• Episode 16: Science Saturdays

  May 1, 2018 How do you interest students in science topics at a young age? One group in Hattiesburg is accomplishing this by pairing elementary and middle school students with high schoolers through a Science Saturdays for Young Einsteins program. In this episode, we talk with James Brownlow, Hattiesburg’s polymer science instructor, and several of his students to learn about the program, which began in the fall of 2017. We also hear from the RCU’s own Kenny Langley for an overview of polymer science. Finally, in our Research Minute, Jailaih Gowdy shares how schools are implementing character education and the research behind this growing trend.

• Episode 15: Madison's Model Career Academies

  April 3, 2018 Career academies continue to grow across the Magnolia State, and one district has achieved national recognition for its academies. The first district to achieve this status in Mississippi, Madison now has model academies in engineering and health sciences. In this episode, we interview district and school leaders to learn about the process for achieving model status and the benefits this designation brings to students.

• Episode 14: Performance-Based Assessment

  March 1, 2018 In the modern age of education, testing is commonplace, but those assessments come in multiple forms. This episode looks at performance-based assessment, or PBA. PBA requires students to demonstrate what they know through a project or presentation, and we talk with our guests about the national and state outlooks for the testing method. In our Research Minute, we hear from Holly Holladay about Teaching English as a Second Language trends.

• Episode 13: Districts of Innovation

  Feb. 1, 2018 School districts across Mississippi are thinking outside the box on their approach to many aspects of the classroom through the Districts of Innovation initiative. In this episode, we speak with the three newest districts to hear what they are doing and how they are progressing. Additionally, in our Research Minute segment Alexis Nordin shares findings from a recent ACTE study on the impact of national certifications to students’ skills, employment status, and earnings.

• Episode 12: Gulfport Design Team

  Jan. 2, 2018 We often hear about the need for buy-in from teachers and principals on district-level goals, but what does that look like in practice? This month, we talked with administrators and teachers in the Gulfport School District to learn about their district’s design team. Comprised of teachers, principals, and district officers, the design team meets regularly to tackle big issues for the district.

• Episode 11: Mississippi's Special Schools for Math, Science, and the Arts

  Dec. 1, 2017 How does a specialized residential high school differ from a traditional high school? This month, we talk with teachers, students, and administrators from the Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science (MSMS) and the Mississippi Schools of the Arts (MSA) to hear their take on those difference and their schools. Each group discusses what sets apart their students and some of the projects they complete. Additionally, find out more about Mississippi’s approach to physical education during the Research Minute and share how career and technical centers can prepare for CTE Month.

• Episode 10: National Certifications

  Nov. 1, 2017 Hundreds of Mississippi students take advantage of national certifications each year. This episode takes a look at what national certifications are, their relevance, and the approach to certifications in Mississippi’s high schools and career and technical education centers. We talk with curriculum and assessment professionals for national and state level outlooks, and hear for an industry representative and instructor on how one pathway tackles certification. Additionally, find out more about a technical online math class in the Research Minute, and hear about School Focus, the magazine for K-12 education in Mississippi.

• Episode 9: Dispatches from New Teachers

  Oct. 2, 2017 What is it like to enter a classroom for the first time as a teacher? This month we hear from four brand new teachers in Mississippi. Three women tell us what it’s like to be elementary teachers, and another recounts her experience growing a sports medicine program for high schoolers. We also provide research-based strategies for supporting new teachers. 

• Episode 8: 100 Years of CTE

  Sept. 1, 2017 In this episode, we look back at the foundations of CTE and how it has maintained its roots in agriculture while broadening to fields such as engineering, health sciences, marketing, and more. We also take a look at the next phase of CTE Testing in Mississippi. Finally, we mention updates to our free CTE promotional toolkit and ways to get your students featured in the Connections magazine.

• Episode 7: Corinth's Modified School Calendar

  Aug. 1, 2017 This episode takes a look at the Corinth School District and their quest to think outside the box and redesign their school calendar. Corinth just completed their first year under this modified calendar, and early results look promising. We talk to educators about why they decided to change the structure of the school year, the major challenges they confronted, and how the modified calendar was greeted by students, parents, and teachers.

• Episode 6: Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidation

  July 5, 2017 In this episode, we explore a hot topic in the Mississippi education world: school consolidation. In recent years, the Mississippi legislature has required districts across the state to consolidate and pool resources in order to create a more efficient new district and, hopefully, boost outcomes for students. In order to examine this issue, we take a close look at how the consolidation process played out in a district that has already completed the process: the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.

• Episode 5: Impact Learning

  June 1, 2017 Impact Learning is a network of schools and districts dedicated to instituting personalized, student-centered learning. This network encompasses a variety of tools and programs, including career academies, Coach University, Districts of Innovation, early college high schools, High Performance Leadership Institute, and innovation and acceleration strategies.

• Episode 4: Vicksburg Advisory Classes

  May 1, 2017 In this episode, we explore advisory classes - an innovative, holistic approach Vicksburg Warren School District is piloting to curb the high school dropout rate. We interview Lucy DeRossette, director of innovative programs in the Vicksburg Warren School District; Eric Green, principal of Warren Central High School; and Susan Stanton, instructor at Warren Central High School.

• Episode 3: Career Academies

  April 7, 2017 More and more schools in the Magnolia State are incorporating career academies into their high schools. This unique educational model connects the classroom to real-world experience. Tune in to learn how career academies are impacting students by working in conjunction with career and technical education.

• Episode 2: Computer Science for Mississippi- Part 2

  March 8, 2017 What happened after the CS4MS pilot program made it out of the theoretical stage and into Mississippi’s classrooms? We speak with elementary and high school teachers across Mississippi to find out what their computer science classes look like and how their students are responding to CS4MS.

• Episode 1: Computer Science for Mississippi- Part 1

  March 8, 2017 In our inaugural episode, we explore Mississippi’s new computer science pilot program that aims to introduce students to subjects ranging from robotics to coding. We talk to the founder of Kids Code Mississippi, Randy Lynn, and RCU project manager, Shelly Hollis, about how the Computer Science for Mississippi (CS4MS) project was jumpstarted and its potential impact on both students and the state of Mississippi.

Kristen Dechert
Project Manager
662.325.2510
kristen.dechert@rcu.msstate.edu