16th Issue No images? Click here Teach Plus Mississippi HeadlinesHappy Holidays from Teach Plus Mississippi!On behalf of our teacher leaders, we wish you a joyous holiday season and a very happy 2024! We look forward to joining you in the new year! Mississippi Program UpdatesOur Policy Fellows were joined by Toren Ballard, Director of K-12 Policy at Mississippi First, who spoke about the upcoming legislative session and their current policy priorities. The Fellows also participated in a Relational Meeting training, which will help prepare them for meetings with policymakers in the coming months. Teach Plus MS Executive Director Sanford Johnson participated in a panel discussion during State of the Union: Mississippi. The event was hosted by Mississippi Today and The Atlantic on Thursday, November 30th. The panel discussion, entitled “Reimagining K-12 Education” was moderated by The Atlantic’s Adam Harris and also included Erica Jones, President of the MS Association of Educators; and Kelly Butler, former CEO of the Barksdale Reading Institute. --> Watch Here Meet Our 2022-23 Policy FellowsSylvia Green, Leland School District Sylvia Green is a fourth-grade ELA teacher at Edna M. Scott Elementary School in Leland, Mississippi. Sylvia has served as the ELA Professional Learning Community (PLC) coach (2022-23) and the MTSS Chairperson for this school. Sylvia is a member of the National Literacy Association and has taught various grades between 2nd and 5th grades. She earned her BS and MEd in Elementary Education and her EdS in Leadership and Administration all from Delta State University in Cleveland. Jessica Dalton, Ocean Springs School District Jessica Dalton is a National Board Certified K-3 IDEA (Special Education) teacher at Magnolia Park Elementary in Ocean Springs. She is also the Lead Site Coordinator (LSC) at her school which requires her to attend both school and district-wide leadership meetings to keep other IDEA staff members up-to-date on IDEA policies and procedures. She has earned certification in Google Educator, SMART, Nearpod, and Apple Teacher. Jessica earned her BA in Deaf Education and a MEd in Curriculum and Instruction (emphasis in Special Education) from the University of Mississippi. She has also earned an EdS in Educational Leadership from William Carey University. Upcoming Events & OpportunitiesState Board of Education Jr. Representative The Mississippi State Board of Education seeks high school sophomores to apply for the 2024-25 junior representative Board position. Reach the press release to learn more. The application is due January 26th. You deserve a voice in the decisions your district makes. That's why we're thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Equity Beyond ESSER workshop! As we gear up for the challenges and opportunities, the Education Trust, National Urban League, and Teach Plus are partnering to host this workshop on Thursday, January 11, 2023, from 7:00-8:15 pm ET/4-5:15 PT. The workshop will be an opportunity to learn practical strategies to take back to your school district to advocate on behalf of your community. Join Teach Plus, the Education Trust, the National Urban League, and communities across the country for a webinar on how you can advocate for fair funding in your district. About Teach PlusThe mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to shape education policy and improve teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. Want to be involved? Join Our Network or Nominate Teachers to join by visiting our website at teachplus.org/MS or click below: For more information about the Policy Fellowship, please email Teach Plus Mississippi Executive Director Sanford Johnson at sjohnson@teachplus.org. Monthly |