Expansion of Teach For America initiative included in first cycle of grants for
2010
Jackson, Miss. – Education efforts in
many of Mississippi’s poorest counties are getting a boost, thanks to a $50,000
grant from the Entergy Charitable Foundation.
The money will be used to help
establish a Teach for America Training institute at Delta State University in
Cleveland. In turn, the institute will increase the number of qualified teachers
in the Delta region.
The grant is the first installment of
a $200,000 total commitment to Teach for America.
Grants benefiting Hinds Community
College and the Public Education Forum of Mississippi were also included in the
first cycle of grant announcements this year from the Entergy Charitable
Foundation. The awards total $56,660 in Mississippi.
“These grants emphasize Entergy’s
continued focus on improving education as a strategy to strengthen communities
and help build a better future for Mississippi,” said Haley Fisackerly,
president and chief executive officer of Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “We make a
point to support organizations that work to help Mississippi’s children reach
their fullest potential and channel educational resources where they’re needed
most.”
The Teach For America Delta Training
Institute will open its doors this summer at Delta State to provide training to
TFA teachers, who will then be sent into more than 40 high-needs districts in
the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta. The goal is to triple the number of teachers
in the field from 160 to more than 600 in a two-year period.
Hosting the institute in Mississippi
will produce short- and long-term economic, social and educational benefits for
the state, noted Liz Brister, manager of external affairs for Entergy
Mississippi, Inc.
Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides
electricity to more than 435,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of
Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric
power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates
power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating
capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States.
Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas,
Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
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entergy-mississippi.com
