It has been in the news a lot recently: Louisiana has seen historic improvements in education, moving up in national rankings and making progress while other states have faltered. There are a lot of reasons for this, but one of the key strategies the state has utilized in recent years is on the chopping block.
Legislators at the Capitol are now talking about public education in a way they haven’t in years. Louisiana is doing better and there is evidence to prove it:
- Louisiana’s overall education rankings on The Nation’s Report Card rose from 49th in 2019 to 32nd in 2024.
- Fourth grade reading jumped from 50th in the country in 2019 to 16th in 2024.
- Fourth grade math improved from 50th to 38th.
- A joint study from Harvard and Stanford reported that Louisiana is the only state where the average student has recovered academically from learning losses caused by the pandemic, ranking 2nd in the nation for recovery in math and 1st in reading.
- And, Louisiana received its highest-ever education ranking in S. News & World Report’s index of Best States, jumping from 46th two years ago to 37th today.
This comes as most other states have seen declines in proficiency in both reading and math, making Louisiana what the nonprofit education group EdReports calls “an outlier in a declining landscape.”
So, what’s the reason for Louisiana’s turnaround? A few things stand out. One is that the state changed the way it teaches reading. We now use what’s called the “science of reading,” an evidence-based system with an emphasis on phonics, word recognition, and fluency. We also boosted teacher training in both reading and math, focusing on how to more effectively teach foundational skills in both subjects.
And, importantly, we invested heavily in high-dosage tutoring. Experts inside the state and out agree that has been a major contributor to our recent successes. Unfortunately, the current version of the state budget approved by the House of Representatives last week removes all of the $30 million in funding used to support the program. That is a serious concern.
High-dosage tutoring is basically teaching on steroids. It is an evidence-based instructional model that targets students who have fallen behind academically as soon as the problem is identified. In Louisiana, the biggest tutoring program is embedded within the school day making it easier for teachers and more accessible for students. It takes place at least three times a week with small group sessions typically lasting about 30 minutes each.
How important has that been in getting us to where we are today? A recent story in the national publication Education Week looked at states that bucked the trend in academic losses post-COVID noting “One intervention has consistently stood out and, in the case of Louisiana, has been a pillar of (its) pandemic-recovery plan: high-dosage tutoring.” There are plenty of news stories out there making that same observation, but there is also significant research over many years that validates the effectiveness of tutoring done right.
Louisiana is all too used to being near the bottom of so many indicators of state well-being. The fact that we now stand out positively in education improvements compared to other states is heartening. So is the notice our instructional model is receiving as an example of what other states should be doing to achieve results.
High-dosage tutoring is one of the key components of that model. Now that the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference has recognized an additional $130 million in available spending for the current fiscal year, we should invest it wisely. We urge lawmakers to consider the progress we have made in public education and continue the high-dosage tutoring investments that have been so effective in moving us up in the rankings and providing tangible benefits for our students.