Mississippi's school miracle shames failing Chicago leaders on education

As I locomotion crossed Mississippi successful my "Walk Across America" run to assistance reverse the fortunes of my South Side Chicago neighborhood, I spot thing almighty unfolding. This state, often dismissed by different parts of America arsenic backward, has turned its schools into engines of progress. Children are nary longer trapped successful failing schools but are moving toward promising futures. Meanwhile, backmost successful Chicago's South Side, schools successful my ain vicinity proceed to fto kids down. The opposition couldn't beryllium starker, and it forces a hard question: If Mississippi tin marque specified melodramatic gains, wherefore does a metropolis similar Chicago, with acold greater resources, proceed to neglect its children?

The stereotype that the South is ignorant portion the North is enlightened is crumbling earlier my eyes.

Mississippi's transformation, often called the "Mississippi Miracle," is not an accident. In 2013, the authorities ranked 49th successful fourth-grade speechmaking connected the National Assessment of Educational Progress, oregon NAEP. By 2024, 4th graders ranked ninth successful the federation successful speechmaking and 16th successful math. Adjusted for demographics and poverty, Mississippi 4th graders ranked archetypal nationally successful speechmaking and math, according to the Urban Institute. The authorities achieved its highest-ever rates of students scoring proficient oregon precocious crossed tested grades and subjects. Fourth-grade speechmaking proficiency reached levels wherever Mississippi students outperformed the nationalist mean for the archetypal time. Black 4th graders roseate to 3rd successful the federation successful some speechmaking and math, portion low-income and Hispanic students ranked among the apical performers nationally successful cardinal categories.

HERE'S THE SECRET BEHIND MISSISSIPPI’S EDUCATION MIRACLE — AND WHY IT’S NO ACCIDENT

The foundation? The 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which mandated evidence-based phonics instruction, aboriginal recognition of struggling readers, literacy coaches and retention successful 3rd people for students not speechmaking astatine people level.

We can't hold for breached systems to hole themselves. At Project H.O.O.D. successful Chicago we volition beryllium moving to make a exemplary that equips kids with skills, religion and accidental — thing Mississippi proves is imaginable erstwhile priorities align.

Former State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright emphasized the deliberate enactment down it: "Educators bash not telephone these achievements a 'miracle' due to the fact that we cognize Mississippi’s advancement successful acquisition is the effect of beardown policies, the effectual implementation of a broad statewide strategy, and years of hard enactment from the authorities to the schoolroom level."

CHICAGO KIDS ARE DYING WHILE MAYOR JOHNSON FIGHTS TRUMP, ICE AND REALITY

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has celebrated the sustained gains, noting however blimpish reforms and a absorption connected phonics person made Mississippi a nationalist model. Even with a flimsy dip successful 2024-25 authorities accountability grades — 80.1% of schools and 87.2% of districts earning a C oregon higher, down from the erstwhile twelvemonth — the semipermanent trajectory shows what evidence-based betterment tin achieve, adjacent successful a authorities with precocious poverty.

By contrast, Dulles Elementary School successful Chicago's Woodlawn vicinity —right successful the bosom of the assemblage I service — presents the other picture. The school, serving mostly Black and low-income students successful grades pre-K done 8, ranks successful the bottommost 50% of Illinois simple schools. In caller data, lone astir 1% to 5% of students scored proficient successful math, and 3% successful reading, connected authorities assessments. In the 2024-25 schoolhouse year, conscionable 3.9% were proficient oregon amended successful mathematics and 13.8% successful English connection arts — acold beneath Chicago Public Schools territory averages (27.3% successful math, 42.8% successful ELA) and authorities averages (38.5% successful math, 53.1% successful ELA). Chronic absenteeism remains high, often betwixt 25% and 40%, and the schoolhouse struggles crossed pupil subgroups. It is labeled "Commendable" successful Illinois' system, but those numbers don’t lie. Far excessively galore children are leaving without the foundational skills they request to thrive.

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That’s wherefore Project H.O.O.D. is gathering the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center down the artifact from this simple school. The $45 cardinal halfway volition see a backstage Christian schoolhouse for boys from single-parent households, and I americium moving to larn arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable from Mississippi’s occurrence truthful that our schoolhouse tin travel a akin model. I americium driven by the urgent request to reverse these fortunes. We can't hold for breached systems to hole themselves. We volition beryllium moving to make a exemplary that equips kids with skills, religion and accidental — thing Mississippi proves is imaginable erstwhile priorities align.

The opposition betwixt Mississippi and Chicago is truthful stark that I americium tempted to telephone what’s happening successful Chicago criminal. It borders connected acquisition malpractice. Mississippi succeeded with wide standards, teacher retraining successful the subject of reading, accountability done missive grades and the courageousness to clasp students backmost until they maestro the basics — policies rooted successful what works, not ideology. Chicago, contempt immense backing and talent, remains mired successful bureaucracy, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mandates, absorption to proven methods and excuses astir poverty. It doesn’t assistance that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson focuses connected blaming phantoms of White supremacy alternatively of doing the existent enactment and confronting world nonaccomplishment head-on.

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That’s the existent backwardness — not the South, which has shown contented successful embracing grounds implicit excuses. From these Mississippi roads, the connection is clear: The chains of debased expectations tin beryllium breached anyplace — with bold policy, hard enactment and religion successful children’s potential. 

Mississippi is proof. Chicago tin follow. Project H.O.O.D. volition assistance pb the way.

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