Giving Compass' Take:

• This podcast investigates the role of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in the Better Together Commission, and its impact on the community after working with Jackson Public Schools. 

• How can philanthropy work as a mechanism to advance and support school districts in need? How could your local school district benefit from philanthropic intervention? 

• Read more about donors reforming schools in the U.S.

In late 2017, Mississippi’s capital school district, Jackson Public Schools (JPS), was at risk of being taken over by the state. As the second largest school district in the state, the prospect of JPS being absorbed into the state’s Achievement School District was concerning for the community, City, and State, especially considering Jackson’s fraught racial history with education. All sides sought alternatives, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation helped to find a third way, by advocating for and allocating $3 million to form the Better Together Commission (BTC) – a community centric approach to school improvement. This podcast examines how JPS was almost taken over, what that meant in the context of JPS’s past, and highlights the role of the community, W.K. Kellogg and the other stakeholders in the BTC. 

Listen to the full podcast about philanthropy and school districts by Yumeka Rushing, Michelle Henry, Deeneaus Polk, Katie Stenclik, and Phoenix McLaughlin at Philanthropy and Social Movements.