The Alluvial Collective Hosts Community Listening Sessions 

To Improve Public School Grading System

This series opens the door to new ways of supporting local schools and educators.

Cleveland, Miss.– The Alluvial Collective, formerly known as the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, is launching a series of community listening sessions with the goal of giving parents, teachers, students, and others in the community a chance to voice their opinions about the state’s public school rating system. The first discussion is scheduled to start Tuesday, November 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Baioni Conference Center at Delta State University. 

The Mississippi Department of Education began the accountability grading system in 2013 as a way of monitoring student performance and graduation rates. While the grading system follows state and federal requirements, it is constantly under re-evaluation by legislators and policy leaders. One absent voice, however, is from the community: local educators, parents, and community leaders. The Alluvial Collective’s listening session hopes to fill this gap. 

“There are schools that are rated low, and we ask what’s being done in these communities to turn it around?” says Chauncey Spears, Systems & Leader Engagement Manager at the Alluvial Collective. “If we get input from people in the surrounding community, we can get a clearer picture about what school accountability looks like, where we can make adjustments, and enact change. Student voices are also central to shaping change. We’re excited to hear their perspectives.”

Gaining community feedback ensures Mississippi schools are rated more equitably, with community needs taken into consideration, and also opens the door to more specific resources schools can offer– such as training for new businesses in the area. Most importantly, these listening sessions bridge the gap between people, policies, and the decisions that build Mississippi’s future.

The event is free and open to the public. Dinner is provided and childcare is available via this request form. For more information, contact Chauncey Spears at spears@alluvailcollective.org. 

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About The Alluvial Collective: The Alluvial Collective works to end inequity based on difference by cultivating belonging and wholeness in the world. The Alluvial Collective does this by supporting youth engagement opportunities and creating intentional space for communities to bridge divides, form new connections, and work together to create measurable change across the state. Learn more about The Alluvial Collective by visiting our website: https://alluvialcollective.org/