Leftist Policies Exposed as California Falls Behind

Mississippi’s poorest-in-the-nation public schools now crush California’s reading scores, exposing how leftist education policies and teacher union pandering have destroyed literacy for an entire generation of Golden State children.

Story Highlights

Mississippi soared from 49th to 9th in national fourth-grade reading rankings while California plummeted to 37th place
The Magnolia State achieved top rankings for low-income, Hispanic, and Black students despite spending 50% less per pupil than California
Phonics-based reforms and accountability measures drove Mississippi’s success while California clung to failed progressive curricula
California finally passed phonics legislation in 2025, reluctantly admitting Mississippi’s conservative approach works

Red State Miracle Embarrasses Blue State Failure

Mississippi executed one of the most remarkable education turnarounds in American history, vaulting from dead last in 2013 fourth-grade reading scores to ninth place nationally by 2024. California simultaneously crashed to 37th place with only 29% of fourth-graders reading proficiently, down from 31% in 2022. The contrast proves what conservatives have argued for decades: smart policy beats big spending every time. Mississippi achieved these results while remaining the poorest state in America with per-capita income below $50,000 and education spending in the bottom four states nationwide.

Science of Reading Defeats Woke Education Bureaucracy

Mississippi’s 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act implemented phonics-based instruction, mandatory early literacy screenings, literacy coaches in struggling schools, and third-grade retention for non-proficient readers. These common-sense reforms aligned with how children actually learn to read rather than trendy progressive theories. California resisted these proven methods for over a decade, prioritizing teacher union preferences and ideological commitments over student outcomes. The Golden State’s education establishment spent approximately 50% more per student while delivering catastrophically worse results, particularly for minority children who progressive policies claim to help most.

The demographic breakdowns reveal the true scandal of California’s education malpractice. Mississippi ranks first nationally for low-income students, first for Hispanic students, and third for Black students in reading proficiency. A Black child in Mississippi is now 2.5 times more likely to read proficiently than a Black child in California, where 28% achieve basic reading levels compared to Mississippi’s 52%. These numbers demolish the left’s excuses about poverty and demographics determining outcomes. Mississippi proves that rigorous standards, accountability, and evidence-based instruction work for all children regardless of background.

Conservative Policy Model Spreads Despite Resistance

Mississippi followed Florida’s 2002 reading reform blueprint, and other Southern states including Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana adopted similar comprehensive literacy policies with comparable gains. Forty-one states now have partial literacy reforms, but only twelve implemented comprehensive programs that actually change classroom instruction and materials. The pattern is clear: conservative-led states willing to prioritize results over political correctness and union demands achieve measurable improvements. Mississippi stands as the only state showing gains at all performance levels while forty states saw their bottom 10% of readers decline by ten or more points since 2013.

California finally capitulated in 2025, passing phonics legislation that acknowledges Mississippi’s approach. Governor Gavin Newsom’s belated recognition that progressive education theories failed an entire generation comes too late for millions of California children condemned to functional illiteracy. Education experts now openly recommend families move to Mississippi for superior public schools, a stunning reversal that highlights how far California has fallen. The economic and social costs of California’s ideological stubbornness will reverberate for decades as illiterate adults struggle in the workforce and civic life.

Accountability and Standards Trump Spending

The Mississippi model’s success undermines every progressive education talking point. Throwing money at failing schools without demanding accountability produces nothing but waste and excuse-making. Mississippi’s retention policy for third-graders who cannot read proficiently proved controversial among education bureaucrats who prioritize feelings over competence, yet this accountability measure contributed approximately 25% of the state’s gains. Conservative principles of standards, consequences, and evidence-based instruction work. California’s attempt to wish away achievement gaps through inflated grades and social promotion created a literacy crisis that disproportionately harms the minority students progressives claim to champion.

The Urban Institute adjusted NAEP scores for demographic factors and ranked Mississippi number one nationally, confirming the results reflect genuine educational improvement rather than statistical anomalies. While critics attempted to dismiss Mississippi’s achievement as selection bias from retention policies, age-adjusted data verified the gains are real and sustained. Mississippi spent less money, served poorer students, and achieved superior outcomes through disciplined implementation of proven methods. This success story vindicates the conservative belief in limited government focused on core functions executed well rather than bloated bureaucracies pursuing ideological agendas at children’s expense.