Governor Phil Bryant announced his education plan to Mississippi teachers in a conference call yesterday. The Governor called the plan "Framing Mississippi's Future, an Agenda for Our Children".
Governor Bryant said he relied on Florida and North Carolina as guides for his education reform proposals. Governor Bryant opened the discussion by stating his commitment to improving education in Mississippi. The Governor listed the following educational reforms:
* The state will spend $15 million on early intervention program. The program will focus on identifying children in kindergarten through second grade with reading problems. The Governor said esearch showed it is difficult children passed the third grade without mastering certain skills to catch up later in school. He said there would be no promotions to the fourth grade unless certain criteria were met.
*Increase entry standards for teachers to 3.0 GPA and 21 ACT score. The state will offer scholarships to teachers with a 28 ACT score and a 3.5 GPA.
*Introduce merit pay in four pilot counties. The Governor said "no teacher will lose any salary in transition." He said a system called "MSTAR" will be used to rate teachers. It will comprise 60% of the evaulation. Growth and other factors will be used to determine the overall rating. He said he wanted teachers to "move students forward, not perform miracles."
*$3 million for the Building Blocks program. He said 90% of children are in day care centers. Governor Bryant said it would be cheaper and better to implement best practices in those day care centers. The Building Blocks program will not be mandatory.
*School choice for students. Governor Bryant said he will advocate a combination of charter schools and "opportunity scholarships" to help students escape "the Berlin Walls" of failing school districts. No public money will be used for the scholarships. The state will allow the student to use money from private and non-profit sources. The scholarships will be allowed for students below 250% of the poverty level and can be used to only attend schools rated "A" or "B". Governor Bryant cited the charter schools in Arkansas and Helena as examples of how charter schools can be used to educate Mississippi children. He said money saved by the students using scholarships can be returned to the school districts. The Governor advocated open enrollment.
*$6 million for Teach for America (KF Note: Good idea. We can't get enough of those teachers in Mississippi.)
*If graduation rate is lower than 80%, district must submit a plan to the state.
*Superior schools will get a "break" on paperwork and regulations.
Governor Bryant closed the call by stating Mississippi "is at the bottom of so many lists. What we have is not working. 70% of our children are not proficient on national lists." He said suggestions can be emailed to education@philbryant.com. It is not known how many teachers were on the call.
7 comments:
Is this the whole plan? Seems like very small steps for the problems the schools face. Even if the Gov. can get the money to fund the plan this can only be seen as perhaps making a good start but this won't pull us out of the hole.
We are on the bottom due to some historical movements in the century before last. The troublesome slaves got 'sold down the river' and the more ignorant white gene pool drifted westward until we got to the river. If personal problems magnified like debts or criminal charges, the ethically challenged moved on to Arkansas or Texas. The landed gentry intermarried their cousins as to become dumber each generation. We just have some catching up to do here.
Governor Bryant has placed a bold plan on the table for the lawmakers to debate. Student representation on school boards would be even bolder, but the legal status of pupils should be enhanced as their student aspirations and achievements are demonstrated.
I would have barely made the cut with a 21 ACT score and my GPA would have been close!! I am impressed by these high standards for teachers. How many current teachers are below the threshold? Surely the Governors Office and DOE have that data. And what about junior college instructors?
Why North Carolina and Florida ? Why not Maryland , which ranked the best or Massachusettes which ranked second?
These proposals sound good but until the teachers get some support from their pupils homes things are not going to get any better. When the parents do not care if their child does their homework, pay attention in class and behave properly the teachers are just fighting a losing battle. I think the parent or lack of parenting is one of the major issues that never gets addressed.
I think what the state needs is the parents involvement (a State wide survey to every parents, with facts of where each school stands on a national level, and questions were they want education to go) Having a week with a studies curriculum on the importance of were we compare with other students in the country, and how to improve themselves, with assemblies. We need competition. Teachers cannot do it all.
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