JACKSON ― The Mississippi Association of School Superintendents today announced the launch of Shape Tomorrow, a statewide initiative designed to reframe how Mississippians see teaching—one of society’s most powerful professions in terms of shaping the future.
Shape Tomorrow highlights the real-world impact teachers make by helping students connect classroom learning with rewarding careers – from launching rockets and healing patients to designing cities, running businesses and mastering skilled trades. At its core, the initiative connects education to opportunity, with teachers leading the way to a better, brighter future.
“Every engineer, nurse, welder, entrepreneur and filmmaker in Mississippi starts in a classroom,” said Phil Burchfield, MASS executive director. “Shape Tomorrow is about telling that story clearly and unapologetically. Teaching is where potential is unlocked, and Mississippi cannot afford to undervalue the profession that makes everything else possible.”
Shape Tomorrow will spotlight the many paths students take from the classroom to careers, showing how teachers spark curiosity, problem-solving, creativity and ambition. Through storytelling, digital campaigns, partnerships and outreach, MASS will emphasize how lessons in math, science, writing and technical education directly translate into stable, successful futures.
The initiative also aims to reach future educators early, helping students and career-changers understand that teaching is not just about textbooks and tests, but about shaping lives and industries.
“Teaching is the profession that creates all others,” Burchfield said. “When students see what they can do with what they’re learning, they begin to see their teachers—and themselves—differently.”
Beyond recruitment and awareness, Shape Tomorrow is a commitment to strengthen the teaching profession itself. MASS will use the initiative to advocate for:
“We cannot talk about shaping tomorrow without investing in the people who make tomorrow possible,” Burchfield said. “That means higher expectations, stronger support, and pay that reflects the importance of their vocation.”
MASS leaders emphasize that Shape Tomorrow is not a standalone campaign—it represents a long-term directional shift in how education leadership approaches workforce readiness, public trust and the future of teaching in Mississippi.
“This is an acceleration,” Burchfield said. “An acceleration toward honesty about the challenges, clarity about the opportunities, and urgency about what’s at stake. If Mississippi wants a strong economy, healthy communities and a prepared workforce, it starts with great teachers.”
Shape Tomorrow will roll out in phases throughout the coming year, with new resources, stories and partnerships aimed at students, parents, educators, policymakers and the broader public.
The Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and the Alliance of Educational Leaders of Mississippi is a non-profit association whose membership is made up of 139 public school superintendents and more than 2,000 public school administrators. Its mission is to provide resources, advocacy, leadership, policy information, training, support, renewal, and public relations services that improve the quality of public education.