“The Mississippi Miracle Demystified”: HTH Unboxed Podcast at 2026 NCIE with Derek Mitchell
Many educators have heard about the “Mississippi Miracle,” where the state went from 49th in the country for reading in third grade to top ten. But don't assume that the progress came from a quick solution. It came from sustained, system-wide effort focused on improving instruction and supporting educators over time.
In the “S7E17 The Mississippi Miracle Demystified” episode of the High Tech High Unboxed podcast, Derek Mitchell interviews Tenette Smith and Elise Brown live at the 2026 National Summit for Improvement in Education about their roles in Mississippi’s monumental success in reading improvement and the lessons that they learned that will be brought into future work with Maryland schools.
Improving literacy outcomes is complex work. It requires more than a single program or short term initiative. Leaders and educators worked to build shared understanding, strengthen teacher knowledge, and provide consistent coaching and support across schools. They engaged communities, addressed concerns directly, and stayed grounded in a belief that all students can succeed when given access to high quality instruction.
This kind of improvement work is not linear. Listen to the 61-minute episode to learn more about the persistence, alignment, willingness to learn and adjust along the way, and classroom strategies and reflections that were required to make change happen.
“Unboxed” is a media platform that produces podcasts, videos, interviews, card decks, and curricular resources to spread good ideas that can improve schools.
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