Mississippi

Is the Mississippi Miracle real despite the state continuing to rank low in education?

Published

2 years ago

March 3, 2024

Is the Mississippi Miracle real despite the state continuing to rank low in education?

Click on any list ranking states by education quality, and Mississippi will most likely appear dead last or close to last.

Mississippi, a state facing financial and other barriers, has historically been branded as a low-education region.

However, some experts believe the typical ranking methods are not a good indicator of education in Mississippi.

The Mississippi Miracle

State leaders including Gov. Tate Reeves often tout the “Mississippi Miracle,” a name given to the rise in literacy scores in Mississippi in recent decades.

The idea of the Mississippi Miracle seems undermined by data presented in many rankings and studies.

A recent study conducted by Smart Teacher, ranked Mississippi 35th out of states with the best education systems. The study gave each state a score from one to 100 based on several different factors, all of which used data from nationalreportcard.gov.

Mississippi earned 36.27 out of 100. The same study concluded that the average Mississippian visits a library only twice a year and determined the average yearly high school dropout rate is 6.8%.

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What experts say

Jeff Gagne, director of policy analysis for the Southern Regional Education Board, believes other states should actually look to Mississippi as an example.

“They are leaders in the nation on early grades literacy,” Gagne said.

Gagne said researchers and analysts in the SREB often don’t look at state test scores since the scores are not easily comparable across state lines.

Instead, Gagne pointed to National Association of Educational Procurement scores, since those tests are federally regulated.

The NAEP places test takers into three categories: below basic, basic and proficient and advanced.

In 2017, the SREB went back to look at NAEP data starting in 2007.

Gagne, who has done extensive research on Mississippi education, said what the data shows is a steady increase.

“(Mississippi was) pushing all performance categories up,” Gagne said. “You see the percentage of students in ‘below basic’ decreasing while you see the percentage in ‘proficient’ increasing.”

In addition, Gagne said the word “miracle” is not entirely accurate. Instead, the uptick in test numbers and proficiency rates is the result of a carefully planned and effort-driven method put in place nearly three decades ago.

“You’ve got to have data to inform policy and practice and you’ve got to pay attention to that data,” Gagne said. “If it goes on the report and sits on a shelf, it’s not doing anybody any good. And, Mississippi did a great job of using their data to continue to inform how they needed to change things.”

Gagne credits the steady rise to the Barksdale Reading Institute which partnered with the state in 1998 and to the work of former Mississippi Superintendent of Education Carey Wright.

“Mississippi is the first state in the nation back in ’98 to require their colleges of (education) to include a second early grades prep reading course for prospective teachers,” Gagne said.

In addition, Gagne pointed to Wright’s accomplishments including how she “set about hiring contractors to provide professional learning to every veteran teacher out in a classroom in the state of Mississippi.”

SREB President Stephen L. Pruitt shared similar sentiments, saying analyzing state and local data in important to understand progress, not just rankings.

“Mississippi has made great gains and drawn national recognition in the area of reading and genuinely serves as a model for other states. This is about continual growth and progress, and all states, including Mississippi, have more work to do,” Pruitt said. “This is not like ranking sports teams. Education rankings make choices about what they measure, and it’s important to know what you’re counting.”

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Will Mississippi start rising through the ranks?

If Mississippi is indeed improving steadily, will the state place better in national studies in the years to come?

It’s not that clear cut.

Gagne said if the current progress continues, Mississippi might shed the stereotype. However, it all depends on the decisions made in the years to come, especially when it comes to early education.

“We keep telling states, ‘Don’t reinvent the wheel,’” Gagne said. “We know what works. We know what the research says. When I hear a policy maker say, ‘If we only knew what works.’ No. We know what works for a lot of things. The problem is we don’t have the political will or the wisdom to do what the research tells us.”

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 16, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 16, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 16, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

02-09-13-18-29

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

Midday: 3-3-2, FB: 4

Evening: 5-9-3, FB: 9

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

Midday: 3-9-2-0, FB: 4

Evening: 9-8-3-6, FB: 9

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 16 drawing

Midday: 05

Evening: 02

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

Ohio man pleads guilty to possessing device-making equipment in Mississippi

Published

21 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Ohio man pleads guilty to possessing device-making equipment in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – An Ohio man pled guilty last week to illegally possessing credit card encoding devices in Mississippi.

According to court documents, Sean Matthew Langston, Jr., 33, was arrested in Rankin County on April 28, 2024, following a traffic stop. Investigators said Langston and his co-defendant, John Carleton Johnson, Jr., were found to be in possession of 322 gift cards, 17 reencoded instruments containing stolen bank card data, and two magstripe encoding devices.

Prosecutors said Langston and Johnson could be seen on CCTV footage at various retail stores throughout the Jackson-metro area purchasing gift cards with known cloned instruments.

Langston pled guilty to one count of illegal possession, production, or trafficking in device-making equipment with intent to defraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2026, and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

Sean Matthew Langston, Jr. (Courtesy: Madison Co. Detention Center)

A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Langston and Johnson on February 20, 2025. Johnson pled guilty on June 30, 2025, and was sentenced to serve two years in federal prison and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 on November 3, 2025.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 15, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

07-10-24-28-33

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 3-5-7, FB: 6

Evening: 5-8-0, FB: 0

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 5-5-2-5, FB: 6

Evening: 3-1-0-9, FB: 0

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 08

Evening: 08

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link