California's Education System: Spending More, Gaining Less

California's education system is spending a lot of money, but the results are not impressive. Governor Gavin Newsom recently talked about the state's education achievements. He mentioned that California spends $27, 418 per student, which includes federal funds. He also highlighted expansions in pre-kindergarten, after-school programs, and community schools that combine education with health and social services. Newsom claimed that these investments are paying off, pointing to improved test scores across different subjects, grades, and student groups. He especially noted gains for Black and Latino students in Los Angeles. However, the reality is different. California's public school test scores are not good when compared to other states. The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that California's fourth-grade reading skills ranked 37th in 2024. Only 29% of students achieved proficient levels, a drop from 2022. Black and Latino fourth-graders struggled the most.This poor performance is not surprising. For years, California has been caught in a debate over how to teach reading, known as the "reading wars. " The state's education leaders have experimented with trendy theories like "whole language, " ignoring advocates of phonics, a more traditional method. While California was debating, other states took action. Mississippi, one of the poorest states, was 49th in fourth-grade reading proficiency in 2013. But the state decided to change things. Mississippi adopted the "science of reading, " which is basically phonics, and focused on early grades. They also set tough academic standards and made education a top priority. The latest national assessments show that Mississippi now has the ninth-highest fourth-grade reading scores. This is a big improvement. It's interesting that Governor Newsom didn't mention California's recent adoption of phonics as the primary reading instruction method. This law had strong support, even from the governor, who struggles with dyslexia. California spends a lot more money on education than Mississippi. Yet, Mississippi does a better job of teaching children to read. Over the next few years, we will see if California's educational establishment will fully embrace phonics and catch up with Mississippi.