Welcome back to the George W. Bush Institute’s education newsletter, where we explore how evidence-based literacy policy, meaningful assessments, and accountability work together to improve outcomes for kids across K-12 education.
Reading scores across the nation are beginning to improve among younger students, but overall student achievement remains below pre-pandemic levels. The gap between our highest- and lowest-performing students continues to widen, highlighting the need to move faster to implement proven solutions. This month, we examine how states can turn strong policies into better results for students.
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Monthly snapshot
The United States has the largest gap between high- and low-performing students in reading among 24 peer countries
The achievement gap between students at the 90th and 10th percentiles is wider in the United States than in any peer country, according to 2025 results from the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) analyzed by the Brookings Institution. The disparity reflects a troubling trend: Performance among the lowest-scoring U.S. students has fallen sharply over the past decade, while performance among the highest scorers has remained relatively stable.
State spotlight
Missouri expands literacy coaching after gains in rural schools
Five rural Missouri districts are strengthening early reading instruction with a literacy coaching partnership with The New Teacher Project (TNTP), The 74 reports. The Missouri Rural Schools Early Literacy Collaborative supports 50 kindergarten and first-grade teachers with classroom observations, feedback, and professional development. From fall 2024 to spring 2025, first graders reading at or above grade level rose from 30% to 78% in Newburg and from 21% to 82% in Dent-Phelps. Missouri is now expanding the model through its Read, Lead, Exceed initiative. The results show how pairing evidence-based instructional materials with strong coaching can help teachers put the science of reading into practice.
Science of reading
- New data from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) shows that reading scores improved across grades K–8 between spring 2025 and spring 2026, with the lowest-performing students making gains after several years of declines. Still, achievement remains below pre-pandemic levels in most grades, and younger students who never experienced extended remote schooling are also performing below their pre-pandemic peers. The findings suggest pandemic disruptions alone do not explain persistent reading challenges and raise broader questions about changes in how students learn and engage with reading.
- Time profiles literacy researcher and educator Louisa Moats, whose decades of advocacy helped advance the science of reading. Moats championed explicit, evidence-based phonics instruction even when competing approaches to teaching reading were widely embraced in schools. Later, she helped develop the teacher-training component of Reading First under President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, work that became the foundation for her Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) program. Today, 42 states and Washington, D.C., have passed science-of-reading laws, and about 700,000 teachers have enrolled in LETRS. Moats says the challenge now is ensuring that training translates into effective classroom instruction by pairing strong teacher knowledge with high-quality curricula.
Measurement matters
- In a recent Substack, education analyst Chad Aldeman criticizes New York’s plan to eliminate the Regents exam as a graduation requirement, arguing that states should maintain common academic expectations while allowing flexibility in pacing and support. Schools can personalize how and when students learn without changing what they are expected to master. Common assessments, he argues, provide a critical benchmark for determining whether different approaches are helping all students meet the same expectations.
- A new pilot will give access to state-level 12th-grade reading and math results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the first time. These results are currently available only at the national level. In an explainer, the Bipartisan Policy Center urges states to participate, noting that this pilot will help provide a common measure of college and career readiness across states, something not possible today.
- In a recent blog, policy experts at EdTrust argue that rising graduation rates do not necessarily signal stronger preparation for college and careers. Weaker requirements and lower proficiency thresholds can create the appearance of progress without stronger learning, something that policymakers need to guard against as they develop new ideas. EdTrust’s argument underscores the stakes of rigorous, transparent measures: Without a clear picture of what students know and can do, families may be misled about readiness, schools may miss critical learning gaps, and students may graduate unprepared for what comes next.
Bush Institute insights
- In a new The 74 commentary, Nina Rees, Will Cullen, and I argue that with proposed federal rules released and 30 states already opting into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, the focus must now turn to strong implementation. We recommend that funders and state agencies prioritize supporting effective scholarship-granting organizations, making it easier for families to understand and navigate their options, and investing in transparency and research. A voluntary national infrastructure could help generate consistent information about participation and student outcomes. Done well, the program can expand opportunity while building the evidence needed to strengthen it over time.
ICYMI
- The New York Times asked 37 education researchers to assess 30 strategies for improving academic achievement based on effectiveness and cost. Science-of-reading and small group tutoring instruction received the highest ratings for effectiveness. When researchers also considered cost, school accountability, high-quality curriculum, and expanded access to advanced courses also stood out as particularly high-value strategies.
- According to new survey data from Learning Heroes, parents are gaining a more realistic picture of their children’s academic performance and are taking action to learn more. In 2026, 83% of parents believed their children were performing at or above grade level in math, down from 92% in 2022. In reading, 88% believed their children were at or above grade level, down from 93% in 2022. Yet only 30% of parents are extremely confident that they know what their child should master in each subject. Importantly, parents who knew their child was below grade level were more likely to discuss performance with teachers, seek additional assessments or tutoring, and request extra support – underscoring how clear, accurate information can help families take action.
- Sold a Story, the investigative podcast from American Public Media (APM) examines how children learn to read and why schools adopted practices that conflict with decades of research. Hosted by Emily Hanford, its first season helped build momentum for literacy reform, with 26 states changing their reading laws since the series launched. The second season, which launched Oct. 15, broadens the lens beyond reading to examine evidence-based approaches to teaching and why the education system has often resisted them.
- ExcelinEd’s 2026 Legislative Impact Report highlights continued state momentum on education reform, with 157 policies passed, improved, or protected across 27 states. States advanced science-of-reading and math reforms, expanded college and career pathways and school choice, strengthened teacher policies, and adopted new approaches to student technology use. Several states also preserved statewide assessments and accountability systems, reflecting continued attention to measuring student progress while expanding educational opportunities.
- The Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network’s annual awards, voted on by state and local advocates, were announced Oct. 1. The Education Protection War Room won Best Defense for its fiscal year 2026 appropriations work, and Massachusetts’ Mass Reads Coalition won Game Changer of the Year for the state’s Right to Read Act. For tools, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)’s paid parental leave package won Most Actionable Tools & Research. It pairs a 50-state analysis with a cost calculator and model legislative language, and per NCTQ, five states have enacted aligned policies since its release. Those tracking state waivers under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) should bookmark finalist ESSA Waiver Watch.
