Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox talks proposed improvements to state's education

Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, another Republican candidate, also cited Mississippi’s improvement in fourth-grade reading. “Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading to ninth,” Cox said. “We went from a mediocre 31st to 48th in the past 10 years. That’s a moral stain upon our state.” Cox said Michigan has a results problem rather than a spending problem. His proposals include assigning letter grades to public schools and requiring students to demonstrate reading proficiency before advancing beyond third grade.