Mississippi Connects: MDE Successfully Mobilizes Digital Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Will Graves

More than 325,000 tech devices were distributed to school districts across the state this fall, marking the successful launch of Mississippi Connects, the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE’s) digital learning plan.

As school leaders began navigating the challenges of the worldwide pandemic and shifted to distance-learning models in 2020, it became clear how vital computer access was to the continuity of classroom learning.

To ensure students and teachers were equipped for virtual classes, the Mississippi Legislature allocated $200 million to the MDE through the Equity in Distance Learning Act (EDLA) and the Mississippi Pandemic Response Broadband Availability Act to fund Mississippi Connects. This funding made Mississippi the only state in the nation at the time to implement a comprehensive digital learning program that provided computers to every public school student in the state.

Dr. Carey Wright, Mississippi’s state superintendent of education, applauded the Legislature for its investment to provide all students with the digital tools necessary to be successful learners.

“The unexpected need for distance learning provided Mississippi with the opportunity to re-imagine the digital learning experience and create an innovative approach to getting students what they need to learn, whether in a classroom or at home,” she said. “With this investment from the Legislature, Mississippi sees the urgent need for technology and is ready to meet that need to ensure every student can succeed.”

Charley Miller (left) and Moses Robinson, two students enrolled at Rankin County School District's (RCSD's) Puckett Elementary School, pose with laptops distributed this fall.

To receive computers through the program, school districts conducted surveys to evaluate the need for access to technology and internet services, allowing them to determine how many devices were needed throughout their own districts. Each district applied to reserve the number of devices it needed and submitted a digital learning plan.

Devices began arriving at school districts in September, and all schools received their requests by November.

Prior to the launch of Mississippi Connects, some districts were already working toward a goal of a 1-to-1 student-to-device ratio. In the Rankin County School District (RCSD), students in grades 7-12 were already equipped with devices. Mississippi Connects allowed the district to provide devices to all pre-K through sixth grade students.

“This year, our order [for grades 7-12] was for 4,650 MacBook Airs that were rolled out at the beginning of the school year. We received 5,050 Chromebooks that supplemented what we had on hand for grades 3-6 and 4,710 iPads for pre-K through second grade,” said Dr. Amanda Harris, the RCSD director of technology. “[Because of Mississippi Connects], we were able to finally get our pre-K through sixth grade students to a 1-to-1 device ratio.”

RCSD Network Specialist Hunter Brock works alongside members of Highland Bluff Elementary School’s student technology team during the fall semester.

RCSD staff at Pelahatchie Elementary School prepare new laptops for use before distributing them to students in the fall semester.

The rollout for Mississippi Connects was a massive undertaking due to the sheer number of devices needed during a time of extremely high demand for computers, but according to Dr. Leanne Long, the director of instructional technology and distance learning for the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District (SOCSD), the EDLA provided a quick turnaround in computer program enrollment and installation so devices could be distributed almost immediately.

“There were many MDE meetings and webinars that we attended during September and October to prepare ourselves for receiving the devices,” she said. “Once the devices were received, the SOCSD organized them in numerical order; placed an SOCSD sticker on each device; assigned inventory numbers to each school in the district; organized training for students, parents and teachers; and provided distribution dates and times over a three-week period in November.”

From left to right: District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson discusses technology needs of students brought on by the shift to distance learning with Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District (SOCSD) Director of Instructional Technology Dr. Leanne Long, District 38 Rep. Cheikh Taylor and SOCSD Superintendent Dr. Eddie Peasant prior to a demonstration ofhardware in November.

While the first major step of the program was to get computers to all students in the state, the new digital learning plan also expanded internet connectivity, provided access to digital curricula and learning management systems and connected students to telehealth and teletherapy services, as well as training and technology support for successful digital learning.

“We were able to expand outdoor Wi-Fi access at all of our middle and high schools,” Harris said. “Additionally, we purchased a fleet of personal hot spots available for checkout, community hot spots that have been installed at churches in rural areas and bus hot spots that can be deployed as needed. Our goal is that access to reliable Wi-Fi will be available to students who do not otherwise have it in the event they are in a quarantine or stay-at-home learning environment.”

The expansion of virtual learning was a significant change for many educators, students and parents in a short amount of time. Mississippi Connects continues to provide online resources ensuring all students can continue learning from school or home and that teachers have the training and support needed for their new, innovative classroom environments.

For William Bradford, a math teacher at Jackson Public Schools’ (JPS’) Murrah High School, the efforts of teachers and administrators in the early stages of the transition to virtual learning are continuing to pay off, and he wants parents to know students are still actively engaging with teachers and diving into course materials during class time despite not being in a traditional face-to-face setting.

“This is uncharted territory,” he said in a JPS video post. “We’re all new to it, but I would definitely say to give it a chance because there is … learning going on. Our teachers here at Murrah, as well as across the district, have done a lot of preparation to make sure that your child is not just looking at a screen for 60 minutes. Your child is interacting with the teacher, as well as the instruction piece.”

Partnership Middle School (PMS) seventh graders Sophie Taylor (left) and Kylon Hampton work together in class on a SOCSD Chromebook.

From left to right: PMS seventh graders Mary Reeves Gordon, Madison Scott, Addyson Vickers and Kylee Ledlow utilize Chromebooks for an in-class project in November.