Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s College of Education dean is a new member of the state’s Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development.

Teresa Jayroe was appointed to her first four-year term by the Mississippi State Board of Education to represent Mississippi Congressional District Three through December 2028. The commission falls under the umbrella of the Mississippi Department of Education.

Licensure commission members play an important role since the group is charged with making recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding standards for the preparation of educators, certification and licensure, and continuing professional development of those who teach or perform tasks of an educational nature in Mississippi’s public schools.

“Dr. Jayroe exemplifies servant leadership, and I know she will be an exceptional member of the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. “I appreciate her willingness to serve in this important role as well as her many other contributions to our university and the College of Education.”

Jayroe is a veteran MSU administrator, professor and elementary classroom teacher who was named dean in 2021 after serving as associate dean for a decade. She previously worked as director for the college’s Office of Clinical/Field-Based Instruction, Licensure and Outreach. She first joined the MSU faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in 1997 after teaching kindergarten through second grade for 13 years in the Louisville Municipal Separate School District and the Philadelphia Public School District.

She completed her Ph.D. in education with a concentration in elementary education and her Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in educational leadership, both at Mississippi State. She also has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in elementary education from MSU.

Learn more about the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development at https://mdek12.org/OTL/OEL/Certification.

Visit MSU’s College of Education at https://www.educ.msstate.edu/.

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