Harvard University released an interview on Mar. 16 with Thomas Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics and faculty director at the Center for Education Policy Research, discussing recent gains in K-12 test scores in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
The rise in educational achievement in these Southern states is notable because it comes after the federal government shifted control over K-12 decisions to states in 2015. According to Kane, “It’s a big story that we all ought to be paying attention to because the federal government essentially handed power over K-12 decisions back to states in 2015. That was a decade ago, and nationally, achievement has been declining.” He said that some states have taken ambitious steps to improve literacy instruction and student outcomes.
The Education Recovery Scorecard shows Alabama ranked first among states in math recovery and third in reading; Louisiana ranked second in math recovery and first in reading; Mississippi sixth in math recovery and fourth in reading; and Tennessee third in math recovery and ninth in reading. The scorecard is a collaboration between Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, Stanford University’s Educational Opportunity Project, and Dartmouth College faculty.
Kane highlighted specific reforms such as Mississippi’s investment in literacy coaches starting from 2012, changes to early literacy curricula emphasizing phonics-based instruction (the science of reading), requirements for students to pass a literacy test before advancing beyond third grade, as well as Alabama’s Numeracy Act providing math coaches and summer learning funding. Louisiana incentivized districts to change curricula and retrain teachers while streamlining funding processes. Tennessee invested statewide in tutoring programs during the pandemic.
Kane said that while these reforms are promising, more research is needed: “But I hesitate to say that every state should do exactly the same thing because we don’t yet have good evidence on which aspects of their plans made the most difference. Going forward, we want to help states learn which specific policies make a difference.” He also emphasized local leadership: “States need to realize that if we’re going to turn this around, it will depend on their own leadership. Four states have clearly taken that message to heart: Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee.”
Looking ahead, Kane hopes other states will follow suit: “Let’s hope that Massachusetts and other states decide to step up and show some leadership too.”
