Mississippi

Mississippi ranks 41st among the states when the Opportunity to Learn of the state’s historically disadvantaged students is combined with a measure of educational quality (3). Mississippi’s Black, Latino and Native American students, taken together, have less than 60 percent of the opportunity to learn in the state’s best-supported, best-performing schools than the state’s White, non-Latino students. A low-income student has approximately 70 percent of the opportunity to learn of the average White, non-Latino student.

The key Opportunity to Learn resources used in this report are high quality early childhood education, highly effective teachers, well-funded instructional materials and a college preparatory curriculum. All students must have equitable access to key educational resources if they are to have equitable opportunities for success. Mississippi ranks 51st among the states (and District of Columbia) in the access of disadvantaged students to combined key educational resources.

Key Research Findings: Mississippi is one of a group of states with comparatively low graduation rates, a high percentage of students from disadvantaged groups and comparatively low funding for instruction.

Opportunity for Success

Black, Latino and low-income students are more likely than White, non-Latino students in Mississippi to be disadvantaged by attending schools where they have little chance of becoming proficient in basic skills and graduating on time. Black students are twice as likely to find themselves in such schools as are White, non-Latino students.

Dividing the percentages of Native American, Black and Latino students in these “drop-out factories” by the percentage of White, non-Latino students in those schools gives us the comparative disadvantage of each group: (Higher numbers are worse: more of a disadvantage)

Taking steps to improve access to key resources, improving the teacher-to-student ratio and increasing the percentage of highly effective teachers in the state’s less effective schools will improve the Opportunity to Learn of the state’s minority and low-income students.

Economic Consequences⁽⁸⁾

Total Annual Economic Burden to Taxpayers Because of Inequity: $101 million(9)

	Potential Return on School Improvement Investment: (Differences attributable to high school graduation per annual cohort)	250%
	State Annual Total Lifetime Health Loss	$20 million
	State Annual Crime-Related Loss	$13 million
	State Tax Losses (Lifetime)	$68 million
	Annual Lost Lifetime Earnings (Difference attributable to high school graduation per annual cohort)	$140 million
	Net Annual Potential Revenue Increase from Equity (After deducting estimated cost of improving schools)	$62 million

Social and Civic Consequences

Changes attributable to educational equalization with highest performing large group:

	College Graduation (25 years of age+)(10) Increase Expected Attributable to Equitable Access
	Black, Latino, Native American (total)	86%
	Employment (11) Increase Expected Attributable to Equitable Access
	With High School Diploma	6%
	Further Increase with Bachelor's Degree	5%
	Income(12) Increase Expected Attributable to Equitable Access
	With High School Diploma	26%
	Further Increase with Bachelor's Degree	67%
	Health(13) Increase Expected Attributable to Equitable Access
	Black, non-Latino	29%
	Latino	24%
	Civic Engagement(14) (National Election Participation)
	Increase Expected Attributable to Equitable Access	1%
	Incarceration(15) Decrease Expected Attributable to Equitable Access to Education
	Black, non-Latino	-67%

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