No two states are exactly alike when it comes to K–12 education. Yet, to make progress, state leaders have little choice but to learn from one another’s experiences. Hence our continued interest in the “Southern Surge,” a modest bright spot in an otherwise grim K–12 education landscape, and our decision to report on recent developments in Alabama.
For the past decade, a handful of Southern states have been on an upward academic trajectory (though, as usual, the data are noisy). The most notable reforms associated with this positive trend center on the science of reading (though, as usual, a lot of other things were happening). Still, the journey remains long from “embracing the science” at the policy level to teaching reading effectively in thousands of classrooms. And, while the science of reading is reasonably settled, the science of its implementation is considerably less so.
Mississippi’s education successes have been well documented and much discussed, but far less has been written about its neighbor to the east.
Alabama first adopted literacy coaching in the early 2000s and subsequently saw the needle move on student reading achievement. While Alabama didn’t stick with it, Mississippi took heed and borrowed from its coaching model. Then, in the 2010s, Mississippi’s growing success motivated Alabama policymakers to recommit to a focus on literacy—and to borrow a few things from Mississippi. Judging from the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results, Alabama’s students are now starting to reap the benefits.
So, what lessons does the Camellia State’s recharged literacy work have to offer at this point? And are any of its ideas worth replicating elsewhere?
To address these questions, we commissioned Liana Loewus, one of the country’s most knowledgeable reporters on the science of reading, to investigate the status of Alabama’s reforms and report back on what she found.
Dozens of interviews later, she has produced our latest report, Studying the Southern Surge: How Alabama Beat the Odds in Reading, in which she strikes a sensible balance between the continuing need for humility and the necessity of continued forward motion.
Ultimately, she identifies three takeaways from Alabama for states that are looking for direction:
First, evidence-based reading instruction starts at the top, with a state education agency that understands the science and bolsters classroom practice.
Simply put, there are right and wrong ways to teach reading. And they look pretty similar in Huntsville and Mobile—and Boise and Scranton and Cincinnati. So, it’s vital that state leaders push districts, schools, and individual teachers in the right directions (and equally vital that those same leaders get the science right).
Second, state leaders must adopt and stand behind a multifaceted strategy for implementation.
After all, it’s one thing to require K–3 teachers to complete science-of-reading trainings. But it’s another thing entirely to provide a short list of approved curricula, build a sturdy pyramid of dedicated reading coaches, adopt a third-grade reading guarantee that pushes adults to intervene when students struggle, and stay the course when those policies generate pushback.
Finally, effective coaching requires defined roles, ample support, and steady funding.
Skilled reading coaches don’t appear overnight. And they won’t appear at all—and might disappear—if they aren’t properly trained and supported, if the requisite funding doesn’t materialize, or if competing priorities distract them from their primary mission. So, policymakers should do their best to build and fund their coaching corps for the long run.
No, it’s not cheap, financially or politically. But then again, neither is a systemic failure to teach students to read.
