You won’t find a more literate bunch of 4th graders anywhere in the nation than if you go and stand in a Mississippi elementary school.
Over the last few years, the Magnolia state has risen from 49th in the country for 4th grade reading level to number 1 in both reading and math at the 4th grade level after adjusting for poverty and other socio-economic factors.
The state’s 4th graders “exceeded the national reading average” for the first time in 2024, according to the International Business Times, while its 8th graders are ranked in the top 10 for reading and math, and the total educational attainment averaged across all grades ranks 16th in the country, the highest rank Mississippi has ever achieved.
Proving that method can trump money, the southern state has achieved all this despite being one of the very poorest in the country with some of the lowest per-student education budgets.
In a review from The Week, the triumph seems to be rooted in two strong policy shifts: holding individual schools accountable for student performance, and changing how reading is taught in school.
Regarding the former, it’s something many more affluent states have shied away from: giving schools an A through F grade just like the school might give its students based on how well the students therein are performing.
Regarding the latter, the key shift is towards mandating a style of literacy education that reflects advancements in the understanding of childhood neurosciences, specifically regarding phonics.
The previous, and still largely popular literacy instruction method was called “balanced literacy” involves allowing the child the freedom to gravitate toward reading books they’re interested in. Mississippi’s “science of reading” method involves pairing reading time with precise and targeted instruction regarding the sounds that letter combinations make in the English language.
Science of reading proponents state that without these precise instructions, children may struggle to grasp certain phonics, which in turn slows their reading speed and frustrates them overall in trying to get through and finish books.
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Additionally, Mississippi educational authorities have made science of reading-based instruction a non-negotiable aspect of curriculum planning, and appoint literacy and math coaches to help teachers hone their skills and address challenges related to specific circumstances.
These 3 changes have revolutionized Mississippi’s childhood education, even without more money being spent.
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One of the many benefits of living in a federalized country is that, because each state has strong jurisdiction and legislative control over internal affairs, each state is free to try new ideas which will bring success, failure, or indifference that can help inform other states in deciding their own policies.
Mississippi’s educational transformation may come to prove just as valuable to the students in other states as it obviously has to the students within its own schools.
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