A Debate Over How To Improve Schools In Mississippi

08:59

September 18, 2013

In this May 2, 2012 photograph taken in Marks, Miss., a school bus is parked in Marks, Mississippi, a town of about 1,600 in the Delta. (Laura Tillman/AP)

In Mississippi, students regularly lack basic supplies, textbooks and access to science labs. Standardized test scores and graduation rates are among the worst in the country.

According to the Hechinger Report, the state has only fully funded its school system three times since 1997, and per-pupil spending is falling each year.

The biggest impact is actually bringing certified, qualified teachers to the Delta.
Reva Pree, principal

We're giving them money, but the grades just keep going down, down, down.
Terry Brown, state senator

Read more of the Hechinger Report's coverage on Mississippi

Guests

Reva Pree, principal of Lucy Webb Elementary School in Greenville, Mississippi.
Terry Brown, Mississippi State Senate President Pro Tempore, representing District 17.

This segment aired on September 18, 2013.