Why has Michigan's educational achievement – especially reading scores – declined in recent years while Mississippi has improved rapidly? The Mackinac Center for Public Policy invites policymakers, educators and members of the public to a lunchtime panel discussion to find out. This event will examine how state policy choices shape student outcomes and why Michigan’s current approach has fallen short.
Mississippi has become one of the most striking education turnarounds in the country. Ranked among the lowest-performing states for decades, it has emerged as a national leader in early literacy. That transformation did not happen by chance. It followed a deliberate strategy focused on evidence-based reading instruction, early identification of struggling students, teacher preparation aligned with the science of reading and consistent accountability.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s educational outcomes have declined over recent decades, even as per-pupil spending continued to rise. Reading proficiency in particular remains a persistent challenge, especially in the early grades, where students’ long-term academic trajectories are often set. This event will explore Michigan’s literacy laws, assess their potential effectiveness and consider what additional changes may be necessary to produce the type of meaningful improvement achieved in Mississippi.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Buffet Lunch: 11:30am - 12:00pm
Program: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
The Louie Building (6th floor)
123 W. Allegan St.
Lansing, MI, 48933
Call our Events office at
Event is free, but RSVP is necessary by April 9.
Register online
Kymyona Burk, Ed.D. is a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd. In this role, she supports states pursuing a comprehensive approach to K-3 reading policy by assisting state leaders in building new or improving existing K-3 reading policies, with a heavy focus on supporting successful policy implementation. Kymyona most recently served in Mississippi as the executive director for the Jackson Public School District’s Office of Teaching and Learning and led all aspects of the district’s instructional programming. Prior to this, she was the state literacy director at the Mississippi Department of Education where she led the implementation of Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act. Kymyona began her career as an elementary reading teacher and has also taught middle and high school English. At Jackson State University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Master of Arts in Teaching English, Master of Science in Education Administration and Supervision and a Doctor of Education in Early Childhood Education.
Molly Macek, Ed.D. is the director of education policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. She spent nearly two decades in secondary education, working in both private and public schools as a classroom teacher, department chair and administrator. Molly has performed extensive research on education problems of practice and has published studies on education innovations and interventions. She holds a Doctor of Education from Johns Hopkins University where she also worked as a dissertation adviser for doctoral students in the school of education. Prior to attaining her doctorate, Molly earned a Master’s in Teaching degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. Most recently, she served as the high school principal at a private school in Toledo, Ohio.
