The sharp improvement in early-grade reading scores in Mississippi is the direct result of conservative education reforms that emphasized phonics, classroom investment, and holding students to clear standards before advancing, according to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.
In an interview airing on Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda," Reeves pointed to the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, signed into law in 2012, as the cornerstone of the turnaround that moved Mississippi from near the bottom of national rankings to the top tier in fourth-grade reading.
"You know, it's been called by the New York Times, the Mississippi Miracle," Reeves said. "But what you and I know is that it really hasn't been a miracle at all. It is the direct result of good, strong conservative policies enacted and then implemented, and the results have been outstanding."
Reeves said the Literacy-Based Promotion Act was "the single most important piece" of the reforms enacted in 2012 and 2013, though he stressed it was part of a broader strategy that included targeted investments and changes in instruction.
"We invested more resources, but we did it in a smart way. We did it in the classroom," Reeves said. "We also hired reading coaches. We hired math coaches to help those students that were struggling, but also to help those teachers become better teachers."
A key feature of the law requires students to pass a third-grade reading test before being promoted to fourth grade, a policy Reeves said initially drew resistance but is now widely accepted.
"If you are not reading at a certain level, by the end of the third grade, then you do not get promoted to the fourth grade," Reeves said. "That caused a lot of concern and complaints early on, but now everyone in our state has bought into it."
Reeves said the approach reflects a basic principle of learning that he believes had been overlooked for years.
"Between kindergarten and third grade, kids need to be learning to read," Reeves said. "Beyond that point, they better not be learning to read. They better be reading to learn."
Reeves also credited Mississippi's return to phonics-based instruction, saying the state rejected education trends that moved away from fundamentals.
"The education elites tried to change the way in which we teach reading in our country," Reeves said. "I think that long standing debate has been the answer has been decided, and that is phonics is the best way to teach reading to young kids in Mississippi and across America."
According to Reeves, the gains have extended across demographic groups, not just select districts or student populations.
"If you look at African American fourth graders in our state when compared to their peers, ten years ago, they were performing 45th best," Reeves said. "But today, African American students are third in the country amongst their peers."
He said Hispanic students in Mississippi now rank "number one in reading" and "number two in math" compared with peers nationwide, and students from disadvantaged households lead the nation in performance relative to similar students in other states.
Reeves also said Mississippi's low rate of teacher union membership has made it easier to enact reforms, though he said unions continue to oppose changes.
"Less than 10% of our teachers are members of a union," Reeves said. "But even so, the union itself fights very hard against all of the conservative reforms that we try to enact."
Reeves said his administration is pushing additional education options during the current legislative session, despite opposition from what he described as entrenched interests.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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