The Parents' Campaign Research and Education Fund

Legislative analysis:the Parents' Campaign Research and Education Fund (tpcref) analyzed legislation during The 2023 legislative session, evaluating potential positive and negative effects on students, public schools, and communities. As provided for in The cost sharing agreement between The Fund and The Parents' Campaign, The analyses were also shared widely with The media and The public through social media and emails to The Parents' Campaign's 65,000 members.education bills were tracked and analyzed as they moved through The legislative process in 2023. Primary legislation monitored:- hb 730 - expand eligibility for winter-reed teacher loan repayment program- hb 731 - nbct salary supplement for geographic shortage areas- hb 817 - funding amendments to early learning collaborative act- hb 1175 - funding for preschool exceptional children- hb 1184 - salary supplement for teachers in geographic shortage areas- hb 1365 - prohibit reductions to assistant teacher salaries- hb 1369 - maep technical amendments- hb 1373 - diminish instructional time- hb 1613 - pre-k-12 appropriation- hb 1671 - private school funding- hb 1734 - private school funding- sb 2314 - funding amendments to early learning collaborative act- sb 2319 - salary supplement for teachers in geographical critical shortage areas- sb 2367 - amendments to public school facilities loan program- sb 2585 - expand eligibility for winter-reed teacher loan repayment program- sb 2811 - prohibit local supplement reductions to assistant teacher salaries- sb 3052 - private school infrastructure funding

Advocacy:tpcref gave presentations and speeches, participated in panel discussions, and granted media interviews on Education topics including Mississippi's teacher shortage and teacher salary increases, The school choice and privatization agenda that threatens public schools, school funding and The particular needs of low-income students, The positive effect of adequate funding on achievement, The history of underfunding in Mississippi public schools, The importance of pre-k investment, and more.tpcref outreach staff conducted advocacy training for parents, sharing strategies and tools for effective grassroots advocacy and educating participants on The broad range of issues affecting The strength of their children's public schools.in january through march of 2023, tpcref hosted a series of events to engage The public on The goal of fully funding public schools during The 2023 legislative session. Fulfilling The promise of The maep brought together parents, advocates, members of The media, educators, and others to learn The history of school funding in Mississippi and how The state's current revenue picture and legislative capacity make this a prime time to finally fulfill The promise of our adequate funding formula, The maep. Event locations included: biloxi, jackson, oxford, hernando, kosciusko, indianola, hattiesburg, vicksburg, meridian, and cleveland.collaboration:the partners listed below are like-minded organizations that share tpcref's vision of a strong, equitable public Education system in Mississippi. With The exception of The Education law center and newer organizations such as pastors for children and working together, tpcref since its inception in 2013 has supported The work of all of these partners by providing Research and statistics that fill critical information needs related to children and public education.since 2016, The Education law center has depended upon tpcref to provide timely, accurate data on Mississippi school poverty rates, english language learners, special Education, and school district funding needed to support its national work. Similar data produced by tpcref is utilized by The Mississippi center for justice as it seeks to protect vulnerable children. The southern regional office of The children's defense Fund and The southern poverty law center have been strong partners in tpcref's work to empower local leaders and parents in minority communities. Tpcref participates in regular roundtables with advocates from these and other organizations to collaborate on strategies to support and strengthen public schools.with The Mississippi association of educators, Mississippi professional educators, Mississippi school boards association, Mississippi association of school administrators, and Mississippi association of school superintendents, tpcref shares national and global policy Research and state policy updates that support The organizations' work to inform educators and school board members, important constituencies in empowered communities.current and prior partner organizations:- barksdale reading institute- center on budget and policy priorities- children's defense Fund- children's foundation of Mississippi- democracy forward- Education law center- hope policy institute- league of women voters- Mississippi association of educators- Mississippi association of school administrators- Mississippi association of school superintendents- Mississippi center for justice- Mississippi economic council- Mississippi low-income child care initiative- Mississippi professional educators- Mississippi school boards association- naacp- one voice- parents for public schools- pastors for Mississippi children- southern echo- southern poverty law center- s.t.a.n.d.- together for hope- working together jackson- working together Mississippi

Research:tpcref added value to The public discourse on Education issues in 2022-2023 by conducting Research, analyzing data, and publishing reports on various topics:- public school funding- state budget and preserving revenue for essential services- teacher salaries- pre-k investment- privatization- Education policy in other states: tpcref tracks data and reports from other states regarding Education policy, particularly on The issues of privatization, funding, early childhood, charter schools, and academic standards. The lessons gleaned from The experiences of other states informs our Research on most Education issues.website:tpcref continued to expand its website (launched june of 2020) with legislative analysis, Research and policy information, and data/briefs/infographs on school funding, achievement, early childhood Education, and privatization.