MSU Social Science Research Center

Director Devon Brenner served as a reviewer of early drafts of this guide for rural districts on boosting teacher retention, a collaboration with REL Northwest and Marzano Research.

Read now at

Retaining Rural Teachers by Addressing Working Conditions: A Guide to Develop and Test Localized Strategies | IES Rural districts across the United States struggle to keep teaching positions filled. Teachers in rural schools are more likely than their urban and suburban counterparts to cite dissatisfaction with working conditions as their primary reason for leaving their positions, and working conditions are fa...

Join in SL4E's upcoming Community Speaker Series!
These free, virtual events will bring together local experts, practitioners, and researchers to share knowledge, stories, and perspectives on science, language, and environmental issues.

Learn more and register at https://sl4e.ssrc.msstate.edu/community-speaker-series!

Today, the SSRC hosted State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney to discuss our work and collaborations in public health.

Our researchers shared their expertise and ongoing work, and other visitors joined to share about additional health-related initiatives at MSU.

Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale is the lead author of a new article in Frontiers in Nutrition. Read now!⬇

Frontiers | Sensory acceptance of four flavors of fish-fortified instant porridge for complementary feeding of infants and young children BackgroundPorridges fortified with locally available, nutrient rich foods can increase nutrient intakes among infants and young children (IYC), but the addit...

The Message Lab uses communication science to understand how messages shape what people think, feel, and do and to translate that knowledge into evidence-based messages that improve health and well-being.

Check out the lab's new website at commlab.ssrc.msstate.edu.

Dr. Connie Baird-Thomas has been appointed to the Mississippi State Board of Health!

At the SSRC, she directs the Evaluation and Research Group, and her primary research interests include program evaluation, early childhood, and public health.

Learn more at https://msdh.ms.gov/page/23,30980,341.html.

The Science Literacy for Excellence laboratory has a new website! Affiliated faculty member Dr. Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso directs the lab, which consists of an interdisciplinary team of applied linguists, educators, and scientists.

Learn more at https://sl4e.ssrc.msstate.edu/

This summer marked 5 years with Dr. Devon Brenner as SSRC director.

Dr. Brenner's research focuses on rural teacher recruitment and retention, as well as rural education policy. She leads NSF-funded work and recently co-authored a textbook on rural teacher education.

Lisa Long is passionate about helping those who shape the lives and education of Mississippi’s children through projects like Vroom and past initiatives such as the Child Development Associate Scholarship Program. Recently, Long and a team led groups of early childhood educators and practitioners through learning sessions and training for the Early Childhood ECHO project, enabling them to learn from one another and from experts. She says of the project, “I am so proud of our SSRC ECHO team and the work we do to provide case-based professional learning opportunities for Mississippi early childhood professionals and families.”

Learn about Vroom at www.vroom.org.
Learn about EC ECHO at earlychildecho.com.

Last week, Dr. Sheena Gardner, Tiara Love, and Dr. Katerina Sergi attended the Society of Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology's annual conference to present on their work with Project AWARE.

The project's overall goal is to enhance school-based mental wellness for children and adolescents across Mississippi by strengthening the connection between schools, families, and community behavioral health services.