U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) participated in a roundtable discussion on child literacy at Jefferson Terrace Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The event included Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, and other education leaders. The group focused on strategies to improve reading skills among students.
Recent data from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed a decline in reading scores for fourth and eighth-graders across the country compared to both 2022 and pre-pandemic levels in 2019. However, Louisiana was noted as one of only three states where fourth-grade reading scores met or exceeded their 2019 performance. For eighth-graders, Louisiana was the only state to recover to its pre-pandemic reading levels.
Panelists discussed the state's use of evidence-based approaches such as the “science of reading” and considered how these methods could be applied nationally.
“Louisiana has made great strides to help our children read better. What we are doing is an example for the rest of the nation. But, there is a lot more to do. The conversation was about what has been achieved and what else can be done,” said Dr. Cassidy. “I thank Secretary McMahon for attending, and I look forward to working with her and President Trump to get reading scores even better.”
Prior to the roundtable, Cassidy and Secretary McMahon toured Jefferson Terrace Academy and observed classroom exercises aimed at building literacy skills.
As chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Cassidy recently released a report that examines ways to improve child literacy and address issues within the K-12 education system.
The report highlights negative outcomes associated with illiteracy such as higher high school dropout rates and increased incarceration rates. It also notes concerns about filling STEM jobs in the U.S., which affects economic competitiveness and military preparedness.
Cassidy’s proposals include increasing accountability for educational spending by supporting proven teaching methods like the “science of reading,” directing federal funds directly to families for tutoring or literacy support programs, providing parents with information about school achievement in literacy, allowing federal resources for early screening of learning needs such as dyslexia, and giving teachers access to effective instructional tools.
The full report is available online.
