Following the Leaders Flag Presentation Scheduled 2/10/2003
From: Kimberly Tulp of Following the Leaders, 202-261-2605 Christie Farese of MS Dept. of Education, 601-782-4648 News Advisory: What: Flag presentation to publicize Mississippi participation in the federally funded Following the Leaders education program. When: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 Where: Hayes Cooper Center 500 North Martin Luther King Dr., Merigold, MS 38759 662-748-2734 NOTE: event to be held in library Attendees: -- Dr. Henry Johnson, Mississippi State Superintendent of Education -- Dr. John Jordan, Mississippi Deputy State Superintendent of Education -- Reggie Barnes, District Superintendent, Cleveland Schools -- Beverly Hardy, Principal, Hayes Cooper Center -- Andrew Westerfield, Mayor of Merigold, MS Over 7,500 students from 16 Mississippi schools currently benefit from a nationwide project to improve student achievement called "Following the Leaders." National and state education leaders will present a "Following the Leaders" flag to Hayes Cooper Center School in the Cleveland School District at a ceremony to be held Wednesday, February 12. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, "Following the Leaders" is a national initiative aimed to put the policies of the new "No Child Left Behind Act" into immediate action to ensure that every child learns. The project provides online lesson plans, activities and assessments to support what students are learning in the classroom. Teachers have immediate access to research, materials and resources without leaving their classrooms. They also have tools to better track individual student performance and to communicate up-to-date student data directly to parents. Twenty-eight states competed to take part in "Following the Leaders," and only six were selected, including Mississippi. The program is slated for expansion within Mississippi and to additional states. Nationwide, over 36,000 students from 74 schools participate in Following the Leaders. More information: -- Kimberly Tulp, 202-261-2605, Following the Leaders -- Christie Farese, 601-782-4648, MS Dept. of Education |