Miracle or Mundane? How Mississippi Turned Its Education Around
While Mississippi’s ascent in education rankings from 48th to 16th appeared to outsiders as miraculous, the truth is a victory rooted in phonics, strict accountability, and relentless focus on empowering teachers.
To many outside observers, the transformation of Mississippi’s public education system appeared a miracle, transcending rational explanation. It was just 10 years ago when Mississippi ranked 48th in K-12 education, when measured across a broad spectrum of metrics such as attendance, reading proficiency and on-time graduation. As of 2025, Mississippi is now ranked 16th in K-12 education and 9th in fourth-grade reading comprehension. Despite this apparent anomaly, to those with intimate knowledge of the system, things were going exactly to plan.
Across the South, states would repeat “Thank God for Mississippi,” a phrase-turned-Southern aphorism, referencing the fact that no matter how far they might fall or how poorly their students may perform, Mississippi was sure to be at least a few paces behind them. That began to change in 2013 when the state introduced the Literacy-Based Promotion Act under the then-Superintendent of the Board of Education, Dr. Carey Wright. Through this act, Mississippi began training its teachers in phonics—the science of reading—deploying literacy coaches to further assist the teachers and instituting a retention policy for third-graders performing below their expected level for a rising fourth-grader. With time, the academic tides began to shift for the Magnolia state. Looking at Mississippi, what can other states learn from its positive changes?
In an interview with the gate, Dr. Lance Evans–the current Superintendent of the Mississippi Board of Education and Dr. Wright’s successor–offered his firsthand insights as to why this “Mississippi Miracle” was less miraculous yet more impressive than what many may have thought.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint”, began Evans, referencing the incremental changes Mississippi underwent prior to him taking office. It is natural to infer that the students were the focus of these changes. After all, they were the ones whose performance was being measured, compared and ranked. Evans put the situation in a new light, however, emphasizing it was the teachers, not the students, who were the focus of the act. “We started to build the capacity of the teachers”, he stated. “If you don’t, the longevity won’t be there”. By empowering the educators, students began delivering the desired results. As Evans put it, “students’ performance is a byproduct of the teachers performing at their capacity”. Another component that Evans highlighted was accountability, requiring reliable performance metrics to properly assess all those involved. Students, teachers, schools and districts faced a strict performance measurement system that assessed every measurable marker. These measurement systems included the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for students and A-F accountability grades for the schools, both of which formally assess and calculate the quality of performance for students, teachers, administrators and schools.
When asked about potential bureaucratic hurdles, Evans highlighted the strength of his relationships with the policymakers at the local and federal levels. While certainly not without their disagreements, Evans and the relevant public officials seemed to both recognize their shared objectives and overarching bipartisanship rather than their, at times, differing approaches or politics. “I can call up my Lieutenant Governor”, stated Evans, as he informed me about a new mathematics initiative for which he had already sent over the language to review and champion.
What, then, is it that Mississippi got right that has eluded other states? For one, it’s the aforementioned strength of relationships between superintendents, unions and public officials, a factor that much of the reporting on the so-called “Mississippi Miracle” has ignored. Beyond the bipartisan support and cooperation that Evans spoke about at the legislative level, the policy changes were unveiled and implemented with the support of the teachers and their unions. This unified front allowed the state to hold the line on some of its relatively controversial policies. While criticized by some, Mississippi has stood by its discretion to hold back rising fourth-graders whose academic performance lags behind their peers. Other states, like Michigan, have repealed such policies but have not fared as well in their schools’ performances. Furthermore, the technique used to teach students to read – phonics – has been implemented in other states like Louisiana, which have seen significant progress after the passing of Act 108 in 2021, encouraging early literacy using phonics. For Mississippi, this strategic refocusing of policy has been a return to the basics: quantitative measurement, strict accountability, research-backed teaching techniques and support for both students and teachers.While some may think that addressing low literacy rates relies primarily on increasing school funding, Mississippi, with its base student allocation of $7,700, is seeing better results than some much richer states, like California, which has a base student allocation of nearly $12,000. This solution is one that requires close attention and maintenance, with a simplicity that may leave those disillusioned by the bureaucratic mess of education policy scratching their heads. After all, education goes further than the preparation of future generations to replace the old guard—which is itself a significant task—but uplifts the community as a whole, attracting business and raising property values. Through phonics-based training programs for teachers, strong relationships between lawmakers and school officials and metrics for ensuring accountability, Mississippi has shown not just what’s possible, but what’s attainable for a state ready to turn its education system around.
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