For Mississippi's public education system to succeed, communities must take an active part in schools and have high expectations for students, the state's superintendent of education said Wednesday.
"We have to realize that boys and girls from Greenwood aren't just going to compete with boys and girls from Greenville or Indianola or Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee. They're going to compete for jobs with boys and girls from across this country and around the globe," said Dr. Hank Bounds, who spoke to the Greenwood Voters League. "We have to think about where we are in terms of where others are."
Bounds' audience included Cedell Pulley, the Leflore County superintendent of education, as well as his wife, Margie Pulley, an assistant superintendent with the Greenwood school district. Also attending were Pann Powers, the newest member of the Greenwood School Board; Jim Mattox, a Greenwood school district assistant superintendent; and Kirby Love, assistant principal at Greenwood High School.
Bounds said the state has made strides toward closing the achievement gap with other states but disparities still exist.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the state is still lagging in four key areas: fourth-grade reading and mathematics and eighth-grade reading and math.
"In those assessment areas, we rank 48th, 49th, 49th and 50th. Clearly not where we want to be," Bounds told the group.
But, he added, some encouraging progress has been made. "If you look at the past 10 to 12 years, in mathematics, Mississippi has ranked in the top 10 states in overall improvement. In reading, Mississippi ranked in the top 20 states in overall improvement. We're closing the gap on the nation," he said. "If Mississippi can move off the bottom, into the 30s, that will say a lot about our state."
Bounds said more must be done to reduce the state's high school dropout rate, which stands at around 26 percent.
"From the time you woke up this morning until the time you wake up tomorrow morning, approximately 36 students will have dropped out of school in Mississippi," Bounds said. "That's 36 students who will not contribute to our economy in a meaningful way.
"There's no question that student outcomes could be better. My question to you is: What are you going to do to make that better?" he said.
Bounds exhorted people to adopt an "off seat and on feet" mentality to "make it happen."
That requires parents to get more involved with the daily activities of their children.
"You've got to quit dropping your kids off at school and thinking that teachers are going to pour knowledge into them," he said. "If you want good schools, you can get good schools. You can't say, 'Teachers, principals and superintendents, it's up to you.'"
He said the state's curriculum testing must be strengthened this year, and as a result, many schools might drop from Level 5 to a Level 4 or even a Level 3.
"We've got to raise the bar," Bounds said.
He also hopes for a change in attitude in Jackson regarding education funding. That includes fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program on a yearly basis, he said.
"We've got to convince this state that the only way we can pull this state up is by pulling on the schoolhouse doors," Bounds said.
