In rural Mississippi, where education disparities are significant, local leaders are stepping in to address gaps created by limited resources and geographic isolation.
Mississippi has one of the highest child poverty rates in the U.S., with one in three children living below the poverty line. This creates a difficult environment for many families trying to provide quality education for their children.
Yolanda Minor, state director of Save the Children Mississippi, is leading efforts to improve educational outcomes for children in some of the state’s most underserved areas. She highlights several barriers to education, including poverty, limited access to quality early education, teacher shortages, and geographic isolation.
In many rural areas, children have little access to early education programs, and teacher shortages mean that long-term substitutes are often filling in for certified educators. Even getting to school can be a challenge in these areas.
To address these challenges, some communities have partnered with churches and school districts to create tutoring hubs. In Quitman County, for example, these hubs offer extra academic support to students after school hours.
Early learning advocates emphasize the importance of investing in education at a young age. Nick Carrington, managing director of community impact for Save the Children, notes that children who attend preschool and other high-quality learning programs are better prepared for kindergarten and often show improved reading skills by third grade.
“We’re working with 25 rural communities across eight states in what is now a national network,” Carrington said. “These communities are learning from one another to strengthen their efforts.”
Minor also pointed out that simple changes, like adjusting school bus routes to provide more access to different locations, have been effective in increasing participation.
“By having churches serve as tutoring hubs and revising bus routes to make services more accessible, we can reach children who may not have transportation,” Minor explained.
Despite these efforts, advocates say rural education in Mississippi still lacks the funding and infrastructure needed to ensure all students have an equal start. A report from the National Rural Education Association last year ranked Mississippi among the states most in need of increased funding to support students in rural districts and to attract and retain qualified teachers.
