Communications and Government Relations

NEWS RELEASE 

For Immediate Release: February 6, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – More than 22 percent of Mississippi public high school students in the graduating class of 2018 took an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, according to the College Board’s AP Cohort Data Report for Class of 2018 issued today. The participation rate is roughly 2 percent greater than the class of 2017.  

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: February 5, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – When I worked as Gov. Haley Barbour’s education policy advisor, I often heard him say that children first learn to read so they can read to learn. While this seems like a simple maxim, the ability to read is essential for success in school and in life.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: February 4, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – The 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program selected 76 Mississippi students as candidates for the national award.   

Students that have been selected as candidates have an opportunity to be become one of the 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars.  The scholars represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: January 22, 2019

JACKSON, Miss – Ruben Banks of Jackson and Kennedy Guest of Brandon were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 2019 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)

Banks, a Jim Hill High School senior, and Guest, a Brandon High School senior, are part of a national delegation of 104 students who will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: January 17, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released today the high school graduation rates for the 2017-18 school year, which show the state’s graduation rate has hit an all-time high of 84 percent, reaching the most recent national graduation rate.

The graduation rate for students with disabilities increased for the fifth consecutive year to 38.4 percent, up from 23.2 percent in 2014.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: January 16, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – The annual Education Week Quality Counts report gave Mississippi a C in the Chance-for-Success category and ranked the state 46th in the nation. The average state earned a C-plus.

Today’s report, the first of three Quality Counts installments being rolled out in 2019, features the Education Week Research Center’s Chance-for-Success Index, first launched in 2007. In 2013, Mississippi received a D-plus in this category. In 2018, Mississippi received a C-minus, and this year a C.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:  January 10, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) 2017-18 Superintendent’s Annual Report is now available. View the report online at https://www.mdek12.org/superintendent2018.

The report contains details about academic achievements in the 2017-18 school year, an overview of the State Board of Education (SBE) Strategic Plan and highlights from the Mississippi Succeeds state plan to implement the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release: January 9, 2019

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: December 20, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) voted today to add five new early learning collaboratives (ELC) to the current list of 14 to provide high-quality early childhood education programs to 4-year-old students.