Mississippi’s Educational Turnaround Highlights Chicago’s Struggles
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s remarkable ascent from near the bottom of national reading rankings to a top-ten position has drawn sharp contrasts with the persistent educational challenges faced by Chicago’s South Side schools. Pastor Corey Brooks, a longtime advocate for Chicago’s underserved communities, recently highlighted this stark disparity, questioning why a state once ranked 49th in fourth-grade reading proficiency has surged ahead while Chicago, with far greater resources, continues to see many of its students fall behind.
Mississippi’s transformation, often referred to as the “Mississippi Miracle,” is rooted in a focused commitment to phonics-based literacy instruction and systemic reforms. In 2013, Mississippi ranked 49th in fourth-grade reading according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a federally administered test often called the “Nation’s Report Card.” By 2024, the state climbed to ninth nationally in reading and 16th in math. When adjusted for demographics and poverty, Mississippi’s fourth graders ranked first in both reading and math, according to research from the Urban Institute.
Pastor Brooks, who has worked extensively in Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods, underscored the contrast during his “Walk Across America” campaign aimed at revitalizing education in his community. “Children in Mississippi are no longer trapped in failing schools; they are moving toward promising futures,” Brooks said. “Meanwhile, Chicago remains mired in bureaucracy and underperformance.”
The success in Mississippi is attributed largely to the state’s adoption of phonics instruction, a method emphasizing the relationship between letters and sounds, which has been shown to improve reading skills. This approach was a key component of Mississippi’s education reforms, which also included increased accountability measures for schools and targeted support for struggling students. The state’s Department of Education has documented these improvements in its annual reports, available through the Mississippi Department of Education.
In contrast, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), serving one of the nation’s largest urban populations, continues to face criticism for its academic outcomes. Despite substantial funding and numerous reform efforts over the years, many South Side schools struggle with low literacy rates and high dropout rates. The CPS official website provides data showing persistent achievement gaps, which community leaders like Brooks argue are exacerbated by bureaucratic inertia and lack of effective instructional strategies.
Education experts note that Mississippi’s success story challenges long-held assumptions about the correlation between wealth and educational outcomes. The state’s progress demonstrates how targeted policy changes and instructional rigor can yield significant gains, even in areas with high poverty rates. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data corroborate these trends, showing Mississippi’s steady improvement over the past decade.
Brooks calls on Chicago’s leaders to learn from Mississippi’s example and prioritize evidence-based literacy programs such as phonics. “If Mississippi can do it, so can Chicago,” he said. “Our children deserve no less.” As Mississippi continues to build on its educational gains, the question remains whether Chicago will muster the political will and strategic focus to reverse its own longstanding struggles and provide a brighter future for its students.
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