MDE pitched lawmakers on providing funding for more literacy and math coaches, another round of teacher pay raises, and methods to fight chronic absenteeism.

During a two-day hearing of the state Senate Education Committee last week, the Mississippi Department of Education outlined its needs to continue the gains the state has seen in recent years.

In prior years, the Magnolia State was ranked at or near the bottom of nearly every category in terms of education. For instance, in 2013, the state was ranked 49th in fourth grade reading proficiency, a ranking that rose to 9th nationally in 2024, State Superintendent Dr. Lance Evans reminded the committee.

“Just over a decade ago, we all know, Mississippi was at a crisis point in public education,” Evans said.

The state’s rankings in math

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