2023 School of Innovation Jackson Middle College Seeks to “Grow Its Own” Math Teachers

Chance Carden

Since 2015, many schools and districts across Mississippi have applied to become a School or District of Innovation through the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), a status that grants a variety of waivers and esteemed recognition to those selected Among the supports in place for those selected into the pro- gram, the initiative allows for additional autonomy and flexibility in an effort to pioneer educational reform in the state After presenting an ambitious plan in their application, MDE named Jackson Middle College in the Jackson Public School District (JPSD) a School of Innovation for the 202324 school year

Jackson Middle College joins 18 other schools who previously earned

The Distinction

Dr Chinelo Bosah Evans is the executive director of advanced academics and oversees the district’s advanced academic programs, including early college, middle college, Montessori, art integration, international baccalaureate and the Academics and Performing Arts Complex (APAC) She recalls the early efforts of district leadership to identify chal- lenges in their school system and explore potential solutions that would warrant recognition as a District of Innovation One of those challenges was filling math teacher vacancies

“Each year, our district has 19-21 math teacher vacancies to be filled Mathematics seems to present the greatest challenge with filling teacher vacancies,” Evans said “We worked to create a District of Innovation application that would be beneficial to students and would meet the needs of our district ”

The Jackson Middle College plan centers around a partnership between JPSD and Jackson State Uni-

versity (JSU)

“Scholars selected for this program would complete the first two years of college at Jackson State University via dual enrollment while simultaneously working to meet all high school graduation requirements,” Evans said

She said students in the program would major in mathematics education at no cost to the students or their families After graduation from high school, JSU would waive tuition for the final two years of college with an agreement that the students would return to JPSD to teach math for three years�

“Since there are approximately 20 mathematics vacancies in our district each year, 20 scholars will be selected to participate in the middle college program through an application and interview process,” Evans said “Jackson Middle College students will attend educator professional development sessions, serve as tutors for peers and participate in support services aimed to help them persist in college and in the workplace ”

Jackson Middle College’s innovation plan captures the spirit of contextualized, grassroots reform that is searched for when identifying Schools and Districts of Innovation

Community plays a vital role in the students’ education Community leaders teach students leadership, entrepreneurship, art, coding, photography, podcasting, fashion design and community service as part of the Young, Gifted and Empowered (YG&E) Youth Summit Now the JSU partnership is developing future math teachers for the district For Evans, the plan is bigger than just filling teacher vacancies

“The Jackson Middle College provides greater educational opportunities for students within the Jackson Public School District,” she said “It gives scholars who are typically underrepresented in college a means to get a high-quality education without incurring debt It is also a way to connect research from the university to the practice of teaching Students who successfully complete the middle college will be well-trained, prepared and ready to make a difference in the school district that equipped them to succeed ”

Jackson Middle College also plans to consult the district’s early college high school for guidance, “drawing lessons from the challenges and successes experienced in the implementation of that program�”

Regardless, there is much excite- ment and enthusiasm, as well as confidence in collaborative efforts to ensure the program’s success

“This program will help increase graduation rates, reduce achievement gaps and enhance equity in our district,” English II teacher Rhonda Murphy Johnson said

Since the program’s announce- ment, JPSD has received an outpouring of interest and requests for enrollment

“Our team visited students who met preliminary requirements to discuss this opportunity,” Evans said “Interest surveys reveal there are more interested families than there are slots available for students� This might mean more slots might be allocated in the future ”

Upon meeting all teacher licensure requirements, middle college graduates will be offered a position with JPSD and showcase the final stage of the innovative plan’s “grow your own” endeavor�