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EducationQuiet 6d · day 7

Study links strong teachers unions to weaker state literacy outcomes

A Progressive Policy Institute analysis finds eight of ten lowest-scoring states have powerful unions; Mississippi's reforms credited with dramatic improvement.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 5d ago3 pieces1 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • Eight of ten states scoring lowest in early-literacy policies have powerful teachers' unions; among top 60%, only four have strong unions.
  • Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Indiana—Republican states with weak unions—rank among best for literacy outcomes; Maine, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, Washington, Rhode Island rank worst.
  • Researcher Rachel Canter argues strong unions slow adoption of literacy reforms, though exceptions like Maryland (strong union, strong results) suggest other factors also matter.
  • Mississippi's structured literacy laws, K-3 screenings, and literacy coaches drove dramatic improvement from worst to best in national rankings.

“States with stronger teachers' unions tend to have weaker literacy performance and have adopted fewer of the policies credited with improving reading outcomes”

Progressive Policy Institute · Fox News

Rachel Canter Director of education policy, Progressive Policy InstituteTate ReevesTate Reeves Governor of MississippiRandi Weingarten President, American Federation of TeachersProgressive Policy Institute Center-left think tank

Study links strong teachers unions to weaker state literacy outcomes
foxnews.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 17, 10 AM; 3 pieces over 7 days (2 articles · 1 post) Sep 17, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 17, 12 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quiet 1
Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 12:58 AM ET
  1. 1

    Study finds union strength and party alone don't fully explain literacy gaps

    The analysis notes that Maryland, a blue state with a strong teachers' union, has posted strong reading results, while South Dakota, a red state with weaker union presence, has struggled—suggesting the relationship is more complex than union strength or partisan control alone.

    “Democrats, however, don't often ask me how to replicate Mississippi's success. They ask if it's possible at all, given the power of teachers' unions in their home states.”
    — Rachel Canter, Director of education policy, Progressive Policy Institute · source
  2. background

    Rachel Canter attributes union influence to slower policy adoption — Rachel Canter, PPI's director of education policy and architect of Mississippi's reforms, argues that teachers' unions exert massive influence over educational policies and implementation, making schools slower to adapt to challenges or adopt better methods. She notes Democrats often ask whether replicating Mississippi's success is even possible given their states' union power.

  3. background

    Mississippi, Republican states with weak unions lead in literacy outcomes — Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Indiana—all Republican-leaning with weak union presence—rank among states with best literacy outcomes. Blue states including Maine, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, Washington, and Rhode Island rank among worst.

  4. background

    Progressive Policy Institute releases analysis linking union strength to literacy gaps — The center-left think tank publishes a study comparing teacher-union strength rankings with states' early-literacy policy scores. Eight of the ten lowest-scoring states have powerful teachers' unions; among the top 60% of states in literacy policy, only four have strong unions.