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Choosing illiteracy

Mississippi shows what works in teaching children to read, but entrenched interests may balk at reform


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Choosing illiteracy
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In California, less than one in three fourth graders can read at grade level. Nearly half struggle with the basics. Children are growing up without their most essential skill for freedom and opportunity, but this doesn’t have to be the case for children in public schools. 

Across the nation, reading achievement has been sliding backward for years. And the steepest drops are among kids who were already struggling. Some are opting out of public schools, but millions are still there, being shorted by these devastating learning gaps. 

America is raising millions of children who can’t read, and it’s not just an unavoidable side effect of the pandemic. Literacy rates were falling prior to 2020, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Unless we change course, those children will pay for our choices for the rest of their lives. 

A child who cannot read by the end of third grade is far more likely to fall behind, drop out, and face poverty or incarceration. This has long-ranging personal and societal consequences.

Reading is integrated into every part of civic life. Consider that citizens can’t participate in self-government if they can’t read a ballot, a contract, or even the Bible. To fail at helping kids accomplish this most basic task betrays them and the future of our country. 

But hope exists if you know where to look, and this crisis is not inevitable. Mississippi went from lagging in literacy to leading progress—proof that sound policy can change everything. Mississippi proved what’s possible: By embracing the “science of reading,” equipping teachers, and demanding accountability, it climbed from 49th to 20th in 4th-grade reading.

The Literacy-Based Promotion Act was key. By prioritizing phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and real accountability, Mississippi’s incredible results have been called the “Mississippi Miracle.”

Tennessee and Louisiana have pursued similar reforms with measurable results. As result of their deliberate, evidence-based choices, children are thriving. Why shouldn’t the rest of the country follow suit? 

States like California, which continue to fail children miserably, could begin implementing these same methods. Teacher training could shift from how to prioritize “equity” and “anti-racism” to instruction in practical strategies to get students across the literacy finish line. Enough with “critical theory” in disguise. Teachers need solid instruction in coaching children toward reading success. 

Because many of these reforms come out of red states, leaders in blue states won’t consider them.

“Billions of dollars are spent—and largely wasted—every year on professional development for teachers that is curriculum-agnostic, i.e., aimed at generic, disembodied teaching skills without reference to any specific curriculum,” writes Kelsey Piper in The Argument, a liberal, education-based Substack. 

Most importantly, accountability holds the line. In Mississippi, third graders who can’t read don’t move on automatically. This barrier creates a major incentive for students, teachers, and parents to ensure students are on track for a successful elementary education and beyond. 

These three ingredients: curriculum changes, better teacher training, and strong accountability, appear to be the recipe for change. Unfortunately, politics can prevent movement in progressive states. Because many of these reforms come out of red states, blue-state leaders won’t consider them. But literacy is not and should not be partisan. The Argument is not a conservative publication, but we can all reach agreement that literacy rates in liberal states are a problem. 

There’s also the difficulty for states to work their way out of bureaucratic systems. Contracts with curriculum vendors, training programs, and local politics are tough to overcome, so changes will require gritty and courageous leadership. 

States like California, where families have limited school choice, have the most to gain from taking a few key steps to move literacy forward. Governors and legislatures must understand the devastating effects illiteracy has on people for a lifetime, and act on this information with fortitude. Schools and teaching institutions must prioritize professional development that connects to tangible, measurable results within the classroom. Inviting parents into more of the classroom work and discussions is important. Tell families the truth about their child’s reading level—and what it will take to get them on track.

Lastly, enforcing passing literacy scores to move to the next grade is imperative. If we don’t set real benchmarks for success, kids will keep getting passed along and left further behind. The hard choices now are the merciful ones later.

To deny students the opportunity to learn proper literacy is to sentence them to a lifetime of limits. That’s bad for them, their communities, and society as a whole. The literacy crisis is not destiny. It is the product of choices. And for that reason, it can be reversed, as we’ve seen in Mississippi and other states. 


Ericka Andersen

Ericka is a freelance writer and mother of two living in Indianapolis. She is the author of Leaving Cloud 9 and Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church & the Church Needs Women. Ericka hosts the Worth Your Time podcast. She has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Christianity Today, USA Today, and more.


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