These Three Red States Are the Best Hope in Schooling

By Nicholas Kristof. From The New York Times. Excerpts:

"The critiques have been effectively rebutted — for starters, they can’t explain the continuing gains in Mississippi or the magnitude of the gains. Just as striking, the Mississippi gains increasingly are being replicated in Alabama and Louisiana, as they follow similar approaches."

"Schools in Alabama respond firmly when a pupil doesn’t show up. After three unexcused absences, the school suggests a meeting with the parents. After five unexcused absences, school district officials summon parents and warn that they face legal risks if the truancy continues. At seven unexcused absences, the school may refer the parents to the juvenile court."

"These states have created a structure that closely monitors each school’s performance and incentivizes principals and teachers alike to do everything they can to get kids back in class and learning."

"In Mississippi, where the four-year high school graduation rate is now 89 percent, the State Department of Education each year must approve a “dropout prevention plan” from each school district."

"Measurement and metrics are particularly evident in strategies to get children to read by the end of third grade."

"So Dyhlan is pulled out of class along with other lagging readers every day for small-group tutoring in reading. Each child is tested weekly, with scores posted in a green, yellow or red zone, indicating how likely it is that they will pass a big reading test in the spring."

"in 2013, Mississippi adopted a third-grade gate — meaning that all third graders must pass a reading test to advance to fourth grade. The state then set up a system to monitor all students beginning in kindergarten to help get them on track to pass the test. Mississippi also revamped its curriculum, invested in pre-K and set up a system to coach teachers to improve their skills."

"A Black Mississippi child is two and a half times as likely to be proficient in reading by fourth grade as a Black California child."

"Likewise, low-income children are more likely to test proficient in reading in Mississippi or Louisiana than in California, Massachusetts or New York. A low-income fourth grader is almost twice as likely to test proficient at math in Mississippi as in Oregon."

"the Southern surge states lifted student achievement with only modest budgets. Spending per pupil in Alabama and Mississippi was below $12,000 in 2024, while in New York it was almost $30,000."

"A common thread in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana has been strong educational leadership, which in turn is able to impose a coherent strategy statewide. This includes “science of reading” curriculums, teacher coaching, measurement of student performance and accountability at all levels. In these states, everyone is rowing together; in Northern school systems, in contrast, there may be more oars but these often are pulling in different directions."

"It was easier to undertake these reforms in states like Mississippi that lacked strong teacher unions"

"Douglas N. Harris, an economist and education expert at Tulane University, said that the three states’ success is based in large part on demanding accountability and raising expectations. “Expectations for students, teachers and schools are central,” he said.

“The debate in education is often framed as a tension between excellence and equity,” Harris added. “I reject that. The system already has lower expectations for disadvantaged students. We need high expectations and standards to give them a better chance.”"

"The Southern surge states take an approach that . . . Disadvantaged students get extra help but are pushed to succeed on the same terms as everyone else, for that is what the adult job market will demand."