In Mississippi, Responding to a Teacher Retention Crisis

In recent months, both Mississippi First and Teach Plus Mississippi have issued reports advocating for bold legislative action that would fund staffing redesign pilots, and they highlighted Opportunity Culture® design.In this audio piece, hear from the leaders of both groups and a Teach Plus Mississippi policy fellow about the dire need they hear from teachers throughout the state to ease the conditions leading to burnout and to great teachers leaving the profession altogether—and their hopes for how things could change for teachers, students, and parents if schools start using the teaching teams proven to support teachers and increase student learning.When she visited schools already using Multi-Classroom Leader® teams, Teach Plus Mississippi Policy Fellow Sharon Buckhanan said, “the teachers had nothing but good things to say. They loved it. They loved how it worked. They loved seeing the students improve and the data that was being collected from it of how the design was working.”In a state that has made great strides, becoming a national leader in literacy, policymakers can make another major difference by supporting districts in bringing that joy to many more teachers, they say.Note: Opportunity Culture®, Public Impact®, and Multi-Classroom Leader® are terms used in this podcast for which Public Impact® holds a registered trademark, and MCL™ and Reach Associate™ are trademarked term.Related Links:Transcript: In Mississippi, Responding to a Teacher Retention Crisis“A Lever to Ignite Reading Achievement”—Opportunity Culture® Audio interviews Dr. Michael Cormack about his experience bringing Opportunity Culture® design to Jackson Public Schools in MississippiMississippi First; The Weight They Carry: Life as a Teacher in MississippiTeach Plus Mississippi; Reimagining School Staffing: Recommendations from Teach Plus MS Policy FellowsOpportunity Culture® staffing redesign details and results