Just for the Kids
Best Practice Institutes:
Findings from Mississippi Schools

The Mississippi Department of Education, The Broad Foundation and National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) are pleased to release NCEA’s Executive Summary of the 2005 Just for the Kids Best Practice Institute featuring practices of Mississippi public elementary schools.

Mississippi was among 20 states that participated in 2005 Just for the Kids (JFTK) Best Practice Studies and Institutes designed to inform improvement efforts based on the exemplary practices found in higher performing schools and systems. Through this report of the practices of elementary schools that are successful in raising student achievement, schools in need of improvement can gain direct and practical insight from schools in Mississippi and other states. "Data and concrete examples of practices that lead to success can inspire and empower educators," said Dr. Hank M. Bounds, Superintendent of Education for the State of Mississippi. "This report will provide guidance to our school leaders and help them to implement proven practices."

Goals and Uses for Results

Some schools are more successful at raising student achievement and reaching higher standards than others. We wanted to know what these schools were doing and how their practices could help other schools. The goal of this study is to reaffirm that high academic achievement for all students is possible and to examine the principles and practices that lead to success. Toward that end, a team of NCEA researchers spoke with district leaders, principals, and teachers at schools in Mississippi and examined the practices of educators in those schools. Those practices are the subject of this summary report.

JFTK Best Practice Studies and Institutes cover specific strategies being used to build leadership capacity, offer intervention to students, make research-based selections of instructional programs, and much more. In addition to NCEA’s Executive Summary of individual state best practices, comprehensive studies for schools with diverse demographics are organized around an interactive JFTK Framework of Best Practices that is accessible at www.just4kids.org. Additionally, www.just4kids.org offers tools that allow schools and districts to conduct self-audits to see how their current practices align with The Framework.

Just for the Kids Process

Since 2001, NCEA as national sponsor of Just for the Kids, has been focused on finding and sharing excellence in educational practices through the study of consistently higher performing schools in partnership with state-based research and education organizations.

The structure of the JFTK Best Practice Framework is used to examine the successful practices of higher performing schools in each state.

The Framework is not a theoretical creation; it is based on the study of nearly 500 schools and systems across the nation. The Framework only includes the activities and practices that distinguish higher performing schools from average performing schools.

In The Framework, quality instruction is supported systemically by district and school practices, as well as by those in the classroom. It is also important to remember that the big picture helps us make sense of individual pieces.

Interconnectedness of practices is critical in The Framework. However, these programs and practices are presented as examples of what is working in some school systems and should not be interpreted as a prescriptive list of programs or strategies.

About the Mississippi Institute

The 2005 JFTK-Mississippi Best Practice Institute, held in Jackson, was made possible in part through national funding from The Broad Foundation and NCEA, as well as with local support from the Mississippi Department of Education. It included superintendents, principals, and classroom teachers from consistently higher performing elementary schools from across the state. Participating schools were chosen for their record of student achievement – these schools outperformed their demographically similar peers on the state proficient or advanced standard in every grade and subject tested over three years. Educators were joined by researchers from NCEA in a day of dialogue and exchange about the specific educational practices that distinguish their schools from other schools in the state. The results of that dialogue are recorded in the NCEA Executive Summary.

To learn more about participating higher performing elementary schools in Mississippi, use the following information links:

• Mississippi Institute NCEA Executive Summary
• www.Just4kids.org/MS
• Mississippi Contact: Kristopher J. Kaase, Ph.D. Associate Superintendent, Office of Academic Education, Mississippi Department of Education
• NCEA Institute Coordinator: Susan Whisenant

The National Center for Educational Achievement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 01-0577238) whose founding organizations include Just for the Kids, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Education Commission of the States.

www.just4kids.org