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Letter From the Editor-in-Chief
While some will look back at the 2020- 2021 academic year as one of the hardest and strangest times in education, I will remember it as the year our administrators, teachers and support staff rose to the challenge and carried the torch of learning during inauspicious and difficult days.
As educators across the state prepare to return to the classroom this fall, I want everyone to take time and reflect on the past year. Because of your dedication to your craft and students, you were successful in continuing to support our children in their journey to becoming self-sustaining adults and productive members of society. It is because of your support and the support of our entire state that we were able to make sure good, viable public education still functioned as safely and effectively as possible.
This issue of School Focus is all about support. From assisting new teachers as they navigated their first jobs during the age of COVID-19 (p. 26) to ensuring educators have the right tools to address students’ varying needs (p. 8), we here at the Mississippi Department of Education are committed to supporting all who walk into our classrooms.
Our cover story (p. 18) highlights Project SEARCH Mississippi, a great partnership between the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, local health care providers and participating high schools. By granting internships to a segment of historically underserved students, organizations across the state are providing opportunities that will allow these students to learn new skills that will support them in the future.
I hope you enjoy this story and the others in this magazine. There are great things happening in Mississippi’s classrooms, and we here at the MDE are glad to have you alongside us supporting children through education.
Thank you for all you’ve done this past year for your students.
