Contact: Emile Creel

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The first three audio podcasts highlighting major achievements in Mississippi’s K-12 public education are available today [March 8]. 

“Mississippi ED Talk” will be a monthly production of the Research and Curriculum Unit at Mississippi State University. The podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud, or by visiting www.rcu.msstate.edu/MSEDTalk.

Since being established in 1965, the RCU has worked to enhance and improve public education in Mississippi through development of curricula and teaching assessments, as well as direct training and learning opportunities.

Podcast co-hosts Anne Hierholzer Lang and Gabrielle Barrientos will be speaking with a range of K-12 administrators, teachers and others about new and promising instructional practices. Lang is RCU editor, while Barrientos is an RCU graduate research assistant pursuing an MSU master’s degree in public policy and administration.

The programs will “reveal the unique strategies that Magnolia State educators are using to ensure academic excellence, equip students for the workforce and maximize educational opportunities for students,” said RCU Project Manager Kristen Dechert. 

“Mississippi’s educators have a lot to be proud of,” she emphasized.

While members of the public education community make up the primary audience, local and state officials and economic development leaders also can benefit, Dechert said.

“Listeners will be exposed to a wide variety of topics, from the statewide push to bring computer science into Mississippi’s schools to innovative strategies being adopted by individual school districts,” she said. “The convenience of the podcast format allows listeners to expand their knowledge as they go about their daily lives.”

For complete information on the RCU’s mission, visit www.rcu.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.