Gazebo Gazette

Holly Spivey, Governor Reeves’ Education Policy Advisor, and state legislative leaders Representative Richard Bennett, Representative Kevin Felsher, and Representative Kent McCarty stopped in Long Beach School District to see Mission Acceleration in action. This pilot program, funded through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER), is designed to accelerate reading achievement for children in Mississippi.

Through Long Beach’s participation in the Mississippi Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, the district was selected to join in the pilot project with the Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction (CELI) and the University of Mississippi. This project was developed to address the need for learning recovery due to extended periods of time spent out of school or learning asynchronously during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program has significantly impacted the achievements of participating students according to Long Beach project coordinator Jennifer Gordon.

“I wholeheartedly believe the Mission Acceleration program is golden in our district,” Gordon said. “I have seen students make meaningful connections with a role model, improve in literacy skills, and get excited to read! I have students who hated to read, never wanted to volunteer, and honestly acted out because they were embarrassed that they could not read. Now, I have those students wearing glasses and coming to me to borrow new books to read.”

“This is a chance for struggling readers to catch up – to accelerate – and they do! I feel this program is a huge success and will only get better. It is vital that we continue services to accelerate our future Mississippians.”

Continued funding is crucial to schools being able to maintain programs that are providing the tools to bridge the learning-loss gaps created during COVID-19 according to Assistant Superintendent Kelleigh Reynolds-Broussard who was instrumental in bringing Mission Acceleration to Long Beach.

“It is most appreciated that our legislators visited onsite to see the impact on our students by way of the implementation of Mission Acceleration within Long Beach School District,” Reynolds-Broussard said. “Funding for programs addressing educational gaps is critical to continuing growth from the learning losses due to COVID-19 and to work toward preparing students to become proficient readers.”

House Education Chairman Richard Bennett was happy to see students engaged and excited to be learning.

“It’s a great program. It really gives the kids who are falling behind a chance to catch up with their peers. I think once you fall behind you never catch up without this type of help and I think this is a great thing for those students and for the state of Mississippi,” Bennett said.

“I was impressed by the students’ enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of the people teaching them. It was fun for them, and I think going to summer school sometimes is a dreaded thing to do. The kids were having fun, and they were enjoying their summer; so, it was great. Whenever you can have fun learning, it’s a great situation.”

The excitement of students being tutored was also impressive to House Education Committee Vice-Chairman Kent McCarty.

“I think all the students who were here today really seemed engaged; they seemed excited to be here. They seemed genuinely to be enjoying the whole experience. That was surprising to someone who doesn’t remember fourth or fifth grade very fondly. To see these kids with a smile on their face, spending their summer back at school and enjoying it, was really impressive to see,” McCarty said.

Representative Felsher, who was also among the program’s visitors in Long Beach, was impressed by Mission Acceleration.

“To see the impact it is having on children, especially the children who most need it, is really heart-warming, and it makes me a believer of the program,” Felsher said. “I loved watching the tutors with the children. You could see them responding and having that one-on-one relationship seemed to really be impactful for them.”

For more information on Mission Acceleration visit: www.msmissionacceleration.org.