TRUTHFUL EYES

Data driven insights into what makes school districts successful.

A report commissioned by the Children’s Defense Fund-Southern Regional Office .

A 21st CENTURY CALL TO ACTION

TTRUTHFUL RUTHFUL EEYESYESA LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS

Table of ContentsIntroduction..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3Executive.Summary......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4Glossary.of.Accountability.Terms..................................................................................................................................................................... 6About Hinds County: Urban/Suburban Gaps................................................................................................................................................... 7Clinton, HCSD, and JPS School Districts ............................................................................................................ 8District.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9Community.Profile.....................................................................................................................................................................................10Family.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................11Key.Findings...............................................................................................................................................................................................12

About Madison County: Wealth and Poverty.................................................................................................................................................13Canton and Madison County School Districts ...............................................................................................14.....District.Profile............................................................................................................................................................................................15.....Community.Profile....................................................................................................................................................................................16.....Family.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................17About Rankin County: Growth and Expectation.............................................................................................................................................19Pearl and Rankin County School Districts ......................................................................................................20District.Profile............................................................................................................................................................................................21Community.Profile.....................................................................................................................................................................................22Family.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................23Key.Findings...............................................................................................................................................................................................24

About Lowndes County: The Golden Triangle: Regionalism in Action ...........................................................................................................25Columbus and Lowndes County School Districts .........................................................................................26District.Profile:...........................................................................................................................................................................................27Community.Profile.....................................................................................................................................................................................28Family.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................29Key.Findings:.Close,.but.Far.Apart.............................................................................................................................................................30

About Washington County: Majority Black and Rural...................................................................................................................................31Greenville and Western Line School Districts ................................................................................................32District.Profile............................................................................................................................................................................................33.Community.Profile.....................................................................................................................................................................................34Family.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................35Key.Findings...............................................................................................................................................................................................36

About Jackson County: Low and High Tides...................................................................................................................................................37Jackson County and Moss Point School Districts .........................................................................................38 District.Profile............................................................................................................................................................................................39Community.Profile.....................................................................................................................................................................................40Family.Profile.............................................................................................................................................................................................41Key.Findings...............................................................................................................................................................................................42

Where you Live Matters: Key Findings from Truthful Eyes: A Look at Mississippi Schools .................43The Big Picture ......................................................................................................................................................44Accountability............................................................................................................................................................................................44Graduation.Rates.......................................................................................................................................................................................44Income.......................................................................................................................................................................................................45Student.Racial.Gaps...................................................................................................................................................................................46Teaching.and.Leading................................................................................................................................................................................47Parents.Profiles..........................................................................................................................................................................................48Broadband.Access......................................................................................................................................................................................49College.and.Career.Ready..........................................................................................................................................................................50Grade.K.Readiness.....................................................................................................................................................................................51Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................................................52Let’s.Close.The.Gaps...................................................................................................................................................................................54.

3

NTRODUCTIONI440,000Students

140Public.schooldistricts

31A.districts

35B.districts

35C.districts.

42D.or.F districts

Mississippi has more than 440,000 stu-dents in 140 public school districts across the state.

For the 2018-2019 school year, the last time the Mississippi Department of Education graded school districts with letter grades, 31 districts were rated A, 35 were rated B — high-performing districts. Another 35 were rated C — successful. There were 42 districts rated D or F— low-performing districts. MDE included three charter schools in the total.

MDE’s grading system considers several indicators, including how well students perform on state assessments, whether students are showing improvement from year to year and whether students are graduating within four years. The sys-tem also factors in how well schools are helping their lowest achieving students make progress toward proficiency. At the high school level, accountability measures include students’ ACT scores and par-ticipation and achievement in advanced coursework.

Under MDE’s performance rating, school districts can earn up to 1,000 points. The highest performing district was the Petal School District with a 754 score. The scores for low-performing districts ranged from a low 409 to a high of 535.

“Truthful Eyes: A Look at Mississippi Schools” takes an in-depth look at Mis-sissippi’s school districts, analyzing more

than 100 different data points from MDE’s 2018-2019 assessments, U.S. Census, and other sources. The data is grouped in the following areas:

• Accountability: MDE assessments and scores

• District Profile: MDE student en-rollment,and number of teachers and schools

• Teaching and Leading: MDE teacher education and experience

• Community Profile: U.S. Census pov-erty, employment and homeownership rates

• Family Profile: U.S. Census and Na-tional Center for Educational Statistics, family poverty, parent education, and homeownership

Truthful Eyes analyzed data to answer the following questions:

• What impact does poverty have on district and student performance?

• What family and community variables impact student and district perfor-mance?

• What difference does teacher experi-ence have on a district’s performance?

The ultimate question is whether the state is preparing its students for the 21st Century? In an increasingly global econo-my will Mississippi students be prepared to compete with national and internation-al students?

DATA! DATA!! DATA!!!

TTRUTHFUL RUTHFUL EEYESYESA LO O K AT M I S S I S S I P P I S C H O O L S

4

xecutive ummaryE S13

School.districts.examined

6Counties.chosen.as.

microcosm.across.state:

HINDSMADISON

RANKINLOWNDES

WASHINGTONJACKSON

DEMOGRAPHICSBlack.districts

Majority.white.districtsDiverse.districtsGeographically.dispersed.districtsacross.the.state

Districts: Who is successful and why?And is it enough?

Mississippi’s public schools are under-funded. Mississippi ranks 47th in the nation in per-pupil spending. Mississippi is losing population. Mississippi is one of only three states that lost population in the most recent census. Three of the six counties we analyzed lost population.

By Mississippi standards, what makes some school districts more successful than oth-ers? Often in Mississippi two school districts in the same county have

districts where one is rated successful and the other rated failing.When we use College and Career Readi-ness as the standard, how do Mississippi’s districts compare nationally? What are the implications for employment opportunities and economic growth for the state?This report examines 13 school districts in six counties as a microcosm of school districts across the state. The six counties are Hinds, Jackson, Lowndes, Madison, Rankin and Washington. The 13 districts were chosen for analysis because of their geographic diversity.

• The six A districts are Clinton, Madison, Pearl, Lowndes, Rankin and Jackson County.

• The B district is Western Line.• The C district is Hinds County.• The four D districts are JPS, Canton, Columbus and Moss Point.• The F district is Greenville.

Pamela Shaw

See SUMMARY, next page


5


Summary: Key factors for successContinued from previous page

School District is rated D. The median household income in the Madison County school district is $60,000 more than the Canton district.

• In Rankin County, both the Pearl School District and the Rankin County School District have A ratings. There are more homeowners in the county district than in the Pearl municipal district. The median household income is almost $20,000 more in the Rankin County School District.

• In Lowndes County, there are two school districts. Columbus Municipal School District is rated D. Lowndes County is rated A. Average household income is double in the Lowndes County district than the Columbus district.

• In Washington County, two of the four school districts were analyzed, Greenville Public School District rated F, and West-ern Line School District rated B. Families in Western Line earn about $6,000 a year more in median household income than families in the Greenville district, although the GPSD has more families with four years of college.

• In Jackson County, we examine two of the four school districts. The Moss Point School District has a D rating. The Jackson County School District and the other districts have A ratings. Both districts have some comparable factors including home-ownership, but the poverty level is 30.6 percent in the Moss Point School District compared to 16.6 percent in the Jackson County School District.

The following pages will offer a more in-depth comparison of these school districts. Again, the data analyzed was pre-pandemic.

A DISTRICTSClinton

Madison.Co.Pearl

Lowndes.Co.Rankin.Co.Jackson.Co.

B DISTRICTWestern.Line

CDISTRICTHinds.Co.

DDISTRICTS

JPSCantonColumbusMoss.Point

FDISTRICTGreenville

The districts examined include all-Black districts, majority White districts, urban and rural districts. “Truthful Eyes: A Look at Mississippi Schools” shows what successful districts have in common and what failing districts have in common.

The data analyzed was pre-pandemic. There is widespread agreement that the pandem-ic unearthed and exacerbated education, economic and community inequities that had been simmering for generations. The poorest school districts and communities disproportionately felt the health and eco-nomic toll.

The findings beg the question: Are districts equipping students for the 21st Century economy? What factors outside the school environment inform district performance? What strategies are in place to mitigate these factors? Can counties sustain growth and recruit new business and industry with wide education and economic disparities within that county?

“Truthful Eyes” gives a snapshot of the counties in this report, followed by a com-parison of school districts and the findings from data analyzed.

Some examples:

• In Hinds County, which has three school districts, the Clinton Public School District is the only A-rated district. More than 80 percent of its teachers are experienced. In the Hinds County School District and the Jackson Public Schools, 67 percent of their teachers have four-plus years of experience.

• In Madison County, which has two school districts, the Madison County School District is rated A. Canton Public

6


Glossary of Accountability Terms: **

1......Reading (English) Proficiency -..Percent.of.students.scoring.Proficient.or.Advanced.(Levels.4.or.5).on.the.statewide.MAAP.ELA.or.English.II.assessment.

2.......Reading (English) Growth -..Points.awarded.to.students.making.adequate.progress.in.performance.on.the.statewide.English.assessment.from.one.year.to.the.next.

3...... Reading (English) Low Growth - .Points.earned.for.growth.for.students.in.the.lowest.25%.of.performance.on.the.statewide.English.assessment.

4.......History Proficiency - Percent.of.school.students.scoring.Proficient.or.Advanced.(Levels.3.or4).on.the.statewide.U.S..History.assessment.

5.......Math Proficiency - Percent.of.students.scoring.Proficient.or.Advanced.(Levels.4.or.5).on.the.statewide.MAAP.math.or.Algebra.I.assessment.

6.......Math Growth - Points.awarded.to.students.making.adequate.progress.in.performance.on.the.statewide.math.assessment.from.one.year.to.the.next.

7.......Math Low Growth - Points.earned.for.growth.of.students.in.the.lowest.25%.of.performance.on.the.statewide.math.assessment.

8...... Science Proficiency - Percent.of.students.scoring.Proficient.or.Advanced.(Levels.4.or.5).on.the.statewide.Science.or.Biology.I.assessment.

9...... Acceleration - The.number.of.points.earned.for.a.combination.of.student.participation.and.performance.in.accelerated.courses.(Advanced.Placement,.Dual.Credit/Dual.Enrollment,.Internation-al.Baccalaureate,.Cambridge.and.Industry.Certification).

10....College & Career Readiness - Percentage.of.high.school.students.who.met.the.ACT.bench-marks.for.English.(18).or.reading.(22).and.for.math.(22).

11....Graduation Rate - Percentage.of.students.who.graduated.within.four.years.

12....*18-19 Experienced Teachers - Percentage.of.teachers.with.four.or.more.years.of.teaching.experience.

13....*.18-19 In-Field Teachers - The.percentage.of.teachers.with.a.valid.certificate.and.teaching.a.course.for.which.they.are.properly.endorsed.

14.....*.18-19 Provisional Teachers - .Percent.of.teachers.that.hold.an.emergency.or.provisional.license,.a.valid.license.to.teach.in.Mississippi.

.........*.2018-2019.School.year. . **.As.defined.by.MDE.

7

indsABOUTH DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON

LEAKE NESHOBA KEMPER

LAUDERDALENEWTONSCOTT

RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE

WILKINSON AMITE PIKEWALTHALL

MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE

ATTALA WINSTONNOXUBEE

QUITMAN

TALAHATCHIEYALOBUSHA

GRENADA

CALHOUN CHICKASAW MONROE

CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

COUNTY

Population245,364

African Americans71.3.Percent

White25.1.Percent

Hispanic/Latino1.6.Percent

Asians0.7.Percent

Per Capita Income$23,734

Major Employers: Mississippi.state.government..|. University.of.Mississippi.Medical.Center..|..City.of.Jackson.....Baptist.Health.Systems..|..St..Dominic.Health.Services..|..Continental.Tire

Hinds County is the most populous county in the state.

Urban/Suburban Gaps Hinds County, located in Central Missis-sippi, includes the capital city, Jack-son. In this most populous county in the state, there are three public school districts: Clinton Public School District, Hinds County School District and Jackson Public Schools, the second largest school district in the state.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 245,364 people living in the county. Of that number, 73.1% were Black, 25.1% White, 1.6% Hispanic and Lati-no, 0.7% Asian, 0.9% two or more races.

Per capita income is $23,734.

Hinds County had a popula-tion change of -7.22% since 2010.

CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI


8

Clinton 729 A

Hinds County 585 C

JPS 504 D

Clinton 19.70

HCSD 16.50

JPS 15.00

BY THE NUMBERS

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACT SCORES

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSHINDS COUNTY

FINDINGSClinton outperforms Hinds County and JPS on math proficiency by 27% and 45% and read-ing proficiency by 26%

and 34%.

There is less than a 2 percentage point differ-ence in the graduation rates in Clinton and

Hinds County, however, there is an almost 20 percentage point dif-ference in college and

career readiness.

ASSESSMENTS: GRADUATION

ASSESSMENTS: MATH AND SCIENCE

ASSESSMENTS: READING AND HISTORY

9

Clinton 5,310 9 318

Hinds 5,619 10 346

JPS 23,935 54 1,609

Clinton 318

Hinds Co. 346

JPS 1,609

BY THE NUMBERS


TEACHING AND LEADING

DISTRICT PROFILES

EnrollmentSchools

Teachers

Teachers

All of the districts in the most populous county in the state are majority

Black.

More than 80% of Clinton’s teachers are experienced compared to 67% in JPS and Hinds Co.

22% of the teachers in JPS are provisional versus 2% in Clinton and 8% in Hinds County.

TEACHERS: EXPERIENCE

STUDENTS: RACE

FINDINGS

10


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITYPROFILES

Clinton $69,030

Hinds Co. $67,905

JPS $36,603

Median Household

Income

FINDINGS

41% of parents in Clin-ton and JPS have some college/associate de-gree and 36% of par-ents in Hinds County.

36.5% of families are below poverty level in JPS versus 12% in Hinds County and 14% in

Clinton.

The homeownership rate is 58% in Clinton, 73% in HCSD and 36%

in JPS.

PARENTS: HOUSEHOLD STATUS

PARENTS: HOME OWNERSHIP

PARENTS: EDUCATION

11

43% of Clinton and 41% of Hinds County parents have a bach-elor’s degree or higher compared to 20% of

JPS parents.

87% of the parents in Clinton, 89% in Hinds and 83% in JPS are in

the workforce.


BY THE NUMBERS

Clinton $69,030

Hinds Co. $67,905

JPS $36,603

FINDINGS

PARENTS: EDUCATION

FAMILY: HOUSEHOLD STATUS

FAMILY: EMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY

FAMILY PROFILES

Median Household

Income

12

EY FINDINGSK

Clinton Public Schools, Hinds County School District and the Jackson Public Schools are all majority-Black districts in the state’s most populous, majori-ty-black county. Clinton is the only A-rat-ed district. Hinds County is a C-rated district and JPS is a D-rated district.

Clinton, the most racially balanced of the three districts, is 54% Black and almost 37% White. JPS is 95% Black and Hinds County School District is 85% Black. Students in the Clinton district score roughly 30% higher on English Language Arts, Math and Science proficiency ex-ams than students in JPS and HCSD. What sets the Clinton Public Schools apart from the Hinds County School Dis-trict and Jackson Public Schools is that

81% of the school district’s 318 teachers are experienced. That compares to 67% of HCSD’s 346 teachers and 67% of JPS’s 1,609 teachers having four or more years of experience. Clinton has a slightly higher median household income overall than Hinds County, but Clinton’s median household income is almost double that of JPS. Economically, poverty rates are much higher for households in the larger JPS. Median household income is more than $30,000 less in JPS. Median house-hold income is more than $67,000 in the Hinds County School District and $69,000 in Clinton.

Close but far apart


CPSD HCSD JPS1.7%......... 8%. 22%

CPSD HCSD JPS14.3%......... 11.8%. 36.5%

PROVISIONAL TEACHERS POVERTY

In JPS the percentage of families below poverty is more than twice that of Clinton and more than three times that of Hinds

County.

83% of JPS, 87% of Clin-ton and 89% of Hinds

County parents are in the workforce.

The median family income in JPS is $36,603 compared to $67,905 in Hinds and $69,030 in

Clinton.

FINDINGS

13

ADISONABOUTM DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATECOUNTY

Population95,203


White57.Percent


Asians0.17.Percent


Major Employers: Nissan.Automotive.Manufacturing..|..Kasai.Automotive.Interior.Trim.Components..|..Yazaki.North.America.Automotive.Power.and.Data.Solutions..|..Bayer.Seed.Research.and.Development..|..Eaton.Hydraulic.Pumps.

Wealth and PovertyMadison County, located in Central Mississippi, has two public school dis-tricts: Canton Public School District and the Madison County School District. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 95,203 people in the county — 57% White, 38.2% Black, 02.14% Asian, 0.17% Native American, and 2.95% Latino.

Per capita income is $38,901. Madison County has the highest per capita income in the State of Mississippi. It is the only county in Mississippi with a per capita income higher than the national average.

Madison County had a popula-tion change of 11.85% since 2010.

Madison County has the highest per capita income in the State of

Mississippi

CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI


14

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSMADISON COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS

Canton 533 D

Madison Co. 726 A

Canton 13.70

Madison Co. 20.00

ACT SCORES

FINDINGS

Madison County stu-dents outperformed Canton students by 37% in reading profi-ciency, and by 45% in history proficiency.

58% of Madison County graduates were college and career ready com-pared to 16% of Canton

graduates.

ACCOUNTABILITY




15

BY THE NUMBERS


Canton 3,391 9 199

Madison 13,302 23 900

EnrollmentSchools

Teachers

DISTRICT PROFILES

Canton 199

Madison Co. 900


Teachers

*.Represents.suppressed.data.to.prevent.the.identification.of.individuals.in.small.cells.or.with.unique.characteristics.


STUDENTS: RACE

84% of the teachers in Madison County are experienced and 75% in Canton.

10% of the teachers in Canton are provisional and 3% in Madison County.

CANTON: Black: 87% White: 0.4%

MADISON COUNTY:Black: 40% White: 50%

FINDINGS

16


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITYPROFILES

Canton $30,287

Madison Co. $90,538

Median Household

Income

FINDINGS

43% of families are below the poverty level in Canton compared to 7% in Madison County.

74% of Madison County parents are homeown-ers compared to 35% of

Canton’s.

.



PARENTS: EDUCATION

17


57% of Madison Coun-ty parents have bache-lor’s degrees or higher compared to 11% in

Canton.

90% of Madison Coun-ty parents are in the workforce compared to 88% of Canton’s.

The median household income in Madison County is $90,538

compared to $30,287 in Canton, a more than $60,000 difference.

BY THE NUMBERS

FINDINGS

Canton $30,287

Madison Co. $90,538

Median Household

Income

FAMILY PROFILES

PARENTS: EDUCATION



18

EY FINDINGSK

The median household income in the Madison County School District is $60,000 more than the median household income in the Canton district. Only 7.4% of Madison County School District households live below the poverty level compared to 43.3% living below the poverty level in the Canton School District.

Canton Public School District, located in northern Madison County, is 87% Black and 11.88% Hispanic. The Madison County School District is roughly 50% White and 36.77% Black, 4.57% Hispanic and 4.25% Asian.

Economically, all standards were much higher for families in the Madison County School District including the wide gap in household income.

Money matters


The family poverty level is seven times greater in Canton than in Madison County, 43%

versus 7%.

56% of Madison County’s par-ents have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 11% of

Canton’s parents.

90% of Madison County and 88% of Canton parents are in

the workforce.

FINDINGS

CANTON. .$30,287

MADISON COUNTY$90,538

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

19

ANKINABOUTR DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATECOUNTY

Population141,617


White77.Percent


Asians1.2.Percent

Native Americans0.18.Percent


Major Employers: KLLM.Transport.Services..|..US.Foods..|..Sanderson.Farms..I..SiemensNucor..|..Ergon,.Inc.

Growth and Expectations Rankin County is located in Central Mis-sissippi. There are two public school districts in the county: Pearl School District and Rankin County School District.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 141,617 people in the county — 77.0% were White, 18.1% Black or African Ameri-can, 1.2% Asian, 0.18% Native American, and 2.68% were Latino.

The per capita income is $30,835.

Rankin County had a pop-ulation change of 9.44% since 2010.

Rankin County had a population change of 9.3% since 2010.

CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI


20

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSRANKIN COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS

Pearl 686 A

Rankin Co. 707 A

Pearl 18.20

Rankin Co. 19.20

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACT SCORES

FINDINGSBoth the Pearl and

Rankin County School Districts are A-rated.

Pearl, the smaller of the two districts, has a higher percentage of families living below

poverty but has a high-er science proficiency and graduation rate.

Pearl and Rankin Co. scored within 7 points on most accountability

standards.




21


BY THE NUMBERS

Pearl 4,257 5 271

Rankin 19,206 28 1,283

EnrollmentSchools

Teachers

DISTRICT PROFILES

FINDINGS

Pearl 271

Rankin Co. 1,283


Teachers

85% of teachers in Pearl are experienced. Rankin County is the only A-rated district with less than 81% of experienced teachers.

Pearl and Rankin County both have 90% in-field teachers and 2% provisional teachers.



STUDENTS: RACE

PEARL:White: 51% Black: 36%

RANKIN COUNTY: White: 69% Black: 24%

22


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITYPROFILES

Pearl $60,448

Rankin Co. $79,406

Median Household

Income

FINDINGS

Pearl has double the percentage of families living below the pov-erty level at 14% than the 7% in the Rankin

County district.

Homeownership rate is 77% in the Rankin County district com-pared to 50% in the

Pearl district.

Median household in-come is $18,958 higher in Rankin County than

the Pearl district.



PARENTS: EDUCATION

23


The percentage of parents who are high school graduates is 26% in Pearl and 20% in Rankin County.

Rankin: 32% of families have a bachelor’s de-gree or higher versus

16% in Pearl.

87% of Pearl and 88% of Rankin Coun-ty parents are in the

workforce.

BY THE NUMBERS

FINDINGS

Pearl $60,448

Rankin Co. $79,406

Median Household

Income

FAMILY PROFILES

PARENTS: EDUCATION



24

EY FINDINGSK

Stability and Consistency


Pearl overperforms academically when com-pared to other districts with similar family pov-erty levels, family homeownership and parent education rates.

Both have low poverty rates, but Pearl has dou-ble the percentage of families living below the poverty level at 14% than the 7% in the Rankin County district.

Economically, homeownership is 77% in the Rankin County district compared to 50% in the Pearl district. Median household income is $18,958 higher in the county district than the Pearl district. The Rankin County and Pearl school districts are 70% and 51% white and 24% and 36% Black respectively.

Pearl School district overperforms in the state accountability system.

32% of the families in Rankin County have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared with

16% in Pearl.

There is almost a $20,000 difference in median family income.

There is more than a 25% difference in homeownership in Pearl and Rankin County.

FINDINGS

Pearl Rankin. $60,448.. $79,406

Pearl Rankin. 14%.. 7%

Pearl Rankin. 50%.. 77%

POVERTY HOMEOWNERSHIPMEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

25

OWNDESABOUTL

DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

COUNTY

Population59,779


White54.Percent


Asians0.7.Percent


Major Employers:.Columbus.Air.Force.Base..|..Baptist.Memorial.Hospital..|..Mississippi.University.for.Women..|..Columbus.Municipal.School.District..|..Lowndes.County.School.District..|.International.Paper.Columbus.Mill

The Golden Triangle:Regionalism in Action

Lowndes County is located in east Mis-sissippi. Columbus Municipal School District and the Lowndes County School District are the two public school districts in the county.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 59,779 people in the county. 54.0% are White, 43.5% Black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American and 1.5% Latino.


Lowndes County had a population change of -2.49%.

Lowndes County had a population change of -2.49%.

NORTH MISSISSIPPI


26

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSLOWNDES COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS

Columbus 514 D

Lowndes Co. 688 A

Columbus 14.80

Lowndes Co. 18.30

ACT SCORES

FINDINGS

In reading proficiency Lowndes County out-performs Columbus 53% to 24%; history

proficiency 59% to 33% and math proficiency

59% to 22%.

Columbus’ college and career readiness is 17% and Lowndes County

is 38%.

ACCOUNTABILITY




27


BY THE NUMBERS

Columbus 3,654 9 257

Lowndes 5,452 12 390

EnrollmentSchools

Teachers

DISTRICT PROFILES

Columbus 257

Lowndes Co. 390


Teachers



STUDENTS: RACE

76% of the teachers in Columbus are experi-enced compared to 85% in Lowndes County.

5% of the teachers in Columbus are provi-sional compared to 1% in Lowndes County.

COLUMBUS:Black: 93% White 4%

LOWNDES COUNTY: Black: 37% White: 59%

FINDINGS

28


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITYPROFILES

Columbus $34,821

Lowndes Co. $70,417

Median Household

Income

FINDINGS

13% of parents in Co-lumbus have less than a high school diploma compared to 11% in Lowndes County.

Families below the poverty level is 45% in Columbus compared to 24% in Lowndes County.

Homeownership rate is 28% in Columbus and 65% in Lowndes

County.



PARENTS: EDUCATION

29


38% of Columbus’ parents and 34% of

Lowndes’ parents have some college/associ-

ate degree.

16% of Columbus’ par-ents have bachelor’s degrees or higher and

30% of Lowndes.

82% of the parents in both Columbus and Lowndes work. However, there is a $40,000 difference in median family income — $34,821 in Colum-bus versus $70,417 in Lowndes County.

BY THE NUMBERS

FINDINGS

Columbus $34,821

Lowndes Co. $70,417

Median Household

Income

FAMILY PROFILES

PARENTS: EDUCATION



30

EY FINDINGSK

Working is not Enough


Simply working is not enough when you compare the economics of the majority-Black Columbus Municipal School District and the majority-white Lowndes Coun-ty School District. The statistics speak for themselves: 82% of parents in both the Columbus Municipal School District and the Lowndes County School Dis-trict are employed, but median household income in Lowndes County is $35,000 higher.

In Columbus, 45.2% of families are below the poverty level compared to 23.7% in Lowndes County. 52% of families receive SNAP benefits in Columbus as do 25% of families in Lowndes.

65% of families in Lowndes own their home and 28% in Columbus. 30% of parents in Lowndes and 16% in Columbus have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Columbus Lowndes Co.. $34,812.. $70,417

Columbus Lowndes Co.. 82%.. 82%

IN THE WORKPLACE MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME

85% of teachers in Lowndes are experienced teachers versus 76% in Columbus.

1% of the teachers in Lowndes are provisional versus 5% in Columbus.

82% of parents in both Lowndes County and Columbus are in the workforce, however, the median family income in Lowndes County is

double that of Columbus.

FINDINGS

31

ashingtonABOUTW DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATECOUNTY

Population51,137


White27.0.Percent


Asians0.6..Percent

Native Americans0.1.Percent


Major employers:..Mars.Food..|..Bunge...|..Loveland.Products..|..Nutrien.Ag.Solutions.

Majority Black and RuralWashington County is located in the Mississippi Delta. Greenville and Western Line are two of four public school districts in the county. The other school districts are Leland and Hollandale.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 51,137 people living in the county. 71.3% were African American, 27.0% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native American, and 1.0% were Latino.


Washington County had a population change of -16.17% since 2010.

.

Washington County had a population change of -16.17% since 2010.

MISSISSIPPI DELTA


32

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSWASHINGTON COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS

Greenville 480 F

Western Line 606 B

Greenville 14.90

Western Line 15.90

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACT SCORES

FINDINGS

Reading Proficiency: 23% Greenville and 38% Western Line; Math Pro-ficiency: 26% Greenville and 42% Western Line.

15% of Greenville and 22% of Western Line’s graduates are college and career ready.




33


BY THE NUMBERS

Greenville 4,480 12 259

Western Line 1,965 5 137

EnrollmentSchools

Teachers

DISTRICT PROFILES


Greenville 259

Western Line 137


Teachers


STUDENTS: RACE

89% of the teachers in the Western Line district are experienced versus 69% in Green-ville, a 20 percentage point difference.

Greenville Public Schools has 22% provisional teachers versus 5% in Western Line.

GREENVILLE:Black: 99% White: 1%

WESTERN LINE: Black: 59% White: 24%

FINDINGS

FINDINGS

34


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITYPROFILES

Greenville $26,448

Western Line $32,121

Median Household

Income

FINDINGS

In Greenville 48% of families are below the poverty level compared to 44% in Western Line.

A larger percentage (80 versus 75) of Green-ville families are in the workforce even though their median household income was almost $6,000 less annually.

48% of households in Western Line are

homeowners compared to 33% in Greenville.



PARENTS: EDUCATION

35


36% of parents in Greenville have some college/associate

degree versus 38% in Western Line.

Greenville has more than double the per-centage of parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher

compared to Western Line even though the median family income

in Western Line is $6,000 more.

BY THE NUMBERS

FINDINGS

Greenville $26,448

Western Line $32,121

Median Household

Income

FAMILY PROFILES

PARENTS: EDUCATION



36

EY FINDINGSK

Teacher Experience Counts


There is a 20% difference in the num-ber of experienced teachers in B-rated Western Line and F-rated Greenville districts. 89% of the teachers have four or more years of experience in Western Line. Only 69% of Greenville’s teachers are experienced.

Economic factors: Households in Western Line School District earn on average more than $5,000 in medi-an household income than similar households in the Greenville district. In addition, 48% of households in West-ern Line are homeowners compared to 33% in Greenville Public Schools.

More than 40% of families live

below the poverty level in both

districts 48% in Greenville and

44% in Western Line.

There is almost $6,000 difference

in median household income.

The number of parents in Green-

ville’s district with a bachelor’s de-

gree or higher is two times higher.

FINDINGS

Greenville Western Line. 69%.. 89%

Greenville Western Line. 27%.. 5%

EXPERIENCE PROVISIONAL

37

acksonABOUTJ DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATECOUNTY

Population139,668

African Americans11.Percent

White80.Percent


Asians2.4..Percent


Major Employers:..Ingalls.Shipbuilding.(the.state’s.largest.industrial.employer)..|..Singing.River.Health.System..|..VT.Halter.Marine,.Inc...|..Pascagoula.School.System..|...Jackson.County.School.District..Ocean.Springs.School.District.

Low and High TidesJackson County is located on the Mis-sissippi Gulf Coast. There are four school districts in Jackson County: Moss Point School District, the smallest; Jackson County School District, the largest; Ocean Springs School District; and Pascagoula Gautier School District. We will compare Moss Point and Jackson County. Moss Point is rated D, while Jackson County is rated A.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 139,668 people living in the county. Of that num-ber, 21.7% were Black, 73.3% White, 6.8% Hispanic and Latino, 2.4 % Asian, 2.1% two or more races. Per capita income is $27,141.

Jackson County had a popula-tion change of 3.1% since 2010.

Home of the state’s largest industrial employer.

MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST


38

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSJACKSON COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS

Jackson County 685 A

Moss Point 521 D

Jackson County 19.50

Moss Point 15.60

ACCOUNTABILITY

ACT SCORES

FINDINGS

Jackson County, the larger of the two dis-

tricts, outperforms Moss Point in reading profi-ciency: 55% versus 24%; history proficiency 70% versus 55%; math profi-ciency 59% versus 20% and science proficiency

78% versus 47%.




39


BY THE NUMBERS

Jackson Co. 9,209 18 567

Moss Point 1,810 7 133

EnrollmentSchools

Teachers

DISTRICT PROFILES

JACKSON COUNTY:Black: 11% White: 80%

MOSS POINT: Black: 74% White: 19%

Jackson County 567

Moss Point 133


Teachers



STUDENTS: RACE

88% of the teachers in Jackson County are experienced compared to 79% in Moss Point.

6% of the teachers are provisional in Moss Point versus 0.5% in Jackson County.

FINDINGS

FINDINGS

40


BY THE NUMBERS

COMMUNITYPROFILES

Jackson Co. $70,130

Moss Point $48,421

Median Household

Income

FINDINGSThe poverty level is

30.6% in the Moss Point School District com-pared to 16.6% in the Jackson County School

District.

Homeownership is high in both districts, 79.6% in Jackson County and 70.5% in Moss Point.



PARENTS: EDUCATION

41


85% of parents are in the workforce in Jack-son County versus 70%

in Moss Point.

The median family in-come is $22,000 more in Jackson County than

in Moss Point.

12% of Moss Point families have a bach-elor’s degree or high-er versus 23% in Jackson County.

BY THE NUMBERS

FINDINGS

Jackson Co. $70,130

Moss Point $48,421

Median Household

Income

FAMILY PROFILES

PARENTS: EDUCATION



42

EY FINDINGSK

Unrealized Expectations


Families living in the Moss Point School District have median household income of $48,421, which is above the state average, but less than the $70,130 in Jackson County. Homeownership is high in both districts, 78.6% in Jackson County to 70.5% in Moss Point.

51% of parents in Moss Point have some college/associates degree compared to 40% in Jackson County.

The Moss Point district is the only school district in Jackson County that isn’t A-rat-ed. Moss Point is D-rated.

Economically, the percentage of families below the

poverty level is 30.6% in Moss Point School District

compared to 16.6% in the Jackson County district.

The percentage of families in the workforce is 70% in

Moss Point and 85% in Jackson County.

11% of Jackson County parents have less than a high

school diploma compared to 8% in Moss Point.

Median household income is about $22,000 higher in

Jackson County.

FINDINGS

Black White. 11%.. 80%

Black White. 74%.. 19%

MPSDJCPSD

43

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSTHE BIG PICTURE

Where you Live MattersWhere one lives within a county may determine whether one attends a successful or unsuccessful school. Analyzing

data from this report reveals common threads in A- and B-rated districts and D- and F- rated districts. Reminder: The geographic areas referenced are school districts.

ACCOUNTABILITY (SEE CHART 1)• In A-rated districts, Clinton had the highest score of 729 on MDE’s 1,000 point scale.• In D/F- rated districts, Greenville had the lowest score of 480 on MDE’s 1,000 point scale.

GRADUATION RATE (SEE CHART 2)• In A-rated districts, the highest graduation rate is 94% in Pearl. The lowest is 88% in Clinton.• In D/F-rated districts, the highest graduation rate is 80% in Columbus. The lowest is 71% in Greenville.

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME (SEE CHART 3)• In A-rated districts, the lowest median household income is $60,448 in Pearl. The highest is $90,538 in Madison. The medi-an household income for the state is $44,717.• In D/F-rated districts, the lowest median household income is $26,448 in Greenville; the highest is Moss Point at $48,421.

FAMILIES BELOW POVERTY (SEE CHART 4)• In A-rated districts, Lowndes County at 24% has the highest percentage of families below poverty rate. Madison and Rankin County districts have the smallest percentage of families below poverty at 7%. In the B-rated Western Line district, 44% of families are below the poverty line.• In D/F rated districts, Greenville has the largest percentage of families below the poverty line at 48% and the smallest percent-age of families below the poverty line is 31% in Moss Point.

STUDENT RACIAL GAP (SEE CHARTS 5 AND 6)• There is only one majority Black A-rated district, Clinton at 54%. Western Line, a B-rated district is 59% Black. Hinds Coun-ty, a C-rated district is 85% Black.• The majority-white A-rated districts range from a high of 80% in Lowndes County to a low of 50% in Madison County.• The majority-black D/F-rated districts range from a high of 99% in Greenville to low of 74% in Moss Point.

TEACHING: EXPERIENCED TEACHERS (SEE CHART 7)• In every A- rated district except Rankin County, at least 80% of the teachers are experienced. Jackson County has the highest

percentage of experienced teachers with 88% and Rankin County the lowest with 77%. In Western Line, a B-rated dis-trict 89% of the teachers are experienced. • In C-rated Hinds and D-rated JPS 67% of the teachers are experienced.• In the D/F-rated districts the percentage of experienced teachers range from a high of 79% in Moss Point to a low of 67% in JPS.

TEACHING: PROVISIONAL TEACHERS (SEE CHART 8)• No more than 3% of the teachers are provisional in A districts. The fewest is .05% in Jackson County and the most is 3% in Madison County. In B-rated Western Line 5% of the teachers are provisional. • In D/F-rated districts, JPS and Greenville 22% of the teach-ers are provisional. Columbus had the fewest provisional teachers, 5%.

PARENT EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT (SEE CHART 9)• In D/F-rated districts, the percentage of parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher range from the high of 20% in JPS to the low of 11% in Canton. • Parents with bachelor’s degrees or higher in A rated districts range from a low of 16% in Pearl to a high of 57% in Madison. In B-rated Western Line, 6% of parents have a bachelor’s degree or higher.• In C-rated Hinds County 41% of parents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, more than the A-rated districts, Jackson County (23%), Lowndes (28%), Pearl (16%) and Rankin (32%).

BUYING: (SEE CHART 10)• Every A-rated district has at least 50% homeownership. The highest is Jackson County at 78% and the lowest is Pearl at 50%. • Moss Point, a D-rated district, has a homeownership rate of 71%, a rate higher than Clinton, Pearl and Lowndes, all A-rated districts. • With the exception of Moss Point, in D- and F-rated dis-tricts, the homeownership ranges from a high of 37% in JPS to a low of 28% in Columbus.

KEY FINDINGS from Truthful Eyes:.A.Look.at.Mississippi.Schools

44


1. ACCOUNTABILITYHow MDE grades districts

2. GRADUATION RATES State improves, D/F Districts Still Lag

45


4. FAMILIES BELOW POVERTYPoverty impacts performance

3. MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMEThe wealth gap

46

5. BLACK

6. WHITE

Student Racial Gap - Black

Student Racial Gap - White


47


7. 18-19 EXPERIENCED TEACHERSTeachers with 4+ years experience do better

8. PROVISIONAL TEACHERSCertification matters

48


9. BACHELOR’S OR HIGHERParents’ education impacts children

10. BUYING Homeownership: More than generational wealth building

49


BROADBAND ACCESS

Most Truthful Eyes data from the Mississippi Department of Education were pre-COVID-19 pan-demic.

The full impact of the pandemic on education in Mississippi and across the nation is unknown at this time. The pandemic led to school districts closing temporarily, shifting to virtual learning or a hybrid model. Also, some parents opted for homeschooling or keeping their children home, period.

Switching from in-person to remote learning presented problems for some school districts across the state with broadband access limited to certain areas, and even with the availability of com-puters and broadband, some low-income households don’t have home internet service.The lack of broadband internet has left many rural areas of the state on the wrong side of the digital divide, and, consequently, some students may be negatively impacted.

Truthful Eyes data show there is a correlation between households with broadband access and the success of a school district. On average, less than two-third of households in low-performing districts had broadband access compared to more than three-fourth in successful districts having broadband access. As examples, the F-rated Greenville districts had 62.3% of its households with broadband access, while the A-rated Madison County district had 86.2% of its households with broadband access. (See chart)

GREENVILLE62.3%

MADISON COUNTY 86.2%

BROADBAND ACCESS

(F-RATED) (A-RATED)

Digital divide

50


A goal of education is to equip students with the skills needed to be successful in life. That success may or may not be a post secondary education. The ACT is a benchmark in determining if students are College and Career Ready. *The ACT College and Career Readiness Standards are the backbone of ACT assessments. They describe essential skills and knowledge students need to become ready for college and career, giving clear meaning to test scores and serving as a link between what students have learned and what they are ready to learn next.

In Mississippi, College and Career Ready is defined by the percentage of high school students who met the ACT benchmarks for English (18) or reading (22) and for math (22). In 2019, Mississippi’s composite score was 18.4. Nationally, the score was 20.7. Mississippi was ranked 13th of the 15 states with an ACT participation rate of 100%.

In D- and F- rated districts, Greenville at 15% had the lowest percentage of graduates to meet the standard and Moss Point at 22% was the highest to meet the standard of College and Career Ready.

In A and B rated-districts, at 38% Lowndes had the lowest percentage of graduates who were College and Career Ready. Madison’s 58% was the highest.

GREENVILLE14.7%

MADISON COUNTY 58.4%

COLLEGE AND CAREER READY

(F-RATED) (A-RATED)

COLLEGE AND CAREER READYKey indicator of success

51

WESTERN LINE559

MOSS POINT454


GRADE K READINESS

Pre-K and kindergarten is foundational to college and career readiness. Increasingly, birth to 3 years programs are asked to do more than provide work support for families. Only 50% of 3 and 4 years old have access to early childhood education in child care and HeadStart centers and public school programs.

According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment provides parents, teachers and early childhood providers with a common understanding of what children know and are able to do upon entering school. The primary purpose of the Kindergar-ten Readiness Assessment is to improve the quality of classroom instruction and other services provided to students from birth to 3rd grade.

B-rated Western Line has the highest average scale score on the Kindergarten Readiness assess-ment at 559. D-rated Moss Point’s 455 was the lowest average scale score on the kindergarten readiness assessment.

KINDERGARTEN READINESS

(B-RATED) (D-RATED)

The beginning: A Strong Foundation

52


ONCLUSIONCThe household income, parent education and homeownership rates in Hinds County and Clinton are comparable, yet Clinton significantly outperforms Hinds with an A rating. What variables outside of these factors contribute to Hinds County’s rating? How can those variables be overcome? JPS the largest district in Hinds County and the largest urban district in the state is D-rated. JPS suffers from many of the ills of older urban districts across the country. What strat-egies, practices and policies can be implemented to address the unique needs of urban poor students in a predominately rural state?

There is a huge economic divide between the Madison County and Canton school districts, which is reflective in the district performance as well. With such economic disparity within one county, would it be beneficial to the students in the Canton School District if the district and Madison consolidated? In rural, majority African American, under-resourced counties like Washington County, what community resources in addition to state funding and academic programs must be in place to improve other factors that impact district performance?

Lowndes County has bene-fited from a strong regional economic development approach, yet wide disparities exist between the Lowndes County and Columbus dis-tricts economically, impacting performance. How can this effective regional economic development approach help ensure that the poorest communities and dis-tricts are not left behind?

What lessons can be learned from Pearl in Rankin Coun-ty, which performs despite indicators that normally would impact performance negative-ly? Pearl’s parents’ education, median family income and homeownership rate is at least 25% less than Rankin County, but Pearl is also an A district. How does Pearl excel and match the academic achievement of its sister county district despite dispari-ties that normally impact other districts negatively?

In Jackson County, why is the D-rated Moss Point School District not performing better since 79% of its teachers are experienced, and the district has a homeownership rate of 71% and a median income above the state average?

Overall, what strategies can go across district lines to close gaps with neighboring districts within the same county or geographic proximity, where arbitrary district lines may determine opportunities for children within the same county?

In each county and district analyzed in this report there are questions that could be asked:

DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATEDESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

DESOTO

ITAWAMBA

MARSHALL

BENTON

TIPPAH

PRENTISS

ALCORN TISHO-MINGO

TUNICA

PANOLA LAFAYETTE

UNION

LEEPONTOTOCCOAHOMA

BOLIVAR

WASHINGTON

SHARKEY

YAZOO

MADISON



RANKINHINDS

CLAIBORNE

JEFFERSON

ADAMSFRANKLIN

LINCOLNLAWRENCE

JEFFERSONDAVIS

COPIAH SIMPSON

SMITH

COVINGTON

JASPER

JONES WAYNE


MARION LAMAR

PEARL RIVER

FOR-REST PERRY

STONE

HANCOCKHARRISON

JACKSON

GEORGE

GREENE

CLARKE

WARREN

ISSAQUENA

SUN-FLOWER

HUMPHREYSHOLMES

CARROLL

LEFLORE


QUITMAN


GRENADA


CLAY

OKTIBBEHACHOCTAW

WEBSTERMONT-GOMERY

LOWNDES

TATE

See CONCLUSION, next page

53


Data from this report show that community factors — including experienced teachers, family homeownership, median household income — play a part in successful school districts.

The direct impact of such community factors, such as in-come and housing, underlines the need for more formal action and coordination between education, business and community leaders in strategic planning and policy development for local schools.

Just as a teacher cannot educate a student in a vacuum without support of administrators and parents, a school district cannot operate and set policy without support of community, business and political leadership. Formal and informal planning and cooperation outside of traditional government structures would benefit schools and con-tribute to success of students.

Communities cannot be successful without successful schools and vice versa. Education is and always has been a family function. That family includes students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board mem-bers, local government officials, economic develop-ers, business and community leaders.

The hard data in this report show how very much they are intertwined and dependent on one another for suc-cess. Looking at these facts through the truthful eyes of hard data shows the pathway to more successful schools and healthier communities.

Continued from previous page

54


Are we preparing our students and communities for the 21st Century? The answer to that question should govern the actions of our civic, community and elected leaders.Truthful Eyes is an analysis of data — school district and community data. Mississip-pi Department of Education and U.S. Census data has been reviewed to get a deep understanding of school district performance, community economic well-being and their correlation. Specifically, data was analyzed and compared from adjoining dis-tricts in the same county.Students, schools and districts do not operate in a vacuum. Many times, in our focus on school and district performance, we forget that the students, teachers, adminis-trators and schools are integral components of neighborhoods, communities, cities and counties. School and district performance affects economic and employment opportunities and vice versa.Mississippi was one of three states that lost population since 2010. Our per capita income is $24,369. Our median Family income is $45,081. Twenty percent of our fami-lies live below the poverty level. We are 56% White and 38% Black. These numbers give a glance at the state. More revealing are the wide disparities that can exist between and within counties, disparities that are directly impactful on school districts, educational opportunities for children in those districts and the economic opportunities of this state. A question is: How do we close the opportunity and education gaps in our state and prepare our children for the 21st Century? The answer, our policymakers at all levels — legislators, supervisors, municipal elected officials and school boards — must work collaboratively. Data must be used to inform their decisions while crafting solutions that Leave No Child Behind.® It is unacceptable that within the same county huge educational and opportunity gaps exist. A child’s future must not be determined by his or her zip code.Equitable funding is foundational. Under-resourced districts and communities require additional investments.

State, local and school district policies and practices must be designed and implemented to: • Strengthen ties between students, teachers, parents, community organizations and school districts.• Increase investment in state-of-the-art data analytic tools and use the analytics to inform district decision making. • Increase investment in pre-K and kindergarten up to and including mandatory pre-K and kindergarten.• Incentivize experienced teachers and administrators to work in underperforming districts. • Increase professional development for new and inexperienced teachers and administrators including coaching and shadowing.• Design collaborative strategic alignment and policy plans across governmental and educational governance entities.• Increase homeownership.• Create opportunities for parents to enhance their skills and/or education.• Recruit, create and retain high-wage jobs.• Provide affordable technology and broadband access to all.

Implementing these policies will:• Close the reading and math proficiency gap.• Close the high school graduation and college readiness gap.• Close the poverty gap.

This pandemic has unearthed the rampant inequities in our state. Inequities can and must be remedied if we collectively are to survive and thrive. Collaboration and using data is essential if we are going to prepare our children for the 21st Century. It is in our collective best interest. Now is the time!!

Let’s Close the Gaps

Oleta Garrett FitzgeraldSouthern Regional Director,Children’s Defense Fund-Southern Regional Office

All Hands on Deck - Let’s Close the Gaps and Prepare our Children for the 21st Century

55

P3 STRATEGIES, LLCThe mission of P3 Strategies, LLC is to enhance the quality of life for all children and their communities. We partner with schools and districts, non-profits, for-profits, business and government to accelerate achievement for students and schools. We advocate for policies and programs that advance health, education and the well-being of all children. We communicate information to multiple constituents.

And, we assist our clients integrate real-time data into their programs and services. A devotion to social justice and civil society undergirds all of our work.

TRUTHFUL EYES: TRUTHFUL EYES: A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLSABOUT THE TEAM

PAMELA SHAW

JIMMIE GATES

DAVID HAMPTON

GUS VARGAS

A senior manager, entrepreneur, and public policy analyst, Pamela Shaw is a seasoned leader, tacti-cian, organizer and devotee to social justice. She has more than 20 years of experience focused on the health, education and management training

and development of children, families and service providers in vulnerable communities and organi-zations. She is a native Mississippian with degrees from Southern University and the University of Maryland.

Jimmie E. Gates is a retired legal and political writ-er as well as former columnist for the Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Jimmie is a veteran journalist who has covered the people, places and things that make Mississippi special for almost four decades.Jimmie has won numerous awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi award, the Best of Gannett, the Mis-sissippi Press Association reporting award and the Na-tional Association of Black Journalists award. Jimmie

is a member of the regional Hall of Fame of the National Association of Black Journalists. He has appeared on True Crime national shows, includ-ing TV One’s “Fatal Attraction” and “For My Man,” “Snapped, and Redrum,” which is murder spelled backward. Jimmie also served as a researcher and

consultant for the television show CourtTV. A graduate of Jackson State University, Jimmie and his wife, Pattie, are parents of one child.

David Hampton is a veteran journalist who spent 37 years as a writer and editor at Mississippi newspapers. Hampton, 68, is a native of Tennes-see and graduate of the University of Memphis. He joined the Jackson newspapers in 1976 as a government and political writer. He served a stint at The Clarion-Ledger/Jackson Daily News Washington, D.C., bureau in 1982 and came back to Mississippi as

metro editor for the newspapers. He became editorial director in 1986 and oversaw The Clari-on-Ledger’s opinion pages for 26 years before his retirement in 2012. He now is a freelance writer and teaches journalism. He has won numerous writing awards and in 2012, was inducted into

the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame for his contributions to Mississippi journalism.

A senior K12 technology architect and reformist, business intelligence consultant, Gus Vargas de-signs and implements technology solutions that fundamentally change data practices and analy-sis in public education. He maximizes the poten-tial of technology solutions and designs training programs that produce lasting results. He designs web applications for national education firms and state asso-

ciations, business intelligence solutions for public education systems, online training for state agen-cies and has developed k12 education tools that are used to help thousands of educators in their daily work. A native of Northern California, Var-gas holds degrees from California State University,

Sacramento and California State University, East Bay.

TTRUTHFUL RUTHFUL EEYESYESA LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS

This.report.is.commissioned.by.the.Children’s.Defense.Fund-Southern.Regional.Office..

with.support.from.Better.Schools,.Better.Jobs.

A 21st CENTURY CALL TO ACTION

Documents

TRUTHFUL EYES