Nine high school and community college administrators are the first in Mississippi to take part in a new educational leadership training program.
They comprise the inaugural class of the Mississippi chapter of the Education Policy Fellowship Program, a national endeavor established more than 30 years ago to further prepare school professionals for major leadership positions.
The chapter is based at Mississippi State University, where educational leadership department head Ned Lovell serves as state coordinator.
The parent organization is the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Educational Leadership. A non-partisan, not-for-profit body, its sponsors range from the American Express Co. to General Motors Corp. to the Washington Post.
New Mississippi fellows include Diana B. Ezell of Belden, Mike Eaton of Fulton, William H. Bunch of Goodman, Jane Mullins and Etta J. Smith of Jackson, Robert J. Egley of Macon, Wanda J. Quon of Madison, Michael Thomas of Pearl, and Nancy H. Harris of Philadelphia.
"Informed leadership is a basic requirement of educational reform," Lovell said. "Since the federal government rapidly is shifting more responsibility to state and local governments, the quality of school leadership is a matter of serious concern for all states.
"Mississippi must continue to develop leaders who can think strategically about ways to improve instructional quality, empower teachers, utilize community resources and build support from kindergarten through college," he added.
The 10-month fellowship provides a planned sequence of training experiences. While the program's experience "is simple in format, it has proven powerful in impact," Lovell said.
Mississippi is only the second Southern state to join. In addition to North Carolina, other states with previously chartered chapters include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, and Oregon.