Jackson State Opens Mississippi's First Educator Closet
The Aspiring Educators Resource Closet offers free classroom supplies to graduating education students at Jackson State University.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Jackson State University opened Mississippi's first Aspiring Educators Resource Closet on Monday, November 9, 2026, inside its College of Education and Human Development. The closet is a partnership with the Mississippi Association of Educators-Retired, which voted to open closets across the state.
Why it matters
Mississippi does not offer paid student teaching, and the closet is meant to help fill that gap for future teachers. Retired educators who understand how much it costs to make a classroom welcoming are supporting the next generation.
The closet stocks calculators, rulers, staplers, markers, crayons, glue, Play-Doh, sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes, plus clipboards, headphones, and a tea kettle. Graduating education students can choose supplies, and each college's student members set eligibility criteria such as attending events or logging service hours.
The players
Jackson State University
A historically Black public university in Jackson, Mississippi, whose College of Education and Human Development hosts the new closet.
Mississippi Association of Educators-Retired
A group of retired Mississippi educators that voted to open resource closets across the state and partnered with Jackson State on the first one.
The details
The closet was created after members of the retired educators' group decided this year to open closets across the state, and Jackson State won a vote at the group's retirement conference to receive the first one at a college or university. New teachers in Mississippi also receive an EEF classroom purchasing card, but ordering through that system has become difficult for teachers to manage.
Timeline
Monday, November 9, 2026: Jackson State opens the Aspiring Educators Resource Closet.
May 2027: Teanna Howard is expected to graduate from Jackson State.
Summer 2027: The association will meet to choose the next university to receive a closet.
August 31: Newly hired teachers await their first paycheck.
Season Trajectory
Mississippi is one of the few states without paid student teaching, while twelve states offer paid student teaching or stipends. The new closet addresses that gap at the level of classroom supplies rather than pay.
Graduating education students in Jackson can visit the closet to pick up free classroom supplies before starting their teaching careers. Future teachers should also be aware that Mississippi does not offer paid student teaching, so planning for unpaid placements remains necessary.
The takeaway
Aspiring teachers in Mississippi should check whether their college offers resource closets or similar supply programs. Budgeting for classroom materials early can ease the financial strain of unpaid student teaching.
What happens next
The Mississippi Association of Educators-Retired will meet in summer 2027 to choose which university receives the next closet.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Financial Aid in Jackson.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Wlbt.
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