The Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) invites you to attend a virtual briefing on our newly released COVID-19 & Education Impact Report, on Wednesday, September 27, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.

In 2022, MCJ initiated research to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Mississippi’s education system, specifically students in Delta communities. We spent more than a year conducting parent focus groups and examining educational testing data in 12 underfunded Mississippi school districts. Through this research, we gained firsthand knowledge of some of the challenges faced within these districts.

Some of the key findings revealed are:

• Lack of adequate internet access – Mississippi is one of 10 states with the largest population of K-12 students affected by lack of broadband availability.
• Learning loss – While districts have rebounded from the pandemic, districts in the report have proficiency rates that remain far below the State average in reading and math in grades 3rd-8th.
• Insufficient support services for students with disabilities – Only three districts in the report meet expectations for special education based on the state annual performance report.
• Under-resourced mental health support systems – Mississippi is ranked 47th in access to mental healthcare.

The challenges to education brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic were not unique to Mississippi, as national assessments and studies reveal a decline in student achievement and well-being across the country. However, the long-standing education inequities in Mississippi, coupled with the pandemic, generated a snowball effect of learning crises for districts in the report.

MCJ is deeply committed to dismantling the educational disparities identified in the report to bring about education equity for children and families. During the pandemic, our under-resourced districts faced profound challenges, confirming a truth that I know to be certain: We cannot do this work alone. As educators, administrators, and advocates experiencing first-hand the challenges within school districts, you know we cannot afford to underestimate the long-term effects of these challenges, and we cannot ignore the grave consequences of inequitable education for children in rural, high-need African-American school districts.

We hope you can join the virtual briefing on Wednesday, September 27, via Zoom.

Register here >>