackson, MS and Savannah, GA have done so and many school districts in Arkansas are currently lining up.  In addition, Lanier High School has received a National Science Foundation grant.  At the time of our visit, the Young People’s Project was in the process of submitting a proposal for 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) funding. 

Southern Echo

Trip participants visited the Jackson-based Southern Echo, where they met with Southern Echo Resource Coordinator Nsombi Lambright, Assistant Director Brenda Hyde, and President Hollis Watkins.  Southern Echo is a leadership education, training and development organization founded in 1989 to fight racism.  Echo is committed to building new, accountable grassroots leadership and organization, based on an inter-generational model, through training, technical and legal assistance. Echo staff works with and in support of African-American and working class community leadership and organizations throughout rural Mississippi, and organizations in 11 other Southern states.  Echo operates through an intergenerational model.  It has no separate youth council.  One-fourth of the Southern Echo board of directors is under 30 years old. 

Believing that empowerment of grassroots communities is necessary to enable people to hold the political, educational, economic and environmental systems accountable to the needs and interests of the African-American and poor communities, Echo focuses training on enabling people to build the skills needed for effective community organizing. This includes the building of political skills, organizational development and policy formation at the grassroots level. The primary goal is to build the capacity of grassroots leadership and organizations to empower their communities to fight racism.

Southern Echo is providing technical assistance and leadership development to organizations involved in redistricting fights in many local communities in southern states.  Echo is also helping local organizations draw their own redistricting plans, with the goal of maintaining or even increasing minority representation.

Most of the organizations Echo works with in Mississippi are in the Delta region.  All affiliated organizations are independent.  Echo provides technical assistance and leadership development to help strengthen existing organizations.   The Charles Stuart Mott Foundation funds Southern Echo to re-grant to community organizations working in Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama.

In the area of education, Echo has focused primarily on student criminalization and equity in school financing, both locally and statewide.  In addition, Echo’s work on environmental justice has included creating “environmental safety zones” around schools.  (The group saw an example of this focus later on our trip when visiting Indianola, where we saw a cotton field directly across the street from the middle school.  Echo was working to stop the spraying of pesticides in the field.)  Echo has a growing number of members on local school and aldermen boards.

In 2002 the Mississippi Adequate Education Plan was funded fully for the first time, though Echo staff stressed that the $650 million allocated was insufficient. “Adequate education” is defined as attaining an 8th grade level of proficiency by graduation from high school— clearly an inadequate goal.  Watkins noted that the State Accountability Plan allocated monetary resources unequally, providing “more resources to the best schools and nothing to other schools.” 

Watkins also provided examples of student activism and empowerment by telling participants about students in the Drew School District, who staged a student strike over the curricular content of Black History Month.  The same students have been a part of an indictment process investigating the school system for abuses of children with special needs and for high suspension and expulsion rates.  He noted that Drew is ten minutes from the state penitentiary, linking high suspension rates to full private prisons (of which there are 15 in the Delta region of Mississippi). 

“Mississippi is still an elitist, racist system,” Hyde told the group of trip participants, “and the goal and emphasis of Echo is to empower African American Mississippians with the skills they need to impact public policy.”  When asked by a participant about how the organization deals with internalized oppression, Hyde answered that Echo creates a safe place and encourages people to go forward despite their fear. 

Foundation for the Mid South

Trip participants visited the Foundation for the Mid South (FMS), a regional development foundation based in Jackson that brings people together, strengthens communities and multiplies resources in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi

Executive Director George Penick welcomed the group and provided an overview of the work of FMS.  In the past 12 years, the Foundation has awarded more than 500 grants to organizations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Through its various grants and initiatives, the Foundation strives to nurture families and children, improve education, and improve the economy for all people. Over the past decade, the total impact of the Foundation’s programs and initiatives is estimated at $150 million in new resources to the Mid South region.

In the late 1980s the governors of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi recognized that issues involving education, economic development and families and children plagued the region, from rural farmlands to inner cities.  Seizing on a vision for regional change, former Mississippi Governor William Winter worked with the Entergy Corporation to raise initial funds to create FMS from individuals, foundations and businesses in the region.  Since then, FMS has attracted many national partners to support its programs.  FMS is similar to a three state community foundation, but it not just a grant distributing organization— FMS also provides on-going technical assistance and leadership development. 

The Foundation’s funding is entirely from private sources.  About 20 to 25 percent of its funding is raised locally in the region—energy companies are a big funder— and the remainder from large, national foundations (e.g., Kellogg, Pew, Mott, Fannie Mae). 

Liz Brister described FMS’s Building Philanthropy Initiative.  Brister told the group of participants that there are far fewer philanthropic dollars available in the three states served by FMS.   One year ago the Ford Foundation started looking at FMS’s role in building and redefining philanthropy in the region.  The Ford Foundation has provided FMS funding to examine the problems in the region and consider how philanthropic dollars can alleviate these problems.  FMS has formed a commission comprised of a broad range of people to place inequality at the forefront of the discussion about philanthropy in the three-state region. 

Vice President for Programs, Dr. Beverly Divers-White, described the Black Philanthropy Initiative, begun by FMS in spring 2002.  In the African and African American tradition of philanthropy, FMS decided to engage the African American community in charitable giving, creating the Black Philanthropy Task Force.  FMS plans to host a regional conference on African American philanthropy in 2004.  Dr. Divers-White also described the Mid South Promise Partnership, a Kellogg Foundation funded youth philanthropy initiative to help connect organizations, especially in the Mississippi River Delta, to the Five Promises of America’s Promise.  Convincing young, talented, well-prepared people to remain in Mississippi after they have completed their education is difficult, and Dr. Divers-White stressed the importance of getting Mississippians active in local philanthropic endeavors.

Dr. Divers-White introduced the group of trip participants to her view of problems with education in Mississippi.  First and foremost, Mississippi has seen the proliferation of private academies which has had the effect of eliminating the tax base and teacher base from the public schools.  Second, there is no developmentally appropriate childcare available for the children of the working poor.  Third, there is a dearth of qualified teachers in the state, with lack of infrastructure (e.g., public transportation, public facilities, adequate housing) in communities making it difficult to keep qualified teachers.  Fourth, there is overrepresentation of students of color in special education.  Fifth, there is overrepresentation of students of color receiving disciplinary sanctions.  Sixth, there are tremendously high dropout rates, especially for African American males.  Seventh, there is academic tracking.  Eighth, there are some well-qualified teachers, but few are prepared to be academic leaders, such as principals or school board members.  Ninth, there is an under-representation of African American students in “gifted and talented” and accelerated programs (where these programs exist).  Tenth, there is lack of access to high quality math, science and technology courses.  Finally, Dr. Divers-White, stated: “It is a travesty when children do not have access to foreign language courses.” 

Barbara Hunter-Cox described the Foundation’s Mid South Middle Start Initiative, or (MS)2, which focuses on improving academic performance among students grades five through eight. The Middle Start program, originally implemented in Michigan, is an approved Comprehensive School Reform model.  Middle grade achievement scores show a dip occurs in the middle grades, a time when resources generally dip too.  When FMS decided to adopt the model, they issued an invitation to every superintendent in the three-state area.  Almost 300 school districts throughout the region participate in this initiative that is already demonstrating impressive results.  

(MS)2 focuses on three programmatic areas:  academic excellence, social equity, and developmental responsiveness.  All partner schools take part in a leadership conference for principals and regional trainings.  FMS serves as a clearinghouse for information on middle grades reform.  In the Delta Region of Mississippi there are 23 sites receiving intensive technical assistance in the form of contracted providers helping schools focus on literacy.  (The schools were allowed to decide on a model for outside contractors, and the Algebra Project was one of these models; however the schools chose literacy instead.)

Kathleen Shields introduced the Mid South Individual Development Account (IDA)  Initiative.  The IDA Initiative is designed to help low-wealth individuals and families save, build assets, and enter the financial mainstream. Through its matched savings accounts, IDAs encourage low-wealth working people to save money, gain financial skills and build wealth by purchasing a home, attending college or job-training, or starting a small business. The savings accounts are generally matched by a variety of private and public sources at rates from 1:1 to 5:1.

Ernest Hargrove introduced FMS’s Building Pastoral Leadership Initiative, a project which will create a regional program that focuses on building pastoral leadership within churches in low-income communities. One of the exciting outcomes of this new initiative will be the establishment of a Mid South Faith-Based Development Center that will strengthen the capacity of clergy leaders to not only serve as spiritual guides, but also to serve as counselors, administrators, economic developers, and civic leaders.

Quitman County Development Organization - Marks, MS

Trip Participants with Bernard Handy of QCDO

Robert Jackson, CEO, and Bernard Handy, Director of Community Programs, provided the group of trip participants with an overview of the Quitman County Development Organization (QCDO).  QCDO was founded in 1977 to fight firmly entrenched racist practices and to develop opportunities for African Americans in Quitman County.   The region used to be an agricultural area, but the economy is changing.  The area is very poor, with few job opportunities.  New casinos have brought much-needed employment opportunities to the area.  QCDO employs self-help programs and strategies to meet low-income residents’ personal, physical, educational and economic needs and has expanded its service area to include low-income communities in Tallahatchie and Panola counties.  Through programs in affordable housing, job creation, day care, education and micro-enterprise, as well as its credit union, QCDO has increased skills, property ownership, economic resources, and access to jobs.  In addition, QCDO has worked to get African Americans elected to public offices and involved in local decision-making

Trip Participants with CDO CEO, Robert Jackson

Most of the organization’s small budget comes from private foundations outside of Mississippi, although QCDO has recently started to receive state and federal (HUD, USDA) funding for some of their programming.  Foundations which have supported QCDO include:

• The Ford Foundation
• The W. K. Kellogg Foundation
• MS Foundation for Women 
• Public Welfare Foundation
• The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
• MS Home Corporation
• C. S. Mott Foundation
• National Federation of CDCU's
• The Hazen Foundation 
• State of Mississippi
• Foundation for the Mid-South
• J. P. Morgan Guaranty Trust
• F. B. Heron Foundation
• William Randolph Hearst Foundation

QCDO programming includes:

• Affordable Housing
  QCDO develops, manages, and rehabilitates affordable housing; offers pre- and post-purchase counseling and follow-up services for first-time homebuyers; and provides low-interest loans and grants to low-income homeowners to rehabilitate their homes.
• Micro-Enterprise Development
  In 1998, QCDO began its Micro-Enterprise Development and Business Loan Program to stimulate and support business development by women and minorities within its service area. The program provides micro loans ranging from $1,500 to $25,000, gap financing and training, and technical assistance. Since 1999, the organization has committed more than $200,000 in loan funds to support trucking, restaurant, day care, and other local businesses.
• Child Care
  QCDO has operated its Child Day Care Center on the campus of a local high school since 1994. The center serves up to 49 children between 6 weeks and 4 years of age. It also provides jobs to 12 low-income mothers.
• Financial Services
  In 1981, QCDO established the Quitman County Federal Credit Union to meet the needs of low-income individuals, families, and those unable to obtain conventional credit. In 1999, the credit union expanded its reach to include Panola and Tallahatchie counties and changed its name to Quitman Tri/County Federal Credit Union. Over the last 20 years, the credit union has made $12 million in loans and currently has assets of $5 million today to serve its more than 3,500 members.  QCDO also operates the Youth Credit Union Program to help young people develop organizational and business skills. Started in 1993, the program teaches about saving, investing, and managing a financial institution. The credit union owns the Smart Talk/Sweet Shop, a youth-run store that also offers internet services after school. This program has some 525 members.
• Social Services
  QCDO provides a host of social services to the community including: financial counseling, a food pantry and homeless shelter, after-school tutoring and homework help, a health monitoring service for isolated elderly people, and notary services.

Youth Director Pearl Watts briefly described QCDO’s programs specifically for youth:

• The Youth Credit Union Program QCDO operates a credit union, and youth are included in the financial education they provide.  Each month the credit union brings “Savings Day” to the schools for students to deposit money in their own accounts, with students serving as “tellers.”  (Students are bused to the credit union itself every three months.)  Students Trip participants were quite impressed with the seriousness with which students engaged in Savings Day at Quitman County Elementary School. 
• Smart Talk/Sweet Shop Older QCDO youth have designed and operate a candy store, the Smart Talk/Sweet Shop, housed next to the Credit Union. 
• After-School Tutoring Program QCDO operates an after-school tutoring program for students, with satellite locations

throughout the county.

The group of trip participants visited Quitman Elementary School, where Acting Superintendent Dr. Robert Maniece provided the group an overview of the Quitman County Schools.  (Superintendent Leroy Matthews had been called to active military duty in January.)  Quitman County Public Schools, which serves 1700 students, is comprised of three schools:  Quitman Elementary (K-3), Quitman County Middle School (4-7), and Quitman County High School (8-12).  The per pupil funding from the state for Quitman County Schools is about $5,000.  All students in Quitman are eligible for free lunch.  Dr. Maniece indicated one of the biggest challenges for Quitman is finding and keeping qualified teachers.  Not only is Quitman not able to pay teachers well, but adequate housing in the area is extremely limited.

The group toured the QCDO/ Y.O.U. Child Development Center, a privately owned, not-for-profit learning center providing quality day care for children ages six weeks to five years of age.  The Center, created in 1994, is designed to meet the individual needs of young children by providing creative, fun and stimulating experiences in an attractive, clean and safe learning environment and was developed under Department of Labor’s National Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) program.  The Center is housed in the high school.  Through this program, QCDO provides 12 jobs for low-income mothers.

The group enjoyed lunch with QCDO staff and students involved in the organization’s youth programs and then toured the Sweet Shop.  While the group was impressed with the involvement of youth in developing this business, a number of participants expressed concern about the absence of healthy foods, especially given that this is one of the only places to purchase food in the town.

Shaw School District

The group of trip participants visited Shaw High School in Bolivar County to meet with Shaw School District Superintendent Charles Barron and Director of Federal Programs/ Parent Contact Earlene Davis.  The Shaw School District is recognized as one of the consistently highest performing districts in the Mississippi Delta. 

The Shaw School District in Bolivar County, MS (population 2000) is comprised of 800 students and 102 staff, 60 of whom are certified teachers.  Ninety-seven percent of Shaw’s students receive free or reduced lunch.  Class sizes are very small.  Students take Pre-Algebra, Algebra I or Geometry by the ninth grade.  Shaw currently offers no Advanced Placement (AP) courses, though they are considering implementing the Gear Up model to offer AP courses.  The graduation rate in Shaw is just over 80 percent.  (There are currently 60 students in the 8th grade and 50 students about to graduate.)  Shaw provides special services for about ten percent (80) of its students.  Bayo Academy, one of the biggest private academies in the Delta, is located very near to Shaw High School.  Although Bayo and other private academies admit students of color, it is only a very few “cream of the crop” students of color who enter Bayo.

Barron, who came to Shaw in July of 1994 from Quitman County, described his comprehensive approach to school reform. At the high school level the reform effort selected for implementation has been the First Things First reform model, an approach that centers on the critical areas of Math and Literacy.  One of the most successful strategies has been the realignment of the daily schedule to provide 90 minute blocks in these two subject areas daily.  The other major implemented component is the establishment of small learning communities.  This initiative is supported at McEvans Middle School – utilizing the Middle Start reform model.  The Middle Start emphasis is on small learning communities and best practices of middle grades reform, with a selected emphasis by the school on improving literacy. 

Shaw School District engages in collaborative efforts and coordinates many funding streams to provide extended day programming for all interested students, K-12.  All Shaw public schools are open from 7:30 am until 5:00 pm.  The district partnered with three other districts (Mound Bayou, North Bolivar and West Tallahatchie) to apply for their original 21st CCLC grant.  Shaw used the CCLC funds for after-school programming for students in grades four through eight.  With this funding, supplemented by other funds (Title I, a Comprehensive School Reform grant, homeless funds, rural grants), Shaw has provided after-school programming to all students, K-12, who want it.  (Out of a total of 800 students, 172 are currently enrolled.)  The program focuses on the core academic areas, as well as physical education and art. 

With the advent of block grants to states for 21st CCLC funding, Shaw School District has not received funding from the State of Mississippi for its after-school program.  Facing a reduction in funds available for the 2003-2004 school year, Shaw will have to significantly reduce staff size, so class sizes will grow and the program will probably not be offered to all interested students anymore.  To reduce the number of students by nearly one-half, Shaw will be forced to limit enrollment to those students not meeting the “proficiency” level on the Mississippi state exams.  This is particularly unfortunate, because these are not the only students in need of academic supports after-school and, aside from athletic programs, there are no other after-school programs for students in Shaw.

Mr. Barron expressed his conviction that parental involvement is very influential on student achievement.  “We can only control what happens with our students from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.”  “We have great parents who care about their kids and support our teachers and administrators” Ms. Davis reported.  The district organizes two big parent activities each year:  a “Meet the Teachers” evening, which draws over 600 parents, and parent-teacher conferences with lunch and on-site childcare provided for younger siblings.  In addition, Shaw organizes training sessions for parents conducted by community-based organizations on issues of concern to them, such as health.  Shaw High School serves as a community college on Thursday evenings, and 200 adults are currently taking classes for credit through Coahoma Community College.  On a recent Friday evening, Shaw School District co-sponsored a “Math Night” with the Foundation for the Mid South, Mississippi Action and the Mississippi Department of Education.  The event was attended by 400 students and parents. 

Mr. Barron also discussed the challenge of teacher retention.  The Critical Needs Program provides an undergraduate scholarship for future teachers who agree to work in a “Critical Teacher Shortage Area” for a period after graduation.  (This program provides undergraduates in the field of education with one year full scholarship for each year served in an area identified as having the most difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers.)  In addition, Barron reported using federal funds to assist new teachers in obtaining national board certification and a Masters degree.  Still, retention is a serious problem for Shaw. 

Sunflower County Freedom Project

A group of about twenty Sunflower County Freedom Project Students, joined by Executive Director Chris Myers, Program Coordinator Michelle Johansen, and Community Coordinator Ashley Slate, greeted the group of trip participants at the Sunflower County Freedom Project Lead Center.  Students welcomed the group and provided an overview of the Freedom Project.  Mr. Myers then led the group to the Tae Kwon Do practice area for a Tae Kwon Do demonstration.  Following the demonstration, Myers answered participants’ questions about the Freedom Project.  The bulk of the evening was spent informally learning from the group of students and staff as we enjoyed a wonderful feast prepared by local grocery store owner Mrs. Jennie Russell.

Freedom Project Students

The Freedom Project is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to educational excellence and leadership development in Sunflower County, Mississippi, which uses the history and spirit of the 1960s freedom struggle to motivate young people to become capable and compassionate leaders in their communities. 

The Sunflower County Freedom Project was founded in 1998 by Teach for America members working in the area who recognized the difference between the energetic young people starting middle school and the disinterested, disengaged nature of many youth in high school.  The Freedom Project offers middle and high school students intensive academic enrichment and youth development opportunities.  In addition, program youth learn mental and physical discipline through the practice of Tae Kwon Do, are mentored, and have opportunities to expand their horizons through travel and participation in summer college bridge programs and internships.  They develop and perform plays on aspects of the freedom movement, participate in summer internships in Washington, DC (recent internships include the Brady Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, National Public Radio, Common Cause, etc.), participate in camping trips—whatever is necessary to stretch their horizons.

At the time of our visit, the Freedom Project had 45 students enrolled in the program.  During the school year about 20 students come to the Lead Center on any given night to work with the three full-time staff members.  During the summer, the Freedom Project employs a staff of 11. 

To be admitted to the program, youth and their parents must sign a contract to participate in weekday study sessions (the center is open from 5:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. during the week) and Saturday school (8 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) for extra academic sessions and youth development activities.  Transportation is a problem given the geographical spread of the county, but the Project has two vans to pick up students at their schools and return them to their homes in the evenings.  The project, whose annual budget is over $200,000, is run independently of the public schools, using private foundation funds, some government Empowerment Zone funds, and participant tuition (students must pay or raise their $300 annual tuition). 

Freedom Project Student, Demonstrating Tae Kwon Do with the Assistance of Executive Director, Chris Myers

Project staff operate with the philosophy that young people need consistently structured and challenging projects to move them forward.   According to Myers, the outcome they seek for the young people “is an expanded sense of possibility—succeeding in things they never thought possible.”  Staff push kids constantly to achieve ever higher goals.  Though difficult to document, the staff surveys parents and students regarding their satisfaction, monitors their grades in school and periodically conducts reading assessments.  The program was established in 1998, so long-term outcomes cannot currently be assessed.

When asked how or whether the Freedom Project should expand to include larger numbers of youth, Myers indicated little interest in doing so, adding that the desire should be to deepen the quality of experiences provided for young people.  “What we need are more small, structured programs for youth and opportunities for consistent adult relationships— not bigger programs offering the same sets of experiences,” he said.

Indianola Parent-Student Group

Betty Petty, Indianola Parent-Student Group Co-coordinator and Southern Echo Staff Member, led trip participants on a tour of Indianola, MS, providing a thorough background for the work in which the Indianola Parent-Student Group is engaged: improving the experiences of students in Indianola schools.  A driving tour of Indianola provided the opportunity to see the physical realities of segregation in the town.  Indianola has two elementary schools— one with an all black student body, one with an all white student body— and one middle school and one high school.  In addition, Indianola Academy, a private school established in response to desegregation orders in the 1960’s, serves an overwhelmingly white student body.  Unlike the elementary school in Indianola’s black neighborhood, which is K-5, the elementary school in Indianola’s white neighborhood is K-8.  Nearly all white students who attend public school in Indianola leave for Indianola Academy by 9th grade. 

The Indianola Parent-Student Group (IPSG) has a vision of creating a quality educational experience for the children of Indianola.  Using Southern Echo’s multi-generational model of community organizing for change, the group is working to improve the Indianola Schools.  IPSG has become increasingly involved in Indianola Public Schools decision-making, taking responsibility for the removal of the previous Superintendent and being involved in the interview process for the current Superintendent, for example.  IPSG is focusing on improving students’ math skills through an after-school program at the middle school, in which adults are working on Algebra skills with students.  Ms. Petty noted that this has caused problems for some of the school’s teachers because they were not used to being challenged.  (Indianola has trouble  recruiting and retaining qualified teachers.) 

One of the most serious problems in the Indianola Schools is abusive punishment of students.  Corporal punishment is legal in Mississippi, with decisions about its use left to individual districts.  IPSG has worked hard to have teachers and administrators reprimanded for excessive punishment of students involving physical violence.  Because of deeply entrenched acceptance of physical punishment, however, IPSG has found it challenging to recruit parents to support a ban on corporal punishment in the Indianola Schools.  

IPSG is also working hard to improve parent access to schools, requesting that the Indianola School Board meeting be moved from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm so working parents and students may attend.  To date, the School Board has refused to change its monthly meeting time, saying this would be inconvenient. 

For the first time in history, Indianola has a black mayor.  While this is an improvement over the nearly all white local leadership of the past, Ms. Petty fears that he, like the rest of the increasingly African American elected leadership will be “afraid to speak out.”

Johnnie Johnson, Drew Community Voters League also addressed the group, painting a picture of neighboring Drew, Mississippi that appeared quite similar to that of Ms. Petty’s picture of Indianola.  A big problem in Drew is that teachers have been told by the Superintendent not to speak with certain parent activists or risk being fired.  This creates a climate hostile to parent involvement in their children’s education.

Trip participants found it very eye-opening to hear Ms. Petty and Ms. Johnson’s stories of extreme social inequality and were compelled by the strength with which the Indianola Parent Student Group and Drew Community Voters League are challenging this inequality.  Unfortunately, the stories Ms. Petty and Ms. Johnson told described communities necessarily so focused on issues of social justice that education reform, unless at the most basic level, seemed to be far down the list of issues to be addressed.

TriCounty Workforce Alliance, Clarksdale, MS

The group of trip participants met with Josephine Rhymes, Executive Director, to learn about how the non-profit TriCounty Workforce Alliance is partnering with local businesses and Coahoma Community College to provide adequate preparation of the area’s workforce.  Supported by employers, local governments, agencies and others, the Alliance is building the area’s economy by improving its workforce.  The Alliance works in the counties of Bolivar, Coahoma and Quitman in the area of the Mississippi Delta to:

• enhance and maintain the highest levels of diverse skills among the area’s current workforce.
• provide unemployed and underemployed adults with the necessary job and entrepreneurial skills.
• create smoother transitions for high school students seeking to enter the job market upon graduation. 

Administered by the Industrial Foundation of Clarksdale/Coahoma County, the Tri-County Workforce Alliance is governed by representatives from area schools, governments, business, community faith-based organizations, Coahoma Community College, Delta State University, and the Delta Area Rural Transit system.  This diverse team brings the necessary insight and skills to make the Alliance a meaningful force for change in the region. The Alliance has developed a network of agencies and individuals to provide ongoing strategic planning, innovative programs and leveraging of outside resources. The goals of the Tri-County Workforce Alliance are:

• Building a competitive workforce
• Reducing unemployment
• Promoting positive change in education

The Alliance has a strong mini-grant program, in which any community-based organization may apply for grants of up to $2,000 to promote workforce development through apprenticeships or internships.  The mini-grant program, established in 1996, is funded by the Foundation for the Mid South.  Sister Kay Burton, a tutor at the TriCounty Workforce Alliance and recipient of numerous mini-grants, described how this program assisted her project to teach youth carpentry skills.  She is currently designing a “Girls to Women” program which will employ older girls in teaching carpentry skills to 7th and 8th grade girls.  In addition to learning carpentry skills, participants are exposed to workshops on life skills. 

The TriCounty Workforce Alliance received funding from the federal Workforce Investment Act, the Mott Foundation, local casinos, and small amounts from the State of Mississippi through the Department of Human Services.  The Alliance is currently applying for U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for a new carpentry apprenticeship program for women.

The Alliance sponsors four after-school programs for students in grades four through six who are deficient in math or reading.  These programs are housed in elementary schools and are run by part-time staff.  Two are year-round, and two are for the summer months only.  In addition, the Alliance runs the “CHOICES” program, aimed at reducing the number of dropouts among 8th graders.  Through this program, business people visit schools and teach a two and a half day seminar relating students’ current choices affecting their future options.  Through the program, students clarify their career interests and have the option of an internship placement in that area.  This program reaches all of the junior high schools and the two alternative schools in the area. 

The Alliance sponsors an annual “Groundhog Job Shadow Day,” in which nearly 200 students and over 65 businesses participated this year.  In addition, they have organized Industry Education Days for teachers to spend a day in a business to learn about the world of work outside the classroom. 

Director Anne Clark  provided the group a tour of the McLaurin Vo-Tech Center at Coahoma Community College.  The Center offers a GED preparation program, a YouthBuild program, and a dual-enrollment program in which area high schools give high school credit for work in the Coahoma Community College Vo-Tech Program. 

Mississippi Department of Education

The final meeting of the trip was with State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Henry L. Johnson and members of his staff.  Johnson, the country’s only African American Chief State School Officer, was very enthusiastic about the prospects for harnessing the federal No Child Left Behind legislation to improve education in the state of Mississippi.  Unlike many other states, the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” in Mississippi is not that far apart, said Deputy Superintendent, John Jordan, so Mississippi is currently engaged in the challenge of trying to bring all of its students’ scores up. 

The conversation with the Superintendent and his staff focused on five general areas:

1.  NCLB

Dr. Johnson expressed to the group his hope that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), while a major challenge for the state, would provide a wonderful opportunity for Mississippi.  “The philosophy of NCLB is one Mississippi has shared for years.  NCLB is consistent with Mississippi’s aim to close achievement gaps.”  Johnson drew on his successful experiences in North Carolina in expressing a conviction that with steadily rising test scores he would not “encounter hostility at the State House.”  The Deputy Superintendent, a life-long Mississippi Educator, echoed Johnson’s remarks:  “It’s time for Mississippi to drop inside the curve, and NCLB evens the slate again,” he said.  Susan Rucker, Bureau Director, Office of Innovation and School Improvement, reported Mississippi is already piloting the State Accountability Plan.

2.  DUAL SYSTEM

When asked about the de facto dual system for white students and students of color in Mississippi, Johnson responded that the first obligation is to educate those students in the system as well as possibly.  “If we do that, those who left the system for educational reasons will return,” he said, noting that “we can’t ever change those who left for other reasons.”  Johnson argued that the state needs to make its schools so good that no rational person would spend money to send their child to a private academy.  To this end, Johnson is working hard to put excellent teachers in every classroom and to ensure that school environments are inviting to students and parents.  “The State Department needs to almost will things to happen and show some successes in two to three years on both Mississippi and external measures.”  

3.  BASIC SOCIAL JUSTICE

During the course of the trip, participants had been struck by the extent to which local education struggles seemed to be centered around very basic social justice issues.  “The Delta region is as bad as it gets in Mississippi with segregation and poverty,” said Jordan.  When asked about the specific problem of corporal punishment and abuse of authority by teachers and administrators, the Superintendent responded that NCLB, in its focus on teaching and learning, will work to mitigate many problems, like corporal punishment and expulsions for minor issues.  Bonita Coleman-Potter, Associate State Superintendent for Academic Education, reported that the state legislature has recently appointed a Juvenile Justice Task Force which is publishing a state-wide discipline manual and working to educate districts about effective discipline. 

4.  GREATEST NEED/ GREATEST HELP

Trip participants asked whether the State Accountability Plan calls for providing the most help to those districts in the greatest need of improvement, and the Superintendent indicated that Mississippi had planned this even before NCLB.  Mississippi will be sending a team of skilled individuals to evaluate the lowest performing schools, identifying districts’ strengths and weaknesses to provide appropriate technical assistance.  In order to get community input, evaluations will include public town meetings in each district.  The lowest identified “Level 1” (i.e., lowest performing) schools in Mississippi will be the priority for the evaluation teams.

Mississippi has a program to encourage teachers to teach in areas of “critical need,” offering full tuition scholarships for undergraduate and Masters students in education who agree to teach in these areas.  In addition, the state offers new teachers in these areas $6,000 to support moving costs, including home purchase.

5.  21ST CCLC FUNDING

While Mississippi received $20 million in 21st CCLC funding in the three years from 1998-2001, it received only $3.9 million in 2002.  The state Department of Education anticipates receiving only $1.5 million in the next round.  The 21st CCLC program is one of the few sources of funding opportunities for rural areas for after-school programming; thus, these cuts are devastating to districts such as Shaw, which will have to significantly reduce the scope and size of its after-school programming in the 2003-2004 school year due to the loss of 21st CCLC funding.

Conclusions

The Mississippi field trip afforded participants the opportunity to learn about various statewide education reform initiatives, local organizing efforts for school reform, and successful after-school youth programs.  In addition, the group came away from the trip with a greater appreciation for the social and economic realities of life in the Delta region of Mississippi—the lack of employment opportunities and extreme poverty, the difficulty recruiting and retaining well-qualified teachers, and the need for organizing around basic social justice issues (such as resource disparities in education, corporal punishment, and segregated schools).

Many participants were struck by a tension between school reform and justice.  On one hand, the Foundation for the Mid South is focused on implementing education reform models across the state, with intensive technical assistance provided to some of the poorest performing districts.  On the other hand, groups such as Mississippi Echo are focused on increasing the number of informed, responsive and representative “elected” local leaders; addressing resource disparities in education and outdated policies and practices, such as oppressive discipline (including corporal punishment) and expulsion practices; and seeking environmental justice in areas surrounding schools.  The Algebra Project stands as an example of a hybrid of these approaches, as it develops a math curriculum while making access to higher level math instruction a civil rights issue and a tool for community organizing.  Participants appreciated being able to observe these different approaches

• “The underlying issue of race was apparent throughout and it was interesting to see how different individuals are approaching their mission with respect to these issues, especially around education.”
• “The juxtaposition of community-based organizations with [the worlds of] philanthropy and the education system was extremely valuable in providing a breadth of information.”
• “All stops…contributed to a balanced and deep understanding of challenges facing rural educational progress.”

Trip participants were very enthusiastic about the usefulness of the trip to them in their professional work:

• “It will inform my curriculum design work, as well as offer models of success and struggle for some of the community-based organizations in my particular areas.”
• “My grantmaking in the area will be better informed and therefore more effective. I also hope to see more grant applications from Mississippi based on contacts made during the trip, which will likely result in increased resources to the area. I’m continuing to work the great connections I made on our trip and we will definitely be moving more money to Mississippi in the months and years to come.”
• “Rural programs are often forgotten as they don’t have a loud voting voice. This information must be passed on to policymakers who often see only the capitals.”
• “I see the opportunity to connect our program site with the work going on [in Mississippi] around the middle schools.”
• “Legislators from all communities [would benefit from a trip like this], to understand the realities of rural education and development.”
• “[I am] more informed on two of my key areas: minority academic achievement and family/community involvement.”

Contact Information

Charles Barron
Superintendent
Shaw School District
P.O. Box 510
Shaw, MS 38773
Tel. 662-754-2611 (x2)
ckbarron@mde.k12.ms.us

David J. Dennis, Sr.
Director
The Southern Initiative of the Algebra Project
Positive Innovations, Inc.
5165A Galaxie Drive
Jackson, MS 39206
Tel. 601-362-0144
Fax 601-362-5788
ddennissr@aol.com

Dr. Beverly Divers-White
Vice President for Programs
Foundation for the Mid South
308 East Pearl St., 2nd Floor
Jackson, MS 39201
Tel. 601-863-0480
Fax 601-355-6499
bdwhite@fndmidsouth.org

Bernard Handy, Director of
Community Programs
Quitman County
Development Organization
201 Humphrey Street
P.O. Box 386
Marks, MS 38646
Tel. 662-326-4000
Fax 662-326-3904
Bhandyqcdo@yahoo.com

Barbara Hunter-Cox
Project Director
Mid South Middle Start
Foundation for the Mid South
308 East Pearl St., 2nd Floor
Jackson, MS 39201
Tel. 601-863-0490
Fax 601-355-6499
bhcox@fndmidsouth.org

Robert Jackson, CEO
Quitman County
Development Organization
201 Humphrey Street
P.O. Box 386
Marks, MS 38646
Tel. 662-326-4000
Fax 662-326-3904
rjacksonqcdo@yahoo.com

Dr. Henry L. Johnson, State Superintendent
Mississippi Department of Education
P.O. Box 771
Jackson, MS 39205-0771
Tel. 601-359-3512

Eunice Jordan
Principal
Quitman County Elementary School
Highway 3 South
Lambert, MS 38643
Tel. 662-326-7186

Nsombi Lambright, Resource Coordinator
Southern ECHO
P.O. Box 2450
Jackson, MS 39225
Tel. 601-352-1500
Nsombi@yahoo.com

Chris Myers, Executive Director
Sunflower County Freedom Project
120 Delta Avenue
P.O. Box 701
Sunflower, MS 38778
Tel. 662-207-4744 or 662-569-2441
myers@sunflowerfreedom.org

Maisha Moses, Lead Trainer
Math Literacy Workers
Positive Innovations/ Lanier H.S.
833 West Maple St.
Jackson, MS 39203
Tel. 601-960-5065
Fax 601-960-5064
maimoses@yahoo.com

George Penick, President
Foundation for the Mid South
308 East Pearl St., 2nd Floor
Jackson, MS 39201
Tel. 601-863-0481
Fax 601-355-6499
gpenick@fndmidsouth.org

Betty Petty
Indianola Parent-Student Group
103 Curtis St.
Indianola, MS 38751
Tel. 662-887-4232
imgl@tecinfo.com

Josephine Rhymes, Executive Director
TriCounty Workforce Alliance
P.O. Box 1348
Clarksdale, MS 38614-1348
Tel. 662-627-3011
Fax 662-627-3449

Pearl Watts, Youth Director
Quitman County Development Organization
201 Humphrey Street
P.O. Box 386
Marks, MS 38646
Tel. 662-326-4000
Fax 662-326-3904
Pearlqcdo@yahoo.com

American Youth Policy Forum   1836 Jefferson Place NW,  Washington DC 20036
Telephone 202-775-9731      |      Fax 202-775-9733      |     Email aypf@aypf.org