MISSISSIPPI LEARNING INSTITUTE

The Mississippi Learning Institute (MLI) funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Barksdale Reading Institute, is a collaborative, the ultimate purpose of which is to improve reading and literacy instruction and outcomes by addressing teaching and learning on two levels: 1) at Jackson State university (JSU) within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) among faculty and the pre-service teachers who are their students and 2) in the Jackson Public School (JPS) district, among teachers and pupils in grades preK-12. This preK-20 collaborative has implemented a process for developing closer ties between the university and the school system––both of which recognize major responsibility in the formal teaching and learning process for the Jackson, Mississippi community. The Mississippi State Department of Education (MSDOE), America Reads Mississippi (ARM) and the Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI), a major funder of MLI, participate in MLI as partners with broad concerns about education outcomes and policy statewide.

The two major vehicles of the MLI partnership are the Executive Committee and the Collaborative Growth Team. The Executive Committee is responsible for defining the Institute’s mission and for providing overall leadership and strategic direction to the organization. It actively sets policy and ensures that the Institute has adequate resources to carry out its mission. There are seven (7) members on the MLI Executive Committee:

Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr., JSU President;
Dr. Velvelyn Foster, JSU Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Life;
Dr. Earl Watkins, JPS Superintendent;
Dr. Bonita Coleman-Potter, JPS Deputy Superintendent;
Dr. Hank Bounds, State Superintendent of Education;
J. Martez Hill, State Deputy of Education; and
Kelly Butler, BRI Director of Strategies.

The Executive Committee is also responsible for selecting and providing oversight and direction to the Executive Director, Nikisha G. Ware. Mrs. Ware provides leadership for the direction, development and implementation of the P-20 initiative and delivers key operational services to ensure the achievement of the Institute’s strategic goals and mission. To this end, she provides programmatic and fiscal management to the MLI staff:

Kymyona Burk, MLI Literacy Coordinator;
Peggy Austin-Green, MLI Budget Director;
Kenya Dotson, Program Coordinator;
Della Archie, ARM Coordinator; and
Summer Graves, ARM Field Specialist.

While the Executive Committee is the main governing body of the initiative, the Collaborative Growth Team handles the details of the instructional improvement work involving CEHD and Mississippi Learning Academy (MLA) schools. The Collaborative Growth Team consists of the JPS principals of MLA schools, the Dean of CEHD, the Associate Superintendent of JPS, and JSU faculty who serve as research partners giving support to teachers and conducting studies in MLA schools. Its members include:

Amy Burks-Berry, JSU Director of Grants, Special Projects and Community Relations;
Mary Ann Bailey, MLA Principal of George Elementary School;
Bobby D. Brown, MLA Principal of Blackburn Middle School;
Dr. Robert Carr, JSU Director of Field-Based and Clinical Experiences;
Dr. Linda Channell, JSU Assistant Professor of Reading;
Theresa Green, MLA Principal of Isable Elementary School;
Dr. Tracy Harris, JSU Assistant Professor of Reading;
Lydia Haynes, MLA Principal of Jim Hill High School;
Dr. Lennie Little, JSU Director of Leadership Academy;
Yolanda Lloyd, MLA Principal of Poindexter Elementary School;
Wilbur Walters, JPS Associate Superintendent;
Dr. Rodney Washington, Associate Professor/Chair, Elementary and Early Childhood Education; and
Dr. Daniel Watkins, JSU Dean of College of Education and Human Development.

Over the past five years, the Institute has collaborated with several entities such as AT&T, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the HOPE Foundation, the Phil Hardin Foundation, the Robert Hearin Foundation, JSU Department of English and Modern Languages, JSU Recreation Services, and Princeton Review (SAT). As we look to the future, we strive to maintain these partnerships and focus on sustaining our work through teacher quality, leadership, resource management, and evaluation.