Reading gains in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are often touted, but don’t show full picture of literacy

While these Southern states made some gains in reading, they weren’t evenly felt across different student populations.

By: Brittany Adams, University of Alabama; Elias Blinkoff, Temple University; Karyn Allee, Mercer University, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 28, 2026

Words: 1,340

Last Updated: 3 months ago

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By Brittany Adams, University of Alabama; Elias Blinkoff, Temple University; Karyn Allee, Mercer University, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University

Despite decades of legislation meant to boost children’s reading levels, literacy scores have remained relatively stagnant across the U.S. over the past 30 years.

Educators, policymakers and parents were genuinely excited in the late 2010s, when three Southern states – Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana – appeared to buck the literacy trend. All …

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