Kids in the South Are Getting Better at Reading

Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana are climbing the ranks when it comes to student literacy — even as the pandemic has caused educational setbacks across the country. 

According to the Associated Press, all three states have passed laws that encourage using phonics and implementing early screenings to identify students who struggle with reading.

The investment in policies to promote literacy has reportedly paid off for the trio.

Mississippi leapt from 49th place for fourth-grade reading in 2013 to 21st in 2022. Neighboring Alabama and Louisiana were also among only three states where fourth grade reading rates improved during the pandemic, the AP reports.

In Mississippi, many attribute the improvement to the passage of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act in 2013, which requires third-grade students to demonstrate basic literacy skills before moving to fourth grade. 

“There’s no magic bullet here,” former Mississippi State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright told the New York Times in 2022. “It’s all about rolling up your sleeves.” 

That doesn’t stop people from referring to the dramatic increase in reading scores as the “Mississippi Miracle.”

Other states are trying to create miracles of their own. 

“Every time I present a bill, I say, ‘Look, Mississippi has very similar challenges to what we have in Louisiana,” Louisiana state Rep. Richard Nelson told the AP. “And they’ve been able to make this work.”