Monthly Education update: Jan. 29, 2026

Welcome back to the George W. Bush Institute’s education newsletter, where we examine how evidence-based approaches to reading, meaningful assessment, and accountability work together to raise expectations and improve outcomes across K-12 education.

Across states and school systems, a clear lesson is emerging – policies designed to improve teaching and learning only make a difference when they are implemented well. Nowhere is this more evident than in reading. High-quality assessments are essential to effective implementation – providing critical insight into whether students are learning, where gaps persist, and which policies translate into real progress in classrooms.

Lasting gains in student achievement depend on aligning assessment with the implementation of high-quality instructional materials and professional learning so that policies reinforce strong instruction rather than exist as stand-alone mandates. This newsletter highlights how states are moving beyond policy adoption to ensure literacy reforms are implemented with fidelity – and how states can use evidence to improve teaching and create meaningful gains for students.

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Monthly snapshot

70%

A recent survey from the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 70% of voters think their state governor should make student literacy a top priority. Only 18% of respondents, however, believe their governor is delivering on the issue.

“Reading is not just an education issue; it’s a workforce issue, a competitiveness issue, and ultimately a moral issue,” said Margaret Spellings, president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center and former U.S. secretary of education. “No matter how technology or the economy evolves, literacy remains the single most essential skill for success and opportunity in work and life.”

State spotlight

Michigan grounds reforms in the science of reading 

Michigan offers a strong example of how states can move from commitment to implementation. At the Michigan Literacy Summit on Dec. 16, Governor Gretchen Whitmer reaffirmed literacy as her “number one priority,” underscoring Michigan’s focus on statewide implementation of science-of-reading practices and early dyslexia screening.

Michigan released a vetted list of K-5 literacy curricula and required screeners aligned with the science of reading. These approved programs emphasize decoding, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension, foundational skills that research shows are essential for reading success.

Science of reading

• ExcelinEd released its 2026 Education Policy Trends, highlighting key issues for state lawmakers. It identified adolescent literacy as a top priority. The report argued that states must extend science-of-reading-aligned instruction, screening, and support into the middle grades to build on early literacy gains and address stagnant reading outcomes among adolescents.

• In a Gadfly article, “For the science of reading, the ‘big work’ is yet to come,” Meredith Coffey of the Fordham Institute interviewed Kymyona Burk, Emily Freitag, Louisa Moats, and David Steiner. Together, these experts reflected on the widespread adoption of science-of-reading laws across more than 40 states in 2025 and cautioned that the most important work still lies ahead: translating policy into effective classroom practice. They emphasized that successful implementation will require sustained attention to teacher training and buy-in, a shift toward content-rich instruction rather than abstract reading skills, and assessments that reinforce knowledge-based learning – rather than declaring victory simply because laws have passed.

• Similarly, Marc Porter Magee, founder and CEO of 50CAN, described 2025 as a year of significant literacy wins, with more than 44 states passing laws to strengthen literacy instruction. Looking ahead, he argued that 2026 must be a year focused on implementation and guided by a clear set of questions:
  • Are more students reading high-quality texts and full-length books?
  • Do teachers have the ongoing support and professional development they need to succeed?
  • Do parents have the right information and meaningful opportunities to support their children when they struggle?
  • Do states and districts have effective plans to provide targeted literacy support when students need additional help?

Measurement matters

• In just over a decade, Mississippi moved from being one of the nation’s lowest-performing states to ranking among the top 10 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. A New York Times article reported that while the adoption of science-based reading instruction played a central role in the “Mississippi Miracle,” strong accountability was equally critical. The state began assigning schools letter grades based on performance, tracking student progress toward proficiency, and rewarding schools that demonstrated achievement gains. At the same time, Mississippi invested in high-quality, standardized instructional materials and strengthened teacher training – demonstrating that sustained improvement depends not only on better curricula, but also on clear expectations, transparency, and accountability for results.

• The U.S. Department of Education approved Iowa’s request to consolidate roughly $8 million in federal education funds into a single, state-managed block grant, The 74 reported. Iowa education chief McKenzie Snow said this move will allow the state to reduce bureaucracy and increase funding flexibility to invest more directly in teacher training and better support a rapidly growing population of English learners. The scope of Iowa’s approved waiver is significantly narrower than the proposal outlined by state officials last year, which would have consolidated tens of millions of dollars in school-level aid for low-income students and other federal programs into a single block grant.

• A new study from the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice of Michigan K-8 students found that those who transfer from traditional public schools to charter schools, including students with disabilities, experience gains in math and reading achievement, along with lower absenteeism, for at least two years after enrolling. These findings suggest that charter schools can be an effective option for some students with disabilities to learn alongside their general-education peers.

Bush Institute Insights