The Department of Education has been under attack by people motivated by the perceived failure of the system to improve educational achievement on the elementary and high school levels or the desire to dramatically reduce spending and waste during troubled economic times. A new program introduced in four states seems to address competency and…

Teachers in Louisiana may soon think twice before sending a text message or e-mail to a student from a personal electronic device. A new state law requires all Louisiana districts to implement policies requiring documentation of every electronic interaction between teachers and students through a nonschool-issued device, such as a personal…

Recollects summer 1964, when hundreds of civil rights workers went to Mississippi to aid Black voter registration. Points out that the movie "Mississippi Burning" ignores the courageous struggle of Mississippi Blacks and, instead, presents a disempowering version of history focusing on violent White males (the Klan and the FBI). (SV)

Discusses six persuasive strategies utilized in Mississippi between 1954-1964 to defend White supremacy, to resist integration, to suppress internal opposition, and to thwart efforts of the federal government to end segregation. (JMF)

Examines the Smith John case--in which the United States Supreme Court secured official recognition of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw as a tribe--as an example of "rhetorical games" used by different cultural groups to manipulate each other. Suggests alternative rhetorical strategies that would benefit the state and the Mississippi…