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*This post is based on a recent article by Nikolas Kristoff from his series “How America Heals”
Nearly 25% of teachers will leave the field in their first three years. When I left teaching, I admit that I felt a mixture of guilt and relief about no longer carrying the burden of the omnipresent challenges: lack of funding, uninvolved parents, and poverty. The tone of conversations with fellow teachers was usually one of depressing resignation. This has been the attitude towards education throughout much of the country for some time now.
But amidst the despair, a quiet educational renaissance has been unfolding. Not in New York or some rich school district in Massachusetts, where one might expect—but in Mississippi.
There is an assumption in education that the poor performance of our schools is, at its core, a money problem. Any substantial improvements would take significantly more funding—so it’s been argued. The story of Mississippi suggests this may be less true than we assume.
Year after year, Mississippi ranked near the bottom of virtually every educational assessment. In 2013, the state set out to change this. They spent over a decade tweaking the curriculum, adapting instruction methods, trying anything that might result in improvements. And improve they did. Among just children in poverty, Mississippi fourth graders went from worst in the nation to some of the best performers on benchmark reading and math tests. Perhaps even more impressive is that they achieved this while ranking 46th in spending per pupil. Mississippi’s education numbers read like a magic trick—how did they do it?
Three reforms were key to their success:
- The “Third Grade Gate” Third-grade students who underperformed on reading exams would no longer be sent on to the next grade. After this line in the sand was drawn, there was an all-out effort among educators to prepare as many students as possible to pass the test.
- Changes to Pre-K Mississippi pre-K programs shifted to targeting at-risk students living in low-income areas. Beginning at the age of 3 or 4, these students were given intensive, full-day instruction which helped them develop reading skills and adapt to classroom life sooner.
- Phonics At the core of Mississippi’s renaissance was a change in the way children were taught to read. Students received early instruction in phonics, learning to sound out and decode words. Research shows this to be among the most effective ways to teach reading. As students improved their reading skills, the gains spilled over into other subjects.
It should come as no surprise that emphasizing phonics was central to Mississippi’s impressive turnaround. Educators and researchers have known about the advantages of this teaching method for decades. In the 2000s, Republicans even promoted “Early Start in Phonics” as part of their national education plan. This conservative push was enough to make some liberals suspicious of the movement, and, eventually, phonics fell out of favor. Many conservatives argue that Left-leaning teachers’ unions were and are an obstacle to reform. They point to school choice as another example where unions haven’t exactly been supportive. Educational reform is almost always political, and the history of phonics is no exception.
But in Mississippi, literacy reforms were implemented with the full support of teachers’ unions. And, recently, New York City’s schools announced they will follow Mississippi’s lead, instituting a phonics-based reading program. This is an encouraging sign that these reforms might translate across the aisle, in red and blue states, which is imperative given that two-thirds of US 4th graders are currently not proficient in reading.
For liberals, Mississippi’s rise offers proof that public education can still make a difference—particularly in the lives of those who need it most. It should be emphasized that Mississippi showed that it is possible to raise standards even in a state ranked dead last in the country in child poverty and hunger, and second highest in teen births—factors which too often seem insurmountable.
And for conservatives, Mississippi provides validation that quality education can be provided without breaking the bank. How much money you spend certainly matters, but no less important is how you spend it. This should be welcome news to budget-conscious conservatives.
The ability to read is paramount for early and continued success in school. We know this to be true anecdotally and empirically. And what’s good for students is good for teachers. Think about how much easier the jobs of teachers will now be across Mississippi thanks to these changes. A generation of educators and students now empowered by education. Who wouldn’t vote for that?
The apathy felt by many teachers in America is dangerous. Mississippi has injected into their state, and perhaps our nation, something that has been sorely missing: hope.
If it’s true that “it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” then Mississippi gave us the blueprint. It’s time to start building.
