Yesterday, I talked about the dismal reality that students seem to be getting dumber. Today, I want to return to some of the statistics and end with a positive trend that other states should follow.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released their findings from the PISA test. The U.S. ranked 13th in reading and 27th in math. As I mentioned yesterday, the scores fell significantly since the last test in 2022.

Many of the reasons for decline can be reversed. For example, family support has been a strong predictor of student success. Students with parents who ask about schoolwork perform 35 points better than parents who don’t. One logical implication is to ask your kids about schoolwork.

Larry Sand has been on my radio program before. His latest article offers many suggestions on what we can do to reverse the current decline in student scores. He recommends schools ban smartphones. “They do not benefit children and are a major distraction. If students must bring a smartphone to school, they should not be allowed to use it at any time during the school day.”

He also points to the remarkable progress in reading that occurred in Mississippi. Many have described it as the “Mississippi Miracle.” In 2013, Mississippi was near the bottom of the country. By 2024, the state moved from 49th to 9th in the country.

What moved the state from the bottom of the nation into the top ten? The answer is simple: phonics. This has been the traditional method of teaching reading and has even been described as “the science of reading.”

We have a choice. We can complain about the declining scores, or we can encourage parents to get more involved with their kids and return to the basics that have worked in the past.