Jackson Public Schools will benefit from a $1 million grant provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, although the district itself is not the recipient.

The local organization Parents for Public Schools Jackson received the grant last month. It will be dispensed over a three-year period.

Parents for Public Schools Jackson is a local non-profit devoted to public education through community engagement. The organization offers multiple programs designed to increase the number of parents and other stakeholders who are engaged in the district’s decision making processes.

The Kellogg grant will enable the organization to continue to fund programs aimed at improving literacy rates in the district.

Kellogg Director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs Rhea Williams Bishop said Kellogg chose to fund Parents for Public Schools Jackson because the organization is focused on making sure parents “know how to address (and) communicate the needs of their children to teachers and administrators, as well as the school board.”

The Kellogg Foundation is known for providing grants to groups that work to improve education in Mississippi, two of the organization’s focus areas.

“This is a big component of our work, so in order to actually have children who are educated and ready for schools you gotta have parents who are engaged and involved in their children’s education,” Bishop said. “That’s what they do, they make sure that parents are trained and well connected.”

The city of Jackson and Jackson Public Schools are also focus areas for the Kellogg Foundation, and Parents for Public Schools Jackson’s national affiliate, Parents for Public Schools also receives funding, Bishop said. Parents for Public Schools also is based in Jackson and operates chapters in 13 states.

“We’re proud to have received the support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and see it as a vote of confidence in the work we have done, and a matter of trust that we can continue to improve on our successes on a deeper level,” Parents for Public Schools Jackson executive director Carolyn Jolivette said in a release.

Jackson Public Schools spokesman Sherwin Johnson said Parents for Public Schools Jackson is a “longtime valued partner” of the district.

“The organization continues to be instrumental in providing workshops and training for our teachers and career internship opportunities for our students,” Johnson said. “We value their partnership and look forward to maximizing their resources to align with our efforts to engage parents and the community through the Ask For More Arts and other initiatives.”

 

 


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Kayleigh Skinner joined the Mississippi Today team in January 2017 as an education and legislative reporter and advanced to a senior staff member in her four years with the company. Before joining Mississippi Today, Kayleigh worked at The Hechinger Report, Chalkbeat Tennessee, and The Commercial Appeal. She has appeared on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC Newsday Radio to discuss her reporting.

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