社区黑料

Everyone likes good news, so it鈥檚 no wonder that when Mississippi went from being ranked second-worst in 2013 for fourth grade reading scores to No. 21 in 2022, the . 鈥淓verybody keeps on calling this a miracle,鈥� says Dr. Jill Dent, executive director of early childhood education at the (MDE). 鈥淏ut we have worked really hard, and we were very intentional.鈥�

Mississippi鈥檚 education challenges, which contribute to its economic challenges, have a long history. The state鈥檚 business leaders recall the arrival of a Nissan auto manufacturing plant two decades ago, when it was hard to find an adequate workforce. One attempted fix was investing in community colleges. 鈥淭hat wasn’t as helpful as they had hoped it would be,鈥� says Dr. Susan Buttross, professor emeritus, University of Mississippi鈥檚 Medical Center (UMMC), 鈥渂ecause we weren’t starting early enough.鈥�

Heather Martin, project manager with Mississippi State University鈥檚 (SSRC), says the impact is greater when investments begin even earlier than the first years of school: 鈥淭he earliest stages of life have everything to do with later ability to thrive, so it is best to start at birth, but it鈥檚 never too late.鈥�

Dr. Connie Baird-Thomas, associate director of the Mississippi State Social Science Center for Policy Studies and director of the , states, 鈥淟egislators really understand how important those early years are.鈥�

Here are five strategies that have contributed to the Mississippi 鈥淢iracle鈥�:

1. Putting public and private investments to work. In 2017, 聽made the first of to spark the creation of the . This joint project of SSRC and UMMC supported a range of activities, including a fellowship program through the Medical Center that was designed to increase screening in developmental and behavioral health and to retain talent. 鈥淲e鈥檝e tried to keep our best and brightest in the state,鈥� says Baird-Thomas.

An infrastructure grant from the supported coaching, family engagement and professional learning. 鈥淭hose are the three legs we still stand on today,鈥� says Dent. 鈥淚f it doesn’t fit into one of those three, we don鈥檛 do it.鈥�

The state lottery, which has generated more than $80 million for an Education Enhancement Fund, has also helped stabilize early learning.

2. Breaking down silos. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a poor state,鈥� says Buttross. 鈥淔or a long time, our institutions were all scrapping for money and it felt so competitive.鈥�

Baird Thomas sees a shift over the last five years. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen phenomenal collaboration among partners,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat is contributing to the success of children.鈥�

According to Martin, 鈥淭here used to be barriers in communication that resulted in duplication of activities and services.聽She also credits initiatives like and for engaging families: 鈥淲hen I was a teacher, parents would often share that they felt inadequate when it came to supporting their children. Thankfully, there are multitudes of ways these initiatives can seamlessly integrate with systems and agencies to empower parents and caregivers to give children a great start in life today 鈥� and an even better future.鈥�

3. Expanding Early Learning Collaboratives. A 2012 report titled began with these sobering words: 鈥淎s any fourth grader knows, last in line is an awful place to be. But for Mississippi鈥檚 public school fourth graders, last in line in reading and math achievement isn鈥檛 a once-in-a-while woe; it is a recurring nightmare.鈥�

A mixed-delivery collaborative Pre-K model arrived the following year, and according to Buttross, 鈥淭he collaboratives showed results very quickly, and when those children are moving from Pre-K into kindergarten, they are ready.鈥�

Each year, investment in the program has grown鈥攁nd so has the impact. incentivize local investments by individual and corporations.

4. Meeting benchmarks. Mississippi is one of five states that meet all 10 of the quality standards benchmarks established by the (NIEER). 鈥淲e have coaching for our teachers,鈥� says Dent. 鈥淲e have the collaborative coordinators who work with our programs to make sure that the leaders have the resources, information and guidance they need to make good choices in planning.鈥� Because the NIEER guidelines are embedded in state legislation, she says, the program keeps pace with the latest research.

5. Engaging policymakers and the business community. In addition to the ways that children benefit from Mississippi鈥檚 fulfillment of the benchmarks, the high marks from NIEER also help to demonstrate progress to legislators. 鈥淲e’re able to show that these kids are improving as they exit Pre-K,鈥� says Dent. 鈥淭hey’re ready for school. They are able to cooperate with their friends. Our program is preparing those little guys to be successful citizens in our community.鈥�

Dent says that when she speaks to the business community, she emphasizes executive functioning skills. 鈥淭hey are all ears, because they want successful employees. They want to make their businesses successful.鈥� Buttross concurs, recalling a recent event where 40 children filed in and performed a song. 鈥淓verybody was just amazed. It was just one of those moments when people were catching on to the fact that this is how we prepare our workforce.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 社区黑料. Learn more here.