Louisiana’s recipe for raising readers

In 2019, Louisiana’s fourth graders ranked among the lowest in the nation in reading. 

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools shut down in Louisiana and across the country, disrupting social and academic learning for all children and upending foundational learning for our youngest learners. In nearly every state in the nation, children and schools are still scrambling to recover, to get back to where they were before, never mind improving on prior performance. 

But in Louisiana, it’s different. In 2024, the nation’s Education Recovery Scorecard called out Louisiana as the only state in the country to improve reading scores from pre-pandemic levels. Louisiana’s fourth graders are now scoring above the national average in reading, outperforming fourth graders in two-thirds of all US states.  

It’s a remarkable achievement—more so because Louisiana is home to some of the country’s poorest school districts: 94% of the state’s districts have a higher percentage of school-age families in poverty than the national average. Over a quarter of Louisiana districts have more than double the national average. In 2024, 73% of the state’s approximately 700,000 K-12 students were considered economically disadvantaged by the Louisiana Department of Education.

So, how did they do it? 

Louisiana has made a concerted effort to develop children’s foundational reading skills, and the state’s literacy priorities, including investment in high-quality teacher training and the review and identification of high-quality curricula, are laid out plainly in their comprehensive state literacy plan.

In a recent All Things Considered story, Natchitoches Parish School District Superintendent Grant Eloi identifies key moves his district made, in conjunction with the state, that he believes contributed to the gains:

• Adopting high-quality, state-approved instructional materials
• Ensuring alignment across the district
• Training a cadre of experienced teachers to serve as coaches and mentors
• Defining a system for analyzing student data that includes trying out new strategies to address gaps and then evaluating the success of those strategies

Louisiana has required science of reading training for its K-3 educators since 2021, making it one of the earliest adopters of science of reading-related requirements. Although districts in Louisiana are allowed to make their own choices about what curricula they implement, the state encourages districts to use state-approved materials by providing training and funding incentives. 

Tools is proud to be included on Louisiana’s list of recommended quality instructional materials, and we are thrilled to celebrate the state’s success.