the mississippi miracle

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An alabama educator's confession

As an Alabamian, I once found a little bit of guilty pride in stating, "At least Alabama isn't last in everything!" Usually, the good ole state of Mississippi would come to the rescue as being at the bottom of the educational totem pole.

But not anymore!

They have found the key to teaching reading, and I cannot express how happy I am to see our neighbors rising. The "Mississippi Miracle" isn't magic—it's method. And it proves exactly what I preach here at Holmes Tutoring: The Science of Reading works.

the data don't lie

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—the "Nation's Report Card"—Mississippi has made more progress in literacy than any other state (as of 2020).

While standardized test scores can be tricky to decipher, there is one undeniable factor behind this success: Mississippi educators made a statewide decision to ditch the guessing games and implement the Science of Reading.

Why Reading isn't "natural"

Whether you agree with it or not, the research is clear: Learning to read is not a natural process.

It is not a developmental milestone that just "happens" like learning to walk or talk. Our brains are hardwired for speech, not for print.

Speech: Happens through exposure.
Reading: Must be explicitly taught.

Students have to be taught how to connect sounds to letters, letters to words, and words to sentences. If we skip this step, we leave them behind.

a shout-out to my roots: war eagle

I have to take a quick detour here to give credit where it’s due. Long before Mississippi made headlines, I learned these secrets from my professor, Dr. Craig Darch at the prestigious Auburn University.

Dr. Darch didn't just teach us the theory; he gave us enthusiastic demonstrations of Direct Instruction in action. He taught us that decoding must take place before comprehension is expected. (Dr. Darch, if you're reading this—you are awesome! 👏🏽).

the problem with "whole language"

For too long, schools have relied on the "Whole Language" approach. This method often confuses students, especially those with Specific Learning Disabilities, because it relies on memorization rather than decoding.

Think about it: If you give a child a list of sight words to memorize, you aren't teaching them to read; you're teaching them to recall shapes.

the direct instruction difference

Instead of memorizing, we teach the "code." We teach students to use syllable patterns and sound-symbol relationships to attack unfamiliar words. The man who coined the term Direct Instruction, the late Zig Engelmann, knew this. My professors at Auburn knew this. And now, the well-educated educators in Mississippi know this.

the take away

Mississippi has figured it out, and I hope other states follow their lead.

But you don't have to wait for your state to catch up. At Holmes Tutoring, we have been using these exact Direct Instruction methods from day one. If you want your child to have the same foundational success that is sweeping Mississippi, you are in the right place.

However, if tutoring doesn't fit your schedule, I suggest the program Funnix. This is a direct instruction on-demand program that is perfect for busy families. It eliminates all the guesswork, allowing students to focus on learning.

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