‘State-sanctioned violence:’ Inside one of the thousands of schools that still paddles students

COLLINS, Miss. — At the beginning of every school year, April Johnson oversees distribution of the Covington County School District student handbook. Tucked into the first half of the handbook is a section titled “Corporal Punishment.”

Mississippi may be tried over education funding, appeals court says

Mississippi may stand trial on allegations the state broke its promise to provide “a uniform system of free public schools.”

Do Mississippians disagree? Well, yeah, but not on funding public schools.

As Mississippians head to the polls Aug. 6 for primaries, they remain split on who has the best football team, who has the best barbecue and even if the state is headed in the right direction — but nearly 70 percent of them believe public schools deserve more funding.

Social Workers, Navigators Help Mississippi Foster Youth Overcome Trauma, Transition To College

JACKSON, Miss. — By the time she turned 6, Jessica Reese had been sexually abused repeatedly.

63 years after Brown, segregated classrooms persist in one Mississippi school district

BROOKHAVEN — More than six decades after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregated schools unconstitutional, one Mississippi school district has largely segregated classrooms — some all-black, some majority white.

Selective funding leaves public schools in the hole

Throughout its history, Mississippi policymakers have fought against the education of those who didn’t belong to their “club.”

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 17, 2019

State leaders’ choice: Cutting public education

Mississippi politicians believe in bashing public schools — unless, of course, they’re running for reelection.

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 16, 2019Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting

Have casinos helped schools in Mississippi?

Every time he speaks to Rotary, Kiwanis or other groups, Larry Gregory says people ask if casino tax revenue isn’t supposed to be pumping millions of dollars into schools across Mississippi.

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 16, 2019

State and students suffer from shrinking financial support for public schools

Kaitlyn Fowler says there are times at her Jackson, Mississippi, high school when students attend classes bundled up in coats because the school’s sluggish heating system offers little reprieve.

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 16, 2019Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting

Small town teacher finds joy by remembering who she teaches for and why

LEXINGTON — Kristy Thomas, a fourth grade English teacher at William Dean Jr. Elementary in Holmes County, smiled at her students as she walked down the rows of desks, handing back their graded vocabulary and spelling tests. One student looked at his marks and put down his exam, while announcing, “I’m just dumb.”

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 16, 2019Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting

Corinth takes fresh approach with school calendar

CORINTH – The Corinth School District has made a dramatic shift in its academic

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 16, 2019Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting

How Mississippi School of Math and Science innovates in the face of state funding cuts

After seeing a steady decline in state support over the years, one of the state’s top-performing high schools looks to tele-learning to serve more students.

EducationMeagan JustusFebruary 16, 2019Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting