Site Visits

NDSG honors the importance of place-based experiences.  In 2012 NDSG members made a commitment to organizing a place-based annual meeting.  We spend time visiting different regional schools and organizations.  These 'site' visits connect us to the place and issues framing our on-going discussions about education.

The listed site visits are anticipated although details may change. When you register you will choose a first and second choice for your site visit. 

Brinkley Middle School

Brinkley Middle School, attended by Albert Sykes (Executive Director of IDEA), was home to the Algebra Project launched by Bob Moses in Jackson in 1982.  You will visit the school, learn about the power of The Algebra Project, and its successor Young People’s Project, founded in 1996.

Jackson State University

An introduction by College of Education and Human Development Dean Daniel Watkins to teacher education programs.  Emphasis is on programs that recruit and prepare teachers for schools that are hard to resource, an especially those in Jackson.  There will be a visit to the Lottie W. Thornton Education Center.​

Northwest Jackson Middle School

Northwest Jackson International Baccalaureate Middle School serves about 400 students from throughout the city of Jackson.  Students are enrolled in grades 6 through 8 in the IB Middle Years Program.  The school offers many clubs, activities, and sports and has high standards for students.

Lanier High School 

​Serving about 900 students, Lanier High School was founded in 1925 as a junior and senior high school and named for William Henry Lanier, superintendent of black schools.  Today, Lanier occupies the oldest building in JPS, meeting many challenges faced by urban students and teachers.

Midtown Public Charter School

Midtown Public Charter School opened in 2015 as part of state initiative to offer school choice in communities of failing public schools. Serving 5th and 6th graders in its first years, the school is expanded to 7th and 8th graders.  This visit is paired with a tour of the new MS Civil Rights Museum.  

Civil Rights Museum and
Medgar Evers' Home

Jackson’s deep involvement in the Civil Rights movement is highlighted in visits to the new Civil Rights Museum and to house where Medgar Evers was shot on
​June 12, 1963, coming home from a meeting carrying shirts saying “Jim Crow Must Go.”  ​

Smith Robertson Museum

Located in the building that housed the first African- American public school in Jackson, the museum houses exhibits, some from the Smithsonian collection, that focus on African-American life in Mississippi.  Exhibits honor notable persons, including author, Richard Wright. It offers gracious space as well as grounding in local history.  Pair this with a longer visit to the Civil Rights Museum.

George Elementary School

This visit focuses on the pre-kindergarten and elementary programs of George Elementary School, which serves 170 students, and Parents for Public Schools of Jackson, funded in 2017, with support from the Kellogg Foundation, to promote parent leadership.

Museum of Muslim Cultures

The International Museum of Muslim Cultures was founded to promote exploration of the heritage of excellence in African and Muslim cultures and the potential of this tradition to empower African American Youth.  ​

Mississippi Southern Poverty Law Center

Across Mississippi, the state’s schools push out almost 40 percent of public school students. Many times ineffective discipline policies create a prison-like environment where children are removed from classrooms – or even handcuffed – for minor infractions such as school uniform violations. At this session, Jody Owens will share the work of SPLC lawyers and community advocates to reform Mississippi’s broken schools and abusive juvenile justice system.

Young People’s Project Youth Orientation

This interactive workshop for high school students and local leaders is sponsored by The Young People’s Project, a successor to The Algebra Project.  It focuses on games and activities for math literacy while addressing institutional and individual barriers to college readiness.