January & February 2026 Chronicles

Project Updates

The Early Childhood ECHO team concluded its series of ECHO sessions for the Preschool Development Grant. In collaboration with the partnering ECHO agencies, resources such as classroom learning materials and social-emotional support supplies were selected and provided to each participating ECHO agency.

Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Project ECHO for Early Childhood concluded at the end of December 2025, and a six-month progress report was submitted in January 2026. The team delivered 164 didactic presentations (mini-workshops) and case studies.

The 2025-2026 Cohort of the MS Education Policy Fellowship, housed at the SSRC, met at the state capitol in Jackson on Thursday, January 29, to learn more about education bills under consideration. (pictured below)

Presentations & Conference Participation

Members of the Systems Change Lab attended the Build 2025 Conference in December, and Dr. Heather Hanna presented Quality Reimagined with Programs and Families at the Heart: Mississippi. (pictured above)

• Allgood, C. & Hanna, H. (2025, December). Quality Reimagined with Programs and Families at the Heart: Mississippi. [Conference Presentation]. Build 2025, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Director Devon Brenner met with the Association for Career and Technical Education Rural Communities of Practice Group to discuss Rural CTE Realities: Barriers, Breakthroughs, and What Comes Next with rural CTE leaders from across the US. View the recording at https://bit.ly/4srfoGu.

• Strom, K., Welch, S., Brenner, D., & Martin, T. (2026, February 24). Rural CTE realities: Barriers, breakthroughs, and what comes next [Online panel discussion]. Association for Career and Technical Education Rural Communities of Practice Group, Zoom.

Personnel News

Natalie Staggers is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Communication program at Mississippi State. She is working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Communication, Media & Theatre and as a research assistant in the Message Laboratory while completing the program. In the Message Lab, Natalie is currently assisting with research ranging from science communication pedagogy to social media campaigns. She says, “I love learning about how people communicate with each other—through language, music, nonverbal cues, etc.—and I can't wait to see where my research journey takes me!”
 
O’Brien “Rien Rose” Lee is a new undergraduate research assistant in the Message Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Holli Seitz. Rien Rose is currently a freshman biochemistry major from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. In the Message Lab, Rien Rose is pursuing her interest in science communication by assisting with research on incorporating communication education into science courses.
 
Margaret Keith is also a new undergraduate research assistant in the Message Laboratory. Margaret has not yet declared a major but is exploring a wide range of academic areas, including the sciences, public health, and marketing, and she is particularly interested in being able to use her creativity and design skills and communicate with people. In the Message Lab, Margaret is working on research for the HappyHealthy social media campaign.

Publications

Haider, M., Ballenger, B. K., Starr, G., Sergi, K., Twietmeyer, G. J., & Agiovlasitis, S. (2026). Feasibility of a physical activity program for people with Down syndrome using self-determination theory. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity. (in press)

Hemphill, T. V., Read-Wahidi, M., Buys, D. R., Sergi, K., Anreddy, S., Nadorff, D. K., Stubbs-Richardson, M., & Edwards, J. F. (2026). Age-Friendly Focused Information Resources and Maps (AFFIRM): A methods paper of the data-driven, older adult and caregiver-informed project tailored to the needs of ageing Mississippians. Journal of Public Health in the Deep South. 

Sherman-Morris, K., Seitz, Holli H., Warkentin, M., & Strawderman, L. (2026). Motivations and costs associated with intention to take protective action across five weather hazards. Weather, Climate, and Society, 18(1), 149-161. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-25-0072.1

Social Science Research Center. (2026). Early Childhood ECHO (EC ECHO) start-up & operations manual. Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS. https://doi.org/10.54718/NLDI6084

Systems Change Lab. (2025). Analytic report ELEVATE phase 1: What we learned from coaches and observers. ELEVATE: A Quality Support System (QSS) implemented by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood Care and Development.

Systems Change Lab. (2025). ELEVATE: A Child Care Quality Support System toolkit. Chapter one: Program development. Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Early Childhood Care and Development.

Waller, M. M., Robertson, M. N., Seitz, H. H., Nadorff, M. R., & Buys, D. R. (2025) Rural mental health challenges: Addressing community-specific needs of rural Mississippians. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 13(3), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1518