Source: New York Post
by Rich Lowry
“A miracle defies the laws of nature. This is why ‘the Mississippi Miracle,’ the sobriquet for the extraordinary gains that students in the Magnolia State have made in reading in recent years, is a misnomer. There’s nothing miraculous about a state that adopts phonics and that sets high standards for its kids getting better results in reading instruction. This, to the contrary, is a predictable outcome, and a replicable one, as other Southern states that have taken up similar polices have shown. Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024. Its low-income children are ranked first in the nation. Its black kids are No. 3 in the nation, and its Hispanic kids No. 1.” (09/30/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/opinion/mississippi-is-no-miracle-its-the-future-of-education/