Education in Mississippi is All About the Money

 In an interview posted at the Jackson Free Press, the head of the Mississippi Department of  Education, Carey Wright, said:

• Education costs money. There's no two ways about it. How much does education cost? That's going to vary from state to state depending on what the economy is like but to put in inventive or innovative kinds of programs or expand our CTE (Career and Technical Education) or expand computer science or things of that nature, it's going to require some funding. What does that level of funding looks like? I think you've got to take an equity piece into it as well, because I think some districts have the ability to raise a lot more local money than other districts. You've got to figure out a way that's going to be compensative for some of that. If I can only raise 5 dollars, that's all I can raise, but if I happen to be in a place that can give me an additional ten, I can do more with 15 than I can with five. So I think that's what we've got to be looking at—how can we level the playing field around the state for all the children.

It's all about the money. My takeaway is that if there was no money there would be no education..so the BEST education requires the most money they can get (no ceiling apparently).  Is there any wonder, then, that Mississippi Education never has enough money? And that's not an indictment against MAEP's and budgets, but against the goals and standards of the Mississippi Education system. 

Mississippi Common Core: Pot Will Investigate Kettle: Arne Duncan & Carey Wright Edition

Mississippi State Superintendent Carey Wright announced that she would head up a voluntary review of Common Core standards. Wright strongly supports the standards but Associated Press reports that she has said she wants to consider "other views" who oppose the standards.

From Associated Press:

• State Superintendent Carey Wright said Monday at a luncheon sponsored by the Stennis Institute of Government and the Capitol press corps that the Mississippi Department of Education will solicit public comments for 90 days on English and math standards.A panel of educators will then examine comments and propose possible new standards, deletions or changes to the state Board of Education.

 Just recently the Department of Education's Arne Duncan suggested that Common Core will be the Standards of the land regardless. The Washington Post reported:

• During a discussion with Motoko Rich of The New York Times, Arne Duncan threatened federal government intervention if states did not meet the 95 percent participation rate. Assuming that Duncan is not planning to call in the National Guard to haul off opt-outing 8 year olds, the only possible “sanction” would be withholding funds. That would surely lead to court challenges forcing the Education Department to justify penalizing schools when parents exercise their legitimate right to refuse the test.–an impossible position to defend...............He insinuated that “adults” are causing “the trauma,” thus furthering the stereotype of “the hysterical mom” that those who oppose opt-out often evoke.

I think we may be able to guess what the results of the "study" will be.

MPB: State Superintendent Dr. Carey M. Wright Talks about Mississippi's "Dropout Crisis."

Guests during the Roundtable Discussion include:
- Nathan Oakley, Executive Director of Elementary Education and Reading at the Mississippi Department of Education.
- Dr. Jameson Taylor, Mississippi Center for Public Policy
- Carol Burger, President and CEO of United Way of the Capital Area