Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee have adopted science‑of‑reading curricula, teacher coaching, and accountability/retention policies that lifted NAEP fourth‑grade reading above richer states. Gains are strongest for disadvantaged students, with Mississippi’s Black fourth‑graders far more likely to read at least at a basic level than their peers in California. The results show literacy is responsive to policy design, not just funding or demographics.
— This overturns the spending‑equals‑quality assumption and pressures high‑spend states to adopt proven literacy reforms or face widening equity gaps.
Arnold Kling
2025.10.12
86% relevant
The linked Vaites & Piper essay (quoted here) spotlights Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama significantly improving fourth‑grade reading via science‑of‑reading reforms and argues this pathway serves both progressive and conservative goals, challenging 'spending only' orthodoxy and calling for union buy‑in.
2025.10.07
60% relevant
The article argues that large spending increases yielded only 'modest' gains and that elite outlets present the funding–outcomes link as settled; this aligns with evidence that targeted literacy reforms in lower-spend Southern states outperformed richer peers, suggesting policy design beats spending levels alone.
Karen Vaites
2025.10.07
88% relevant
The article defends Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama’s science‑of‑reading reforms against 'cooking the books' criticisms (e.g., Freddie deBoer), asserting the gains are genuine and should guide other states—exactly the claim in the Southern Surge idea.
Isegoria
2025.09.30
95% relevant
The piece highlights Mississippi’s and Louisiana’s NAEP gains and details the same playbook—phonics-based curricula, curriculum-aligned teacher training, and accountability/third-grade retention—showing these states now outperform richer states like California, particularly for Black fourth graders.
Kelsey Piper
2025.09.25
100% relevant
NAEP data cited: California 30% proficient and 41% below basic vs Mississippi surpassing pre‑COVID highs; Black students basic‑or‑above 52% in Mississippi vs 28% in California.