The Southern Surge: focus on best practices

Across the United States, educators are taking notice of an unexpected trend: the Southern Surge.

The big four bright spots, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana, are making headlines for their dramatic gains in student achievement.

Wait, how can states that often rank near the bottom in health, poverty, and education outcomes suddenly be celebrated as national leaders? These states face enormous barriers to getting kids into classrooms, let alone teaching them successfully. And yet, they have pulled off remarkable results.

Reading Revival

Louisiana is now the only state in the nation to exceed pre-pandemic reading scores. Once dead last, 50th in 4th grade reading, Louisiana has climbed to 16th place nationally.

Mississippi has seen similar leaps. In 2013, the state ranked 49th in 4th grade reading. By 2024, Mississippi was ranked 9th in the nation.

This isn’t just a statistical blip. As Tim Daly at The Education Daly notes:

“Black students in Mississippi posted the third highest fourth grade reading scores in the nation… The average Black student in Mississippi performed about 1.5 grade levels ahead of the average Black student in Wisconsin.”

Those are extraordinary outcomes, especially when you consider the deep and persistent challenges facing students in the South.

So, What’s Driving the Surge?

Is it more funding? No. Wisconsin spends over one-third more per student than Mississippi.

Is it wealthier families paying for private tutoring? Again, no. Louisiana’s poverty rate is nearly double that of Vermont or New Hampshire.

It’s not about shiny new technology, an influx of superstar teachers, or game-changing class sizes.

Even more interesting, the strategies aren’t identical:

• Tennessee invested in high-dosage tutoring.

• Louisiana doubled down on its “let teachers teach” framework.

• Mississippi mandated the science of reading.

• Alabama focused on math coaching and standards-aligned instruction.

So if the approaches are different, what’s the common thread?

The Secret Ingredient: A Data-Driven Mindset

The Southern Surge isn’t just about programs. It’s about mindset. These states are relentlessly measuring what matters and making results visible. They:

1. Define the problem clearly so progress can be tracked.

2. Research proven solutions instead of reinventing the wheel.

3. Cut the fluff and focus on a few high-impact strategies.

4. Make progress visible and celebrate wins along the way.

This cycle, identify, act, measure, refine, has fueled everything from Louisiana’s attendance strategies to Alabama’s math coaching programs.

And here’s the best part: it doesn’t take billions in federal aid to replicate. Any state, district, or school can adopt this data-driven approach.

Final Thoughts and How to Take Action

We all have a stake in making education work better. At IDS, we’ve seen how powerful a data-driven mindset can be in transforming outcomes for schools and systems. If you’d like to see how IDS can help your school or district build custom tools, dashboards, and support systems, reach out to us. We’d love to share what we’ve learned, and learn from you, too.

Have you seen the data-driven mindset at work in your own school or system? What strategies are moving the needle for your students? Leave a comment below or join the conversation with us on social media.

About Instructional Data Solutions: Our mission is to remove barriers to enable education organizations to focus on what matters most. We assist school systems and education organizations of all sizes by collecting, analyzing, and clearly communicating data. We are committed to empowering educators through comprehensive data analytics and tailored support. Additionally, we provide dedicated support for operational needs, process improvement, and special projects, offering customized solutions to enhance effectiveness and success. Our solutions bridge the gap between data collection and instructional improvement in PK-12 settings.