Mississippi Delta
Schools
Delta corps members rally around the need for strong leaders in the classrooms, schools, and local communities. The achievement gap in the Delta is palpable, with children facing the dual obstacles of attending public schools that are performing sub-par compared to other schools in the state, and living in one of the most economically depressed areas of our nation. One-third of the population lives below the poverty line and more than one-third (and as high as 60 percent in some areas) of its residents do not hold high school diplomas or GEDs. On average, only 10% of low-income eighth-graders score proficient in math, and only 12.5% in reading, on national exams.
With private schools serving middle to upper-income students, and its public schools serving mainly lower-income students, Delta children are educated in a system that is largely segregated along race and class lines.
Motivated by the evident injustices and the prospect for collective impact, dedicated corps members quickly become key players in school-wide reform efforts. There is ample opportunity for teachers to play a part in efforts to improve the schools, as most Delta teachers have reasonable latitude in constructing or enriching their own curricula. While this brings tremendous added responsibility to corps members, most welcome the opportunity to influence student achievement as an exciting challenge. In Greenville, the district asked corps members to play leading roles in the program First Thing’s First, which groups teachers and students into "learning communities" where students have the same few teachers for all four years of high school. Corps members in Indianola were hired to head up an after-school program at Carver Upper Elementary School, and the fifth-grade teachers at Anna Strong Elementary in Marianna, Ark., received a grant to run their own after-school program. Corps members have been the primary driving forces behind a remodeled library in Moorhead, Miss.; a renovated keyboard lab in Hughes, Ark.; trips to Washington, D.C., France, Spain, and Honduras for students; a brand new soccer league and a cross country team. Across the Delta, corps members serve as department chairpersons, extra-curricular leaders, and sports team coaches.
At a Glance
Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population
(Combined AR and MS Public Schools) |
| 85% African-American |
| 11% Caucasian |
| <1% Latino/Hispanic |
| <1% Asian-American |
| <1% Native American |
| <1% Other |
Ethnic Breakdown-County Population
(Combined AR and MS Counties) |
| 62% African-American |
| 36% Caucasian |
| 2% Latino/Hispanic |
| <1% Asian-American |
| <1% Native American |
| <1% Other |
| Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch |
| 89% |
| Placements |
|
33% elementary teachers |
|
67% secondary teachers |
|
97% teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
K-12 grade level placements
- self-contained elementary
- departmentalized elementary (including art and music)
- specific subject secondary, including art and music
- special education
|
Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
