Jackson, Mississippi, February 28, 2023—Teach Plus Mississippi launched its inaugural Mississippi Delta Change Agent Network, a one-year program that brings together nine highly effective educators from across the districts in the Delta region to create an equity-centered network focused on improving the culture and climate of schools and, ultimately, the educational experience of Mississippi’s students.
“The goal of this new program is to help teacher leaders work with their colleagues to create effective solutions to the challenges they identify in their schools in order to better meet their students’ academic and social-emotional needs. Our aim is for Delta Change Agents to play an important role in boosting student success in their schools and districts for years to come,” said Teach Plus Mississippi Executive Director Sanford Johnson.
During the program, the Change Agents will work on redesigning their classrooms’ and schools’ culture and instructional practices, collaborating with their school principals and teams of colleagues in identifying what needs to change in their schools and building a set of strategies to solve these problems of practice through continuous improvement. Each Change Agent will address the specific needs of their school community in their work, from improving the use of data to help student progress to addressing chronic absenteeism.
“I’m excited to work with other Change Agents who are willing to create a culture of shared leadership in Delta-area schools. This will help us make decisions that will lead to long-term changes in the school’s structure and help raise our student achievement,” said Change Agent Brandon Kincaid, who teaches in the Achievement School District in Yazoo City Region.
At the January kick-off event in Greenwood, Change Agents came together for the first time to learn, build community, and collaborate with each other as they begin to develop solutions to the challenges they identified in their schools. Following the kick-off, Teach Plus staff will support the Change Agents with monthly individual coaching and the teachers will participate in monthly cohort meetings focused on professional growth, reflection, and dialogue.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Delta Change Agent Network. Being a part of this program will help me excel as an educator and grow as a leader,” said Change Agent Kambria Jones who teaches in the West Tallahatchie School District.
The Mississippi Delta Change Agents are:
- Langley Dunn, West Tallahatchie School District
- Monique Johnson, Leflore Legacy Academy
- Kambria Jones, West Tallahatchie School District
- Brandon Kincaid, MS Achievement School District (Yazoo City Region)
- Roselyn McDaniel, MS Achievement School District (Humphreys County Region)
- Florina Moreno, Leflore Legacy Academy
- Cleotha Taylor, MS Achievement School District (Yazoo City Region)
- Tijuana Thompson, MS Achievement School District (Yazoo City Region)
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. Teachplus.org
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Contact: Anya Grottel-Brown, agrottelbrown@teachplus.org, 917-902-5902
