UNLEASH POSSIBLE
Mississippi Association of School Superintendents
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SITUATION
Confronted with a perfect storm of image and financial woes, Mississippi’s teaching profession faced significant challenges, threatening the future of local communities and economic growth. As the leading advocate for public education, the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents called on Narrative12 to help address multiple issues contributing to a teacher shortage that had reached crisis proportions in many school districts.
BACKGROUND
Not surprising, we learned from those with whom we spoke that low teacher pay is the top concern. Most expressed reluctance to enter or stay in the profession due to its negative public image and continuous teacher bashing. Many who remain are left feeling burned out, unsupported and undervalued in their work, including one interviewee who, after a two-month stint as a student teacher, said he would pursue other options after experiencing “eight hours of total disrespect each day on the job.”
APPROACH
We believed the teacher shortage could be reversed with a focused plan that raised awareness while issuing a call to action. To that end, our team advocated feverishly for solutions to teacher shortages and influenced the conversation around the needed policy change and growing economic challenges associated with the issue. The centerpiece for Unleash Possible was a robust social media plan featuring a series of graphics and videos starring educators and those who have benefitted from their passion for teaching.
RESULTS
Unleash Possible achieved a demonstrable change in the conversation around teachers that was previously mired in negativity and misinformation, positioning teachers as reliable, dependable and essential in shaping Mississippi’s future. And we are confident that Unleash Possible is helping change perceptions that support recruitment and hiring of more teachers in our schools while combatting additional crises such as poverty, unemployment, crime, health and economic development.
UNLEASH THE POWER OF STORY
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