Can we learn Mississippi and Alabama?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/red-states-good-schools.html

Hope this finds its way to the email inbox of every APS employee at Central, not to mention every principal. Very interesting read. I'm a liberal. But I hate how we think we're just smarter than everyone else. So, before someone comes in and points out flaws in these reports or exaggerations about the gains being made in these shockingly poor communities, how about we take a step back and applaud the work being done by the teachers and the communities at large down there. Shows what is possible, even on a low budget.

Who calls it “Central”?

Outside agitators…

Mostly employees call it Syphax, the average parent doesn’t know the name of the building. It’s insane to me that people would be against research-based interventions just because they came from conservative “lesser” states

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/red-states-good-schools.html

Hope this finds its way to the email inbox of every APS employee at Central, not to mention every principal. Very interesting read. I'm a liberal. But I hate how we think we're just smarter than everyone else. So, before someone comes in and points out flaws in these reports or exaggerations about the gains being made in these shockingly poor communities, how about we take a step back and applaud the work being done by the teachers and the communities at large down there. Shows what is possible, even on a low budget.

Who calls it “Central”?

Outside agitators…

Mostly employees call it Syphax, the average parent doesn’t know the name of the building. It’s insane to me that people would be against research-based interventions just because they came from conservative “lesser” states

Strawman.

No one is opposed to interventions.

We are opposed to manipulation of data and media for ulterior motives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/red-states-good-schools.html

Hope this finds its way to the email inbox of every APS employee at Central, not to mention every principal. Very interesting read. I'm a liberal. But I hate how we think we're just smarter than everyone else. So, before someone comes in and points out flaws in these reports or exaggerations about the gains being made in these shockingly poor communities, how about we take a step back and applaud the work being done by the teachers and the communities at large down there. Shows what is possible, even on a low budget.

Who calls it “Central”?

Outside agitators…

Mostly employees call it Syphax, the average parent doesn’t know the name of the building. It’s insane to me that people would be against research-based interventions just because they came from conservative “lesser” states

Go back and see the reaction to GW Bush’s literacy/education initiatives. It’s discussed in the Sold A Story podcast. People disregarded solid methods because they didn’t agree with the politics of those trying to enact them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/red-states-good-schools.html

Hope this finds its way to the email inbox of every APS employee at Central, not to mention every principal. Very interesting read. I'm a liberal. But I hate how we think we're just smarter than everyone else. So, before someone comes in and points out flaws in these reports or exaggerations about the gains being made in these shockingly poor communities, how about we take a step back and applaud the work being done by the teachers and the communities at large down there. Shows what is possible, even on a low budget.

Who calls it “Central”?

Outside agitators…

Mostly employees call it Syphax, the average parent doesn’t know the name of the building. It’s insane to me that people would be against research-based interventions just because they came from conservative “lesser” states

Go back and see the reaction to GW Bush’s literacy/education initiatives. It’s discussed in the Sold A Story podcast. People disregarded solid methods because they didn’t agree with the politics of those trying to enact them.

NCLB?

It was a terrible idea independent of politics.

[Anonymous]

Karen Vaites writes a lot about the southern surge in her substack. Here is an example:

https://open.substack.com/pub/karenvaites/p/the-southern-surge-understanding?r=2sfza&utm_medium=ios

Her other posts are worth reading as well, as is anything by Natalie Wexler.

For what it’s worth, APS has implemented many of the reforms made by southern surge states a Sarah Cruz, the head of APS’s ELA department is interesting. If anything the issue is with implementation, buy in by the rest of staff, and other reforms that are necessary. For example I don’t think APS should have gotten rid of grades in the elementary school level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/red-states-good-schools.html

Hope this finds its way to the email inbox of every APS employee at Central, not to mention every principal. Very interesting read. I'm a liberal. But I hate how we think we're just smarter than everyone else. So, before someone comes in and points out flaws in these reports or exaggerations about the gains being made in these shockingly poor communities, how about we take a step back and applaud the work being done by the teachers and the communities at large down there. Shows what is possible, even on a low budget.

Who calls it “Central”?

Outside agitators…

Mostly employees call it Syphax, the average parent doesn’t know the name of the building. It’s insane to me that people would be against research-based interventions just because they came from conservative “lesser” states

Go back and see the reaction to GW Bush’s literacy/education initiatives. It’s discussed in the Sold A Story podcast. People disregarded solid methods because they didn’t agree with the politics of those trying to enact them.

This.

[Anonymous]

VA's recent "Science of Reading" law was passed by a wide bipartisan majority in the legislature and signed by prior Governor. It is directly based on the Mississippi Miracle approach to reading.

APS move to CKLA predated that law (thanks to NAACP pressure, for which I am very obliged). The CKLA curriculum is compliant with the VA Science of Reading approach. Honestly, I prefer CKLA to the Benchmark curriculum selected by FCPS.

I am unclear how LCPS, PWPS, or ACPS are changing to comply with the VA Science of Reading law.

[Anonymous]

The "Sold a Story" podcast is worth listening to or reading. It is tragic what Lucy Calkins and others foisted upon the nation's children.