Changing Course - Large Scale Implementation of the Science of Reading - Philanthropy, R&D, and Educator Preparation

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Changing Course: Large Scale Implementation of the Science of Reading explains how Mississippi improved fourth-grade reading achievement through a long-term, scaled approach. The article traces the roles of the Barksdale Reading Institute and business-minded leadership, the development of an evidence-based K-3 model with time, coaching, curriculum, and monitoring, and subsequent reviews of educator preparation programs. It highlights shifts from unreliable instruction to mastery-based, science-aligned practices and the resulting gains for early readers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Changing Course - Large Scale Implementation of the Science of Reading

The Long View of Literacy in Mississippi

Philanthropy and Business Acumen Applied to Education

The Research and Development Phase: Building a Model That Could Be Scaled

Educator Preparation Program Reviews

Changing Course: Large Scale Implementation of the Science of Reading The Long View of Literacy in Mississippi: Major Components That Contributed to Reading Achievement in Mississippi… and Beyond! by Kelly Butler MisAsssissesipsnimprovemet of Educatintoninal foPurtroggrass te2r1eadst byi ng202i nc2easeNAEdP, f2rom022; 49tseehFoingutr20In0320N1a9,tional Mississippi had reached the national average for fourth grade reading. By 2022, Mississippi’s lowincome students ranked second behind Florida (see Figure 2), and Mississippi’s African American students ranked among the top five states (see Figure 3) . How was Mississippi able to climb from 49th place to 21st place on the NAEP report? In this article, the major components that contributed to these leaps in reading achievement are outlined, in hopes that other states can use them as a roadmap for their own improvement. 1. Philanthropy and Business Acumen Applied to Education Unlike other states, this story does not begin with legislation (although, funded legislation was ultimately critical to enforce accountability) . Legislation known as the Literacy-Based Promotion Act was passed in 2013, requiring third-grade students to pass a test in order tobe promoted to fourth grade. However, the story began in 2000, the year the National Reading Panel (NICHD, 2000) produced its seminal report on reading research in the U. S. That was the year that Jim Barksdale and his late wife Sally made a $100 million investment in their home state of Mississippi to establish the Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI) that would work in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) . BRI had a singular mission and a single metric: significantly improve early literacy as measured by fourth-grade scores on NAEP. In Jim’s words, “This is an investment that can and must work.” A highly successful chief operating officer of FedEx and a former chief executive officer of Netscape, Jim Barksdale brought his business acumen to bear on changing practices in schools.“If FedEx can geta package from the middle of Manhattan to the middle of Tokyo in 48 hours, track it along the way, and guarantee safe and timely delivery, we ought to be able to teach every child in Mississippi to read.” By urging staff to “keep the main thing the main thing” (i.e., third-grade reading), BRI maintained a laser-like focus on improving early grades instruction that would produce good readers. 2. The Research and Development Phase: Building a Model That Could Be Scaled Using the National Reading Panel Report (NICHD, 2000), BRI hit the ground running to introduce evidence-based practices at every level of the system. Over the course of a dozen years, BRI tested a variety of approaches, culminating in a K-3 model that included the following components: • sufficient time devoted to daily reading and writing instruction • well-trained reading teachers, interventionists, and paraprofessionals supported by well-trained instructional coaches (instructional coaching is the essential component that brought about the biggest change) • principals equipped with knowledge to oversee literacy instruction • high-quality mastery-based curriculum (BRI used ReadWell) focused on direct MAY/JUNE 2024 51 Figure 1 Mississippi’s Improvement in Fourth Grade Reading: Comparison to National Average and Other States: 2003, 2019, 2022 and explicit instruction in foundational skills • daily, monitored reading practice (Accelerated Reader and literacy centers) and read-alouds to build fluency, background knowledge, and vocabulary • purposeful interventions to address specific deficits • progress monitoring of skills and targeted benchmarking • weekly peer coaching study teams to support change in practice This model was vetted in 15 demonstration classrooms in schools across the state. BRI reading specialists served as the reading teachers for the lowest performing K-2 students in the selected school sites.

FAQs

What key change helped Mississippi move up on NAEP reading results?

The article attributes major gains to a scaled K-3 model focused on evidence-based literacy instruction, with instructional coaching as a central driver of practice change.

How did the Barksdale Reading Institute apply business leadership to literacy improvement?

Leadership emphasized a clear mission and metric tied to fourth-grade NAEP outcomes, maintained focus on third-grade reading, and used business-style urgency to improve early instruction.

What components were included in the K-3 model tested across Mississippi?

The model included sufficient daily reading and writing time, well-trained teachers and interventionists supported by coaching, mastery-based curriculum with foundational skills, monitored daily practice, purposeful interventions, progress monitoring, and peer coaching study teams.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Finn