Mississippi is on the move. Over the past five years, economic output rose more than it did over the previous fifteen.
According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mississippi’s economic output has soared by $41.4 billion, climbing from $116.1 billion in 2019 to $157.5 billion in 2024. That’s more growth in half a decade than we saw in the previous fifteen years combined.
This growth did not happen by chance. It came about thanks to deliberate, pro-growth policies that are transforming our state.
In 2021, we saw labor market deregulation with a bill to reform occupational licensing. Then in 2022 came a substantive tax reform bill, which paved the way toward the income tax elimination bill passing in 2025. At the same time, Mississippi has kept energy costs low and rolled out the red carpet for inward investors.
Every one of these victories came about thanks to principled conservative leaders who fought for change against fierce opposition from leftist lawmakers wedded to the status quo. At the time that these reforms were proposed, there was no kumbaya consensus in favor of any of it. Change only happened because a handful of conservative leaders – and dare I say it conservative organizations - were willing to go out on a limb for it.
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) recently honored some of those in our legislature that truly are committed to this pro-growth agenda, and we should all celebrate their determination.
But the question remains: Is your local lawmaker part of Mississippi’s new pro-growth agenda, or are they standing in the way?
Did your own Representative and Senator help lead Mississippi’s growth, or are they one of the one’s that opposed everything but showed up for the cameras?
Despite Mississippi’s strong conservative majority, we often fall short on basic conservative priorities like school choice. Too many solid bills mysteriously “die in committee” with no explanation, no recorded votes, and no accountability. Lawmakers who oppose pro-growth policies have gotten away with vague soundbites on Supertalk, dodging any real consequences. That ends now.
The new Mississippi Freedom Index, which you can access by logging on to our website at mspolicy.org, empowers everyday Mississippians to hold their representatives accountable. This tool shows how your lawmaker voted on key pro-growth policies, details their campaign finance contributions, and even lets you message them directly.
We’ve identified four flagship growth policies that define Mississippi’s economic surge—any lawmaker who opposed them doesn’t meet our definition of a conservative, plain and simple.
So, where does your representative stand? Log on to mspolicy.org and click on the Freedom Index to find out. If any lawmaker disagrees with their rating, they’re welcome to reach out. They can post their remarks, or if they’re willing to publicly commit to supporting the policies they didn’t vote for, we’ll reconsider their score.
Mississippi is on the rise. Check the Freedom Index today—because our state’s future depends on leaders who deliver, not ones who hide.
Mississippi has made history as the first state in the U.S.—aside from oil-rich Alaska—to pass legislation aimed at phasing out its income tax.
This monumental achievement, spearheaded by Governor Tate Reeves and House Speaker Jason White, marks a significant victory for the state. The newly passed bill outlines a plan to eliminate the income tax over the next decade, starting with incremental cuts and followed by a series of budget-driven "triggers."
Beginning next year, Mississippi’s income tax rate will drop in 0.25 percent increments, sliding from 4 percent to 3 percent by 2030. After that, further reductions will hinge on the state’s budget surplus. Given Mississippi’s recent track record of substantial surpluses, the income tax could vanish entirely by the mid-2030s.
So, how did Mississippi become such a trailblazer? It very nearly did not happen.
The push to eliminate the income tax has been a cornerstone of Governor Reeves’ agenda, with serious legislative efforts kicking off in 2022 under then-House Speaker Philip Gunn.
Gunn’s genius was to simplifying the state’s variable tax rates into a flat 4 percent on income above $10,000. While this didn’t eliminate the tax outright, it leveled the playing field for Mississippi households, setting the stage for broader support of full elimination.
Fast forward to this year, when Speaker Jason White and Representative Trey Lamar introduced a plan to phase out the income tax by 2037. Their initial proposal included a partial tax swap, offset by modest increases in gas and sales taxes.
What happened next was both fascinating – and, if you support income tax elimination, rather fortuitous.
The Mississippi Senate has been a constant drag on conservative reform. They have either opposed, or come to grudgingly accept, almost every conservative policy proposal over the past few years, from school choice to red tape reduction. So, too, with income tax elimination.
The Senate, reluctant to fully embrace income tax elimination, opted for a cautious approach. They amended the bill with a "trigger" mechanism, tying future tax cuts to significant revenue growth outpacing spending increases. Some in the Senate perhaps saw this as a clever stall tactic—until a fortunate blunder turned the tables.
The Senate miscalculated the formula, placing a decimal point in the wrong place. Math matters. Something the Senate design as a brake on tax cuts turned out to be an accelerator.
Unless the state government runs a deficit, future surpluses will likely drive steady cuts, and Mississippi – despite the Senate leaderships best efforts – will be as competitive in tax terms as Tennessee and Texas.
Set aside the soap opera, this is great news for our state. Already there is evidence that in 2024, by some measures, Mississippi performed well economically, and may have been one of the fastest growing states in America that year. This tax reform will only add to this Mississippi momentum.
Perhaps what the Senators math missteps shows is that Mississippi now needs to turn its attention to education reforms? If the Senators stopped blocking school choice the way they tried to block income tax elimination, maybe math standards might be better both inside and outside the legislature.
In politics, nothing moves unless it’s pushed. Change doesn’t happen because of empty platitudes—it happens because principled conservatives like you step up to demand principled policies.
At the Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP), we’ve been pushing hard this legislative session for four flagship conservative priorities. With just three weeks left, here’s where we stand—and how your support is making a difference.
1. School Choice
For years, no bill allowing even basic public-to-public school choice had been granted a floor vote. This session, we saw progress: a bill passed the House with a strong majority, only to be stalled in the Senate Education Committee under Chairman Dennis DeBar.
Sadly, this proposal appears dead for now—a frustrating outcome when every neighboring state offers universal school choice, and President Trump himself champions this policy. But the opposition’s grip may be weakening. Killing bills in committee no longer comes cost free for left leaning Senators, as it did for years. If principled conservatives keep shining a light on who’s blocking progress, we will win this fight.
2. Income Tax Elimination
Governor Tate Reeves has made income tax elimination a priority, and the House agreed, passing Speaker Jason White and Rep. Trey Lamar’s HB1 bill early in the session.
Now, the Senate’s liberal leadership is stalling, with a critical deadline looming this Tuesday. If HB1 fails, it will be a deliberate choice by Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, whose stance aligns more with liberals than with conservative taxpayers. We can’t waver. We must rally behind leaders like the Governor and Speaker who take bold conservative stands—and call out those who don’t. To achieve change, conservative organizations must not equivocate.
3. Outlawing DEI
When State Auditor Shad White exposed how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education were costing taxpayers millions, some at the Capitol scoffed. For years, they buried anti-DEI bills.
But the truth is out: DEI has been rampant, and Shad White was right. Now, an anti-DEI bill banning these wasteful, divisive practices is finally nearing the Governor’s desk. This is what happens when principled conservatives push forward. You’ve helped make this possible—thank you.
4. Removing Red Tape
In healthcare, excessive regulations stifle progress and hurt our economy. Two steadfast conservatives, Rep. Zuber and Rep. Creekmore, have worked tirelessly to cut this red tape. Their bill is on the cusp of becoming law—a testament to what principled leadership can achieve.
What’s Next?
The final weeks of the session could bring surprises. The Senate might dig in, forcing a special session, or conservative Senators could step up, demanding action on income tax elimination, anti-DEI measures, and red tape reduction—policies voters like you support. As Barry Goldwater famously said, “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Your commitment to these principles is driving change in Mississippi.
The Mississippi legislature has a clear conservative mandate yet sometimes struggles to get things done. Why?
State Governor Tate Reeves clearly has a vision for Mississippi. He wants to promote economic growth and eliminate the state income tax. He’s also pretty big on law & order, efforts to improve the education system and work force development. Agree with him or not, it’s undeniable that he has a plan for our state.
So, too, does the Speaker of the House, Jason White. He’s made an income tax elimination bill his number one goal for this session. Under Speaker White’s leadership the House has also passed bills to extend school choice and reduce the red tape that restricts healthcare. The House is moving forward with purpose.
But what about the Senate? What’s their plan? Two months into a three-month session, it remains a mystery. Instead, the Senate leadership has spent much of the session saying “no” to nearly every proposal on the table. School choice? (Almost) killed in committee. Restoring the ballot initiative? Denied. Income tax elimination? Don’t hold your breath.
The Senate leadership has blocked conservative reforms at every turn—without offering any ideas of their own. This is baffling. Mississippians have overwhelmingly elected conservative leaders to every statewide office. Yet here we are, watching the Senate leadership stall policies that align with the values voters supported, all while failing to present an alternative path forward.
Normally at this stage of a session, if the House and Senate were gridlocked, you would expect a negotiation. How can the House negotiate with a Senate leadership that struggles to even articulate what it wants?
This isn’t a one-off. We’re seeing a pattern emerge.
First, the House signals its intent for reform—think Speaker White’s focus on income tax elimination and school choice this year, or school funding reform last year. Then, the Senate responds with silence—no counterproposals, no vision. Finally, when the House sends its bills over, Senate leadership works to kill them, often without a serious alternative. Is this really the best we can do
Contrast this with Washington. In just over a month since President Trump began his second term, we’ve seen a flurry of bold initiatives. He’s accomplished more in weeks than some Mississippi leaders have in years.
Our taxpayers deserve better than a legislature that can’t agree on basic conservative priorities like empowering parents in education or cutting taxes. For too long, the process in Jackson has been shrouded in mystery. Bills “die in committee” with no explanation, no accountability, and no recorded votes. We’re told the support isn’t there—yet no one sees the tally. It’s time for transparency.
That’s why the Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) is stepping up. We have four clear goals for this session: Public-to-public school choice, Income tax elimination, Anti-DEI legislation and Certificate of Need repeal.
Bills addressing each of these priorities have been drafted. By session’s end, every lawmaker will have had the chance to support them. Soon, we’ll launch an online tool for our 80,000 subscribers statewide, showing which Senators, Representatives, and statewide officials earn a “Trump approval”—and which one’s side with the progressive agenda. Mississippians deserve to know who’s delivering and who’s dodging.
The roadblocks to good conservative policy must be exposed. With your support, we’re shining a spotlight on the legislature and holding our leaders accountable.
You have a chance to help us move Mississippi closer to School Choice.
Right now, a critical bill — HB1435 — is hanging in the balance. This legislation, which has already passed the House, would give parents the power to choose the best public school for their kids, no matter their zip code (provided there was capacity).
But here’s the urgency: it’s stuck in the Senate Education Committee, and unless they vote to approve it by Tuesday, this opportunity will slip away. Please help us to make sure that does not happen!
Mississippi stands at a crossroads. All around us—Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana—parents already enjoy the freedom of School Choice. HB1435 is a vital next step: public-to-public school choice.
Just last week, President Trump himself called on states like ours to rise up and pass laws like this. He’s counting on us. Our kids are counting on us. And I’m counting on YOU.
Here’s what I need you to do before Tuesday:
- Click the map below to find your State Senator.
2. Send them a short email. Tell them: “I’m a Mississippi voter, and I expect you to APPROVE HB1435!”
3. Share this mission with a friend—let’s build a wave of voices they can’t ignore.
If we all act, our lawmakers will have to listen!
You’re not just sending an email—you’re lighting a spark for change!
Thank you for standing with me in this fight. Start your week knowing you've made a difference—if you haven't taken action yet, now is the perfect time!
Last week, Mississippi lawmakers finally stumbled into the 21st century and decided that adults—yes, grown-ups—should be allowed to buy wine online.
A round of applause for Senators Michel, Blackmon, England, and DeLano, who convinced their colleagues that Mississippians should be allowed to do something they do in almost every other state. Until now, if you wanted a bottle of wine, you had to head to the store and buy only what the Alcoholic Beverage Control board had approved.
But don’t uncork the champagne just yet. This bill only just squeaked through the Senate, with 21 so-called “conservative” senators clutching their pearls and trying to smother it in its crib. Why, you ask? What possible reason would any politician have to stop you buying wine online? I do wonder if anyone at the legislature was wined and dined - probably both - by lobbyists for wine distributors who'd rather not compete with online retailers. That it took years to pass something this basic should alarm every conservative in our state. That so many “conservatives” were ready to leap to the defense of various vested interests is depressing. How many lobbyist-funded dinners does it take to kill good conservative policy?
Right this minute there are still lots of great conservative bills alive in the 2025 legislature. But if it is this hard to let people buy Merlot online, what hope is there for the big stuff? School choice? Cutting red tape? Eliminating DEI? The good news is that right now there are still lots of great conservative bills alive in the 2025 legislature. Good conservative lawmakers could still achieve great conservative wins this session.
The House has a plan to eliminate the income tax — imagine keeping more of your own money; radical, I know. Having passed their bill HB 1, the House has decided to hold off passing any legislation from the Senate until the Senate actually does something to eliminate the income tax. Another excellent conservative proposal is HB1435, which would allow public to public school choice. Approved by the House, it is currently being considered by a committee in the Senate. It’s a similar story with HB 922, authored by the awesome Representatives Zuber and Creekmore. This bill would repeal a lot of the red tape that prevents new health care providers operating in our state.
Both the House and the Senate have approved different bills to combat DEI. Again, this is something every conservative should not hesitate to support. If our lawmakers were to complete the passage of these bills, it would be a vintage year for liberty in our state. But the danger is that these bills, like efforts to restore the ballot initiative, are quietly garroted in a back room at the Capitol.
For years, we have seen solid conservative policies get “killed in committee.” Don’t be fooled about what that means. When a bill “dies in committee,” it’s not a natural death. The committee chairman didn’t misplace it under a stack of memos — it was knifed, Julius Caesar-style. Only instead of togas, it’s cheap suits and lobbyist cash.
The next couple of weeks will be critical. As with the online wine bill, we could see good conservative lawmakers pass good conservative laws. If they do, they deserve a medal—or at least a decent glass of Cabernet. Or it could be that those Governor Tate Reeves calls “the Coalition of the Status Quo”, once again kill off the chance of change. I will be sure to keep you updated about the progress of each of these critical conservative policies, and let you know who supports them, and who, if anyone, fails to support them.
Two competing tax plans are being considered by the Mississippi legislature. The House plan, published in January and voted through already as HB1, offers to eliminate the state income tax. The Senate this week published their rival proposal.
Which of the plans is more conservative?
Speaker White’s House tax plan is without question the more conservative proposal. It offers full elimination of the state income tax over the next decade, a net $1.1 billion reduction in the amount of money the state government takes from taxpayers, and a cut in the grocery tax.
White’s plan is the product of careful deliberation and public consultation. White organized a public Tax Day, open to everyone. Rep Trey Lamar, who authored a lot of the detail, fielded all sorts of suggestions. The plan they produced reflects that collaboration and candor.
Delbert Hosemann’s Senate plan only offers a $330 million cut in the tax take. The Senate plan would leave politicians in control of a far larger share of your money – which a cynic might say is its purpose. The Senate plan was produced behind closed doors, only being unveiled halfway through the session.
The Senate plan should be seen as a deliberate attempt by anti-tax cutting politicians to try to head off Governor Tate Reeves / Jason White’s conservative tax cutting agenda. Hosemann’s tax plan would still leave the income tax in place, albeit at a reduced rate of 2.9 percent. The Senate plan would be to cut the grocery tax to 5 percent, rather than the 4 percent the House wants.
I'm not wild about the idea of any increase in the sales tax. What I don’t like about either plan is that they won’t just raise the gas tax, but they frontload that gas tax increase before the tax reductions kick in elsewhere. The House suggests raising the gas tax by 15 cents a gallon, while the Senate suggests 9 cents. If revenue needs to be raised to improve our roads, a more conservative approach might be to have time-limited taxes, with revenues earmarked for specific infrastructure projects.
That said, it would be disingenuous for any supporters of the Senate plan to attack the House plan from the right, given that the Senate is also proposing to increase the gas tax while continuing to tax your paycheck every month.
I worry that the Senate plan is primarily an exercise in political positioning, rather than income tax elimination. “Read my lips” I imagine those that drafted it want to be able to say “We support tax cuts! Here’s a token cut in the grocery tax, and a slightly lower increase in the gas tax. We’re not RINOs! Really”.
That kind of distraction strategy might once have worked if no one paid attention and the local media only ever criticize you from the progressive left. I’m not sure it will work anymore. If you posture as a tax cutter but put all your energy into a tax plan designed to dilute actual tax cuts, you will be called out.
Delbert Hosemann is reported as saying he believes full elimination of the income tax would be over ambitious. Since when was it “over ambitious” for Republicans with a super majority to get on and do conservative things?
I don’t see President Trump and Elon Musk holding back from doing what needs to be done because it is “over ambitious”. Our legislature needs to recognize that Mississippi has a historic political and economic opportunity to eliminate the state income tax. Mississippi is starting to see real growth, thanks in large part to the tax cuts we have already implemented. It is not a coincidence that when Arkansas cut their income tax rate, they set it at 3.9 percent in order to be just below our current rate of 4 percent.
Implementing the Senate plan, which would retain the income tax rate at 2.9 percent, rather than abolishing it, would make Mississippi less competitive than our neighbors. If passed, the Senate plan would squander the chance to deliver bold reform, while institutionalizing our economic uncompetitiveness.
Conservatives should support the House plan, with some possible modifications.
Wow! What a start! Donald Trump began his Presidency with a blizzard of Executive Orders. He’s not holding back on advancing a conservative agenda. An emergency has been declared to secure the southern border. DEI hires in the federal government are being fired. The renewable energy boondoggle is over. Mass deportations have begun.
But what about Mississippi? Have our state lawmakers been using their time in office to deliver the change we need?
The good news is that two weeks into the 2025 legislative session there are some significant conservative bills at the Capitol under consideration.
SCHOOL CHOICE
HB1435 (Jansen Owen) offers public to public school choice. It would give every Mississippi family the choice options that last year the legislature extended to military families. HB1433 (Rob Roberson) would allow a limited form of public to private school choice in D and F rated districts. Shout out to Rep Owen and Rep Roberson! Both bills are vitally important, and we strongly support them. Also worth watching are bills to increase the number of Charter Schools and overhaul our phony district grading system.
INCOME TAX ABOLITION
The House has already passed HB1 (Rep Lamar, Speaker Jason White), which offers to eliminate the state income tax over the next decade. It would be truly awesome if this were to pass. There is an issue with the fact that the bill frontloads some tax rises early on, but I am confident that good conservatives can make this work. Kudos to Rep Lamar and Speaker White….
ANTI DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
SB2223 (Sen Hill), HB1179 (Rep Currie) and HB1416 (Rep Currie) offer comprehensive legislative action to address DEI. This is timely given that President Trump has just repealed Lyndon Johnson’s Executive Order mandating reverse discrimination. Also important is Sen England’s SB2182 bill, which would let sunlight in as an anti DEI disinfectant. Families would have a right to see what their kids are being taught in the classroom. Three cheers for Sen Hill, Rep Currie and Sen England!
BALLOT INNITIATIVE
There is also a bill in the Senate, SB2572, sponsored by Sen Boyd, to restore the ballot initiative. Well done, Sen Boyd. If you can make this happen, you will be a hero to many. Given that the Senate has been the place that efforts to restore the ballot initiative have usually gone to die, the fact that this has the sanction of some in the Senate might be significant. There is also a superb bill to reform Certificate of Need laws (HB922) by Rep Zuber and Rep Creekmore. A thousand cheers to both of them!
There are also some excellent proposals to allow Mississippians to buy wine online. It’s ridiculous we can’t already …
WILL ANY OF THIS HAPPEN?
These are all excellent conservative proposals, but we’ve been here before. Will our lawmakers make any of this happen? What has already happened to some of the anti DEI bills is instructive. Mississippi Lieutenant Governor, Delbert Hosemann, moved to kill Sen Hill’s anti DEI bill through a procedural sleight of hand. He did so by double referring the Hill bill, meaning that the chances of it progressing further are tiny.
Mr. Hosemann maneuvered to kill the anti DEI bill in Jackson the very week that President Trump issued Executive Orders to combat DEI in Washington.
Fortunately, lurking on the list of bills is a Senate bill (SB2515) called the REFOCUS bill (Sen Boyd). It proposes a long overdue review of our public universities, and it seems to include a section about tackling DEI. Or at least prevent public universities from maintaining a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion office.
We know that Ole Miss and others have already rebranded their Diversity departments, so the bill could just be symbolic. It might do nothing to counter leftist faculty, while allowing politicians to play word salad on SuperTalk. But depending on the language that Sen Boyd uses, her bill might actually be meaningful. This could be the kind of anti DEI bill we need.
Here at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, we have built up a large audience across the state. Our weekly email goes out to over 80,000 people In Mississippi. Over the past week, more than ten million viewers across America and beyond saw our digital output.
As the House and Senate consider these conservative proposals in the weeks ahead, we will let you know who, like President Trump, has been actively on your side, and who continues to frustrate conservative reform.
How much do you imagine it costs to send a child to public school in Hinds County every year? $5,000 per year? Maybe $10,000? $15,000?
Actually, according to data from the Mississippi Department of Education, when you divide the number of students attending school by the total expenditure, in 2023-24 Hinds County spent $16,589 per student.
That is more than twice the average private school fees in our state. Indeed, $16,589 is not far off what it would cost to send your child to a top private school.
Now ask yourself if each child in Hinds County is getting a top education for that $16,589? Of course not. A large chunk of the kids can’t read or do basic math. One in three of them regularly skip school.
So, why not give families in Hinds County the right to take a portion of that $16,589 and allocate it to a school of their choice?
It’s not just Hinds County. The same question could be asked in Madison ($17,037 spent for every public school pupil per year) or Rankin ($15,198 per pupil per year), or Canton ($18,683) or De Soto ($13,820).
Even if you take the Department of Education’s own more conservative figure for per pupil spending (which includes all the ‘no-show’ students), Mississippi still spends an average of $14,676 per student.
Despite all that money, 4 in 10 fourth graders in Mississippi public schools cannot read properly. Eight in 10 eighth grade kids in Mississippi were not proficient in math in 2022. One in 4 kids routinely skips school.
Nor has $14,676 per student spending translated into better teacher pay. Notwithstanding recent pay increases, our teachers still earn significantly less than they did in 2010, when you adjust for inflation.
If you happen to be one of the fortunate families happy with the public education options available, great. No need to change and no one is proposing any changes that will affect you. But why not allow those families unhappy how things are the freedom to take their tax dollars to a school that best meets their needs?
Suggesting this provokes outrage not from parents, but from various vested interests who like things the way they are. They like a system that puts the $14,676 they get for your child into their administration budget, rather than the classroom. School superintendents making more than the Governor want to keep control of their multimillion dollar budgets for a reason. It’s a boondoggle for bureaucrats.
School Choice will not impoverish public schools. The legislation that Speaker Jason White is proposing would allow families control over the state portion of funding, not locally raised revenues or federal dollars.
In Hinds County, for example, that would mean families being able to allocate no more than $6,700 of the $16,589 overall per pupil funding. (Rather than depleting Hinds County public schools’ budget, actually it would make Hinds County better off in terms of per pupil spend.)
Giving families control over $6,700 of the state funds will not mean a flood of kids coming into your well run school district. Why not? Because the legislation proposed specifically gives school boards the final say on capacity.
What anti School Choice campaigners really fear is not the “wrong” kids coming to your school. What they fear is that you start wondering what the heck they’ve been doing with the $14,676 they get for your child or grandchild every year.
All of the arguments we are now hearing against School Choice in Mississippi have been heard in each of the surrounding states that have since adopted School Choice.
Alabama’s new Educations Savings Account program, which has just opened for applications, has been wildly oversubscribed. The program provides $7,000 funding per student attending a participating private school, while those enrolled in home education programs are eligible for $2,000 per student.
Arkansas allows all K-12 students access to an Education Savings Account from 2025, into which the state government pays the state portion of per pupil funding ($6,600 per year). Families will be able to use this $6,600 money they are given to pay for their child education, including private school tuition. Arkansas also allows public to public school transfers, allowing districts to define capacity.
Louisiana’s GATOR program starts in 2025-26 and establishes an Education Savings Account for those on low incomes, with the details are still being finalized as the law only recently passed. Louisiana already has public to public School Choice.
Texas and Tennessee, too, are at this very moment debating legislation that would create a universal Education Savings Account for families in those states, too.
None of the scare stories we now hear in Mississippi materialised in any of these neighboring states. None of these states has been bankrupted like the critics claimed by letting mom and dad have parent power. Instead, all the evidence suggests School Choice has started to improve education outcomes.