Education Equity
“If I had a magic wand and could improve one social issue because of the effect it would have on health, it would be education. Study after study shows that people with more education have a higher quality of life, have fewer chronic diseases, and are likelier to live longer.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 131.
Examples of Barriers to Health
Funding: “The racial segregation of schools in the Delta contributes to and is exacerbated by inadequate funding. Mississippi schools are among the most poorly funded in the nation no matter what metric is used. If all federal, state, and local funding is combined, Mississippi spent $8,771 per K-12 students in 2017….This is far less than the national average of $12,201, the least among states in the Deep South, and less than all but four other states in the country. The state ranks tenth for lowest amount of spending per student from state general funds and fifth for lowest amount of local spending per student.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 142-143.
Teachers: “Mississippi has some of if not the lowest teacher salaries in the nation. Starting teachers who are certified make about $35,000 per year. The average salary across all levels is $42,925, well below the national average of approximately $60,000.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 157.
Supporting Students: “Unfortunately, many children experience school as a place of trauma rather than as a refuge and place of support. Mississippi is one of nineteen states in which corporal punishment of children is legal from preschool through high school. Corporal punishment is the use of physical force with the intent to cause a child to experience pain in order to correct misbehavior. This is typically done with a paddle or large wooden board.”
– David K. Jones, PhD (2024).
Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda, pg. 165.
What are examples of barriers to a good education in your community?
Education Equity Policy Goals
#1
Eliminate racial segregation in schools.
#2
Increase and balance funding across districts.
#3
Improve standardized assessments and their implementation and de-emphasize the importance of standardized testing.
#4
Increase resources directed toward recruiting and retaining teachers.
#5
Address students’ social, emotional, and academic needs at every step of the educational experience.
Ripples of Hope
Regional Initiatives for Sustainable Education (RISE)
A nonprofit focused on strengthening education in the Mississippi Delta by creating a positive and nurturing environment for teachers and people seeking certification. They are “passionate” about ensuring teachers “have the tools to succeed.”
(See pages 174–175.)
Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School
The first public charter school in the Mississippi Delta. The school uses positive reinforcement and keeping students in school, for example, each of the school’s buses has the phrase “College Bound” printed across the back. (See pages 175–178.)
Spring Initiative
A small non-profit built on a philosophy of the “transformational power of education and caring relationships” to “empower students to live out their full potential; break the cycle of poverty; lead happy, healthy, secure, and fully engaged lives; and give back to their community.” They do this by providing intensive support and mentoring for a small number of children.
(See pages 53–56.)
Indianola Promise Community – Delta Health Alliance
A non-profit in the Mississippi Delta that provides free books each month to children, offers ACT prep every semester, provides nutrition and physical activity counseling, provides preschools and summer camps, and supports students to prepare for the third-grade reading test. (See pages 181–185.)
