Mississippi’s school miracle shames failing Chicago leaders on education

As I walkacross Mississippiin my “Walk Across America” campaign to help reverse the fortunes of my South Side Chicago neighborhood, I see something powerful unfolding.This state, often dismissed by other parts of America as backward, has turned its schools into engines of progress.Children are no longer trapped in failing schools but are moving toward promising futures.Meanwhile, back in Chicago’s South Side, schools in my own neighborhood continue to let kids down.The contrast couldn’t be starker, and it forces a hard question: If Mississippi can make such dramatic gains, why does a city like Chicago, with far greater resources, continue to fail its children?

The stereotype that the South is ignorant while the North is enlightened is crumbling before my eyes.

Mississippi’s transformation, oftencalled the “Mississippi Miracle,” is not an accident.In 2013, the state ranked 49th in fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP.By 2024, fourth graders ranked ninth in the nation in reading and 16th in math.Adjusted for demographics and poverty, Mississippi fourth graders ranked first nationally in reading and math, according to the Urban Institute.The state achieved its highest-ever rates of students scoring proficient or advanced across tested grades and subjects.Fourth-grade reading proficiency reached levels where Mississippi students outperformed the national average for the first time.Black fourth graders rose to third in the nation in both reading and math, while low-income and Hispanic students ranked among the top performers nationally in key categories.

HERE’S THE SECRET BEHIND MISSISSIPPI’S EDUCATION MIRACLE — AND WHY IT’S NO ACCIDENT

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The foundation?The 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which mandatedevidence-based phonics instruction, early identification of struggling readers, literacy coaches and retention in third grade for students not reading at grade level.

We can’t wait for broken systems to fix themselves.At Project H.O.O.D.in Chicago we will be working to create a model that equips kids with skills, faith and opportunity — something Mississippi proves is possible when priorities align.

Former State Superintendent Dr.Carey Wright emphasized the deliberate work behind it: “Educators do not call these achievements a ‘miracle’ because we know Mississippi’s progress in education is the result ofstrong policies, the effective implementation of a comprehensive statewide strategy, and years of hard work from the state to the classroom level.”

CHICAGO KIDS ARE DYING WHILE MAYOR JOHNSON FIGHTS TRUMP, ICE AND REALITY

Mississippi Gov.Tate Reeves has celebrated the sustained gains, noting how conservative reforms and afocus on phonicshave made Mississippi a national model.Even with a slight dip in 2024-25 state accountability grades — 80.1% of schools and 87.2% of districts earning a C or higher, down from the previous year — the long-term trajectory shows what evidence-based reform can achieve, even in a state with high poverty.

By contrast, Dulles Elementary School inChicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood—right in the heart of the community I serve — presents the opposite picture.The school, serving mostly Black and low-income students in grades pre-K through 8, ranks in the bottom 50% of Illinois elementary schools.In recent data, only about 1% to 5% of students scored proficient in math, and 3% in reading, on state assessments.In the 2024-25 school year, just 3.9% were proficient or better in mathematics and 13.8% in English language arts — far below Chicago Public Schools district averages (27.3% in math, 42.8% in ELA) and state averages (38.5% in math, 53.1% in ELA).Chronic absenteeism remains high, often between 25% and 40%, and the school struggles across student subgroups.It is labeled “Commendable” in Illinois’ system, but those numbers don’t lie.Far too many children are leaving without the foundational skills they need to thrive.

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diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mandates, resistance to proven methods and excuses about poverty.It doesn’t help that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson focuses on blaming phantoms of White supremacy instead of doing the real work and confronting academic failure head-on.

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That’s the true backwardness — not the South, which has shown wisdom in embracing evidence over excuses.From these Mississippi roads, the message is clear: The chains of low expectations can be broken anywhere — with bold policy, hard work and faith in children’s potential. 

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Mississippi is proof.Chicago can follow.Project H.O.O.D.will help lead the way.