Editor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2025 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “What needs to happen next—at the state, district, and school levels—for the science of reading revolution to fulfill its promise and ensure that far more children learn to read well?” Learn more.
In the last three years alone, 26 states have passed science-of-reading (SoR) style laws, marking a historic shift in how literacy instruction is approached across the country. This wave of reform was inspired in large part by Mississippi’s remarkable and sustained gains in early literacy. Once ranked near the bottom nationally, Mississippi now leads the pack in fourth-grade reading growth, a transformation that has captured the attention of policymakers, educators, and advocates nationwide.
This momentum is both timely and necessary. Nationally, only about one-third of fourth graders read proficiently, according to the most recent NAEP scores. The consequences of poor literacy are profound: students who struggle to read by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, and those without a diploma face steep barriers to earning a living wage, securing stable housing, and pursuing postsecondary education. In short, reading is not just an academic skill—it’s a gateway to opportunity.
We know what works. Decades of research have shown that explicit instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—hallmarks of the science of reading—are essential for developing strong readers. The recent surge in SoR-aligned laws is a promising first step. But already, headlines are questioning their impact, pointing to stagnant test scores and uneven implementation. Mississippi leaders have cautioned that this work is a “marathon, not a miracle,” yet the pressure for rapid results is palpable.
While it might be fair to speculate, it is far too soon to declare the SoR movement a failure. Asking “Why didn’t it work?” just a few years into implementation risks triggering a familiar and damaging cycle: defunding, shifting priorities, and abandoning promising reforms before they’ve had a chance to take root. Instead, we must ask better questions—questions that help us understand what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to happen next.
What are reasonable expectations for how quickly we’ll see impact on students? What early indicators suggest we’re moving in the right direction—or not? And where progress is slower than expected, what adjustments can we make to change course? These are the questions that lead to meaningful, sustained improvement. Adopting an evidence-based spending framework is a powerful but underutilized way to consistently prompt the questions that drive change.
Evidence-based spending: A framework for impact
Evidence-based spending is more than just choosing programs that “work.” It’s a disciplined approach to using data and research at every stage—from budgeting to policy design and initial implementation to continuous improvement, replication, and scaling. The SoR laws passed in recent years are a strong start. They reflect what we know about effective literacy instruction and signal a commitment to equity and excellence. But passing a law is not the finish line—it’s the starting gate.
To deliver on the promise of these laws, states must take advantage of critical levers that are often overlooked. At Results for America (RFA), we refer to these as “evidence-based spending strategies.” They include:
- Using data to guide investments: States should allocate resources to districts and schools based on where the need is greatest and where evidence shows the greatest potential for impact.
- Clearly defining desired outcomes at the outset: States should clearly lay out what success looks like, what data they'll track, how often they'll measure progress, and what early signs they’ll watch to see if things are on the right track.
- Building evidence through evaluation: States should invest in ongoing evaluations to understand how well their SoR programs are working and for whom. States can do this by setting us a small portion—say 1percent—of program budgets to study both implementation and impact.
- Establishing strong performance management practices: Once outcomes are defined, states should set up systems for tracking progress regularly and use what the progress data shows to improve implementation—and they should expect and support their districts to do the same.
- Aligning performance management with evaluation: States should strive for coherence across their performance management and evaluation plans, so that the performance management plan is generating information that can be used in service of both formative and summative evaluation plans.
When these strategies are applied consistently, systems become more responsive, more transparent, and more effective. They help avoid the pitfalls of impatience and misalignment between policy authorizers and policy implementers that often derail promising reforms. And importantly, they create the conditions for student-level impact.
A decade of discipline: Lessons from Mississippi
Dr. Carey Wright, former Mississippi State Superintendent of Education (now leading Maryland’s education system) and a key architect of the state’s literacy transformation, is clear: The so-called “Mississippi Miracle” was no miracle at all. It was the result of a decade of disciplined, evidence-driven work. Mississippi used data to determine where to invest funds, continuously improved implementation, and made a compelling case for sustained investment in early literacy. The results speak for themselves.
If other states want to replicate Mississippi’s success, they must embrace the same mindset. That means resisting the urge to chase quick wins or abandon reforms prematurely. It means committing to the long haul, using evidence not just to justify spending but to guide investments and implementation. And it means asking better questions—questions that lead to actionable answers, thoughtful decisions, and improved outcomes for kids.
Proof in practice
There are states taking a cue from Mississippi—putting in place not just SoR laws, but a system for support that draws from the evidence-based spending framework and will foster conditions for continuous improvement. While it’s too soon to see the full impact on student outcomes, these states are seeing promising signs of impact:
- Tennessee invested heavily in teacher training and coaching aligned with SoR, while building robust data systems to monitor progress. Early results show gains in foundational literacy and stronger alignment between state and district efforts.
- North Carolina launched a multi-year initiative to train all K–3 teachers in SoR-aligned practices, paired with ongoing coaching and evaluation. The state’s commitment to continuous improvement has helped maintain momentum and build educator trust.
- Georgia has seen an increase in reading scores in its lowest performing elementary schools as a result of investing in evidence-based teacher training and literacy coaching and is actively tracking and transparently reporting on literacy results via its public-facing Reading Readiness dashboard which ensures schools, districts, parents, and communities have a common framework for improvement.
These examples demonstrate that evidence-based spending isn’t just a theory—it’s a practical strategy for turning policy into progress.
The road ahead
The science of reading movement is one of the most promising developments in American education in decades. But its success will depend not just on what laws are passed, but on how they’re implemented, supported, and sustained. Evidence-based spending offers a roadmap for doing that well.
If we follow it, we won’t just improve reading scores—we’ll change lives. And that’s a goal worth committing to.
