For many years, the state of Mississippi has been at the top of the list when it comes to rural education. Nearly half of the state's students attend a rural school, but its Legislature spends less than all the others, except two, on rural education. This has left many of its rural districts, including Holmes, in a perpetual cycle of failure. In pre-war Mississippi, no public institution provided formal education to its slave population or to free blacks.
The gap between educational achievement in Mississippi and the rest of the nation and between white and black Mississippians is equally dramatic for those with a bachelor's degree or higher degree. The June 1998 district court order, following a conference on the status of the Fordice case, ordered the board to conduct a study of programs that could be implemented at Mississippi Valley State University that would attract students of other races and, therefore, report to the court within a reasonable time. The Natchez School of Commerce and the Southern Scientific Institute, also located in Natchez, and the Chulahoma College and Business Institute in Marshall County were small, fleeting institutions that provided the rudiments of commercial and agricultural education. Over the past few decades, researchers have consistently found that young people who learn in newer, more functional buildings do better than those who attend school in old or poor facilities. The Southern Education Foundation reports that the number of students participating in the 1997 summer recovery program increased to 303 students, of whom 273 completed the program. Given the projection that 80 percent of all new jobs will require education beyond the high school level, Mississippi community colleges will continue to play a useful role in providing the necessary knowledge and skills to people seeking those jobs.
The Department of Education estimates that in 1993, Mississippi had 221 private elementary and secondary schools serving 58,655 students. Money won't solve all these problems, but money and political will can do a lot for poor rural communities. The most important problem is that most states are not creating specific plans to address the myriad challenges faced by rural communities. For the past two decades, the Rural School and Community Trust has tried to change this situation by publishing biennial rankings of what it considers to be the states with the highest priority when it comes to rural education. Roger Malkin, president of the Delta and Pine Land Company in Scott, Mississippi, stated that he thought that part of the problem with public education was that the all-black school board was in favor of mediocrity, not particularly in favor of excellence. If you're already in a city that struggles the way it does, in a county that fights the way it does, there has to be something that attracts people to want to work there. The plaintiffs argued that the formula should be adjusted to take into account the higher cost of corrective education.
This would encourage historically white institutions to offer remedial courses and attract black students and would help historically black institutions provide corrective instruction their students need. It is clear that access to education has changed drastically over time for people living in southern Mississippi. From pre-war times when no public institution provided formal education to its slave population or free blacks to today's situation where Mississippi community colleges are providing necessary knowledge and skills for people seeking jobs requiring education beyond high school level. As an expert on educational reform in Southern Mississippi, I have seen first-hand how access to quality education can make a difference for individuals and communities alike. Despite decades of underinvestment in rural schools across Mississippi, there are still opportunities for improvement.
By investing more resources into rural schools and creating specific plans to address their unique challenges, we can ensure that all students have access to quality education regardless of their zip code. In addition to increased funding for rural schools, we must also focus on increasing access to higher education opportunities for all students. By providing more support for remedial courses at historically white institutions and corrective instruction at historically black institutions we can ensure that all students have access to quality higher education opportunities. Finally, we must also focus on creating an environment where people want to work and live. By investing in infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges as well as providing incentives for businesses to locate in rural areas we can create an environment where people want to work and live. It is clear that access to quality education is essential for individuals and communities alike. By investing more resources into rural schools and creating specific plans to address their unique challenges we can ensure that all students have access to quality education regardless of their zip code.
