Mississippi Teacher Corps Helps Transform a School Culture

Video: North Panola High School receives B grade

FROM NEARLY FAILING TO A ‘B’ SCHOOL IN JUST FOUR YEARS:

  • A program at Ole Miss has helped a struggling Mississippi school district dramatically improve the quality and rigor of its academic programs.
  • In 2009, North Panola School District ranked among the worst in the state, receiving a nearly failing mark. Today, the school has achieved a B rating from the state and has come out of state conservatorship.
  • More than one-third of North Panola’s teachers are current or former members of the university’s Mississippi Teacher Corps program, including three of the school’s instructional coaches in English, science and social studies.
  • Since May 2010, the graduate rate has risen from 49 percent to 72 percent.
  • In subjects such as Algebra I and U.S. History, students’ test scores surpass state averages and they’re not far behind state averages in areas such as English II and Biology I.
  • Last year, North Panola graduates received college scholarships valued at more than $2.2 million, up dramatically from $200,000 in 2010.
  • An alternate route program, the Teacher Corps is a two-year commitment that culminates in a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UM. Acceptance into the program is highly competitive and includes a full-time teaching job at a critical needs school and full tuition to UM.
  • For the last two years, the Mississippi Teacher Corps program has placed record groups of 32 new teachers into schools throughout Mississippi. To date, the program has trained more than 600 teachers, most of whom are still involved in education across the nation.