It has an impressive name, but whether it has impressive results remains to be seen.

Last week, Gov. Haley Barbour signed the Children First Act of 2009. It’s a simple bill to give the state Department of Education more authority earlier to step in and take over local school districts that are failing, most often financially but often in terms of student achievement, too.

Like many reform bills, the act was unveiled amid much pomp and ceremony, including having a representative from the National Governors Association show up, make a $115,000 donation and praise Mississippi as “groundbreaking” in its efforts to improve schools.

This legislation may indeed be helpful, but it may be merely a drip in the ocean.

What the Legislature and too many others continue to refuse to acknowledge is that far too many school districts in this state — some of them as segregated as they were 40 years ago under the “separate but equal” rubric — are in abysmal shape. Grandparents who walked to all-black schools with inferior books and equipment, little heating and no cooling were in better-managed districts than some in Mississippi today.

In some areas, the economy is so bad the schools are the No. 1 employer and offer the highest-paying jobs and the only place a child can get a decent meal. And in some of these inefficiency, incompetence and corruption are open and obvious.

Yet there is far too little outrage coming from Jackson or anywhere else. There are districts that need their tweaking done with paddy wagons and bulldozers. How is it that people can pretend to care about children, yet remain so calm and detached when they are being so ill-served by adults?

Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, is chairman of the House Education Committee and a person who is trustworthy on the topic of schools. He likes the legislation that grew out of a task force to study “underperforming” schools. He was a member of the group and says the Children First Act addresses more than state takeovers.

If Brown says it’s a worthwhile bill, it probably is.

Again, nowhere near all of the school districts in Mississippi are mismanaged. Some are, indeed, doing groundbreaking things. But those that are failing have been out of control for years. They need decisive action, not another pretty-named law from Jackson. And far more than state intervention, they need a revolt by the parents of children they’re supposed to be serving.