JANS – Teach Plus, a national teacher leadership organization, has selected a diverse group of 24 educators from around Mississippi for its 2024-2025 Policy Fellowship. The 6th cohort of Policy Fellows will focus on a range of issues during the upcoming year, including college and career readiness, equitable school funding, and the science of reading.
“Over the past year, we’ve talked to many community members, policymakers, and educators. In these conversations, we’ve identified a strong need to better prepare our students in Mississippi for post-secondary success. We want our students to be better readers because it’ll make them more successful in school and in life. We want our schools to be properly funded to ensure our students have access to the resources they need. And we want to make sure that we’re collecting the data that’s essential to making informed decisions from our classrooms all the way to the governor’s office. We know that this is a multi-year goal and we are committed to building our teacher leaders’ expertise in this and subsequent cohorts in achieving this important policy objective,” said Sanford Johnson, Executive Director of Teach Plus Mississippi.
“I am excited to work on students’ college and career readiness as a Teach Plus Policy Fellow,” said Georzetta McDaniel, a 2024-2025 Teach Plus Policy Mississippi Policy Fellow who teaches special education at Merritt Junior High School in the Sunflower County Consolidated School District. “Ensuring that students are prepared for post-secondary education or the workforce can significantly enhance their life opportunities and success. Many students in our state face barriers to college and career readiness, including lack of resources, guidance, and support. Working on this issue would allow me to address these gaps and create equitable opportunities for all students.”
The 2024-2025 Teach Plus Mississippi Policy Fellowship cohort includes a member of the State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council, five National Board Certified Teachers, and a three-time winner of the Mississippi High School Newspaper Adviser of the Year award. Over half of the Fellows come from middle school or high school, which reflects the focus on college and career readiness. Two-thirds of the cohort are teachers of color, which is reflective of the diversity of the state and its students. The Fellows hail from 12 different school districts from the Coast, the Delta, college towns, and several communities in between. Some of the Fellows serve as department chairs, while others coach speech and debate, volleyball, and even pickleball.
“I believe in the value of a college education and want to be able to encourage all interested students to develop good study habits and prepare themselves to be successful in higher education. I am also passionate about helping students who may not want to go to college find a pathway to a career that will not only allow them to pay their bills, but to also find fulfillment in their work,” said Curt Minton, a 2024-2025 Mississippi Policy Fellow who teaches social studies at Oxford Middle School in the Oxford School District.
The 2024-2025 Teach Plus Mississippi Policy Fellows are:
Allison Bunn, Oxford School District
Adam Burton, Starkville-Oktibbeha School District
Yulanda Campbell, Sunflower County Consolidated School District
Jermeka Carter, Tunica County School District
Diala Chaney, Oxford School District
Janice Citchens, West Tallahatchie School District
Alexandria Drake, Jackson Public Schools
Elizabeth Gibbons, Clarksdale Municipal School District
Corissa Gunter, Aberdeen School District
Katie Hayes, Jackson Public Schools
Sydney Heath, Bay-Waveland School District
Laura Hosman, West Tallahatchie School District
Oliver Johnson, Western Line School District
Bre’Ana Marshall, Jackson Public Schools
Georzetta McDaniel, Sunflower County Consolidated School District
Curt Minton, Oxford School District
Brandy Richardson, Scott County School District
Tracee Thompson, Jackson Public Schools
Kimberly Williams, MS Achievement School District
Hannah Bagwell, Rankin County School District (Senior Fellow)
Natoria Kennell-Foster, Oxford School District (Senior Fellow)
Kim Murphy, Pascagoula Gautier School District (Senior Fellow)
Charlette Pettis, Oxford School District (Senior Fellow)
Kristin Scott, Jackson Public Schools (Senior Fellow)
