As I walk across Mississippi in my “Walk Across America” campaign to help turn around the fortunes of my South Side Chicago neighborhood, I see something powerful unfolding. This state, often dismissed as backward by other parts of America, has turned its schools into engines of progress. Children are no longer trapped in failing schools, but move towards a promising future. Meanwhile, in my own neighborhood, on Chicago’s South Side, schools continue to fail children. The contrast couldn’t be starker, and it forces a difficult question: If Mississippi can make such dramatic gains, why does a city like Chicago, with far greater resources, continue to fail its children?
The stereotype that the South is ignorant while the North is enlightened is crumbling before my eyes.
Mississippi’s transformation, often called the “Mississippi Miracle,” is no accident. In 2013, the state ranked 49th in fourth grade on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In 2024, fourth graders ranked ninth in the nation in reading and 16th in math. Adjusted for demographics and poverty, Mississippi fourth graders ranked first nationally in reading and math, according to the Urban Institute. The state achieved the highest percentage of students ever scoring proficient or advanced in tested grades and subjects. Fourth-grade reading proficiency reached a level where Mississippi students outperformed the national average for the first time. Black fourth-grade students rose to third in the nation in both reading and math, while low-income and Hispanic students were among the top performers nationally in key categories.
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The foundation? The Literacy-Based Promotion Act of 2013, which mandated evidence-based phonics instruction, early identification of struggling readers, literacy coaches, and third-grade retention for students who were not reading at grade level.
We can’t wait for broken systems to fix themselves. At Project HOOD in Chicago, we will work to create a model that teaches children skills, faith and opportunity – something Mississippi proves is possible when priorities are aligned.
Former State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright emphasized the deliberate work behind it: “Educators are not calling these achievements a ‘miracle’ because we know that Mississippi’s progress in education is the result of strong policies, the effective implementation of a comprehensive statewide strategy, and years of hard work from the state to the classroom.”
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Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has celebrated the continued gains and noted how conservative reforms and a focus on sounds have made Mississippi a national model. Even with a slight decline in the state’s accountability grades from 2024 to 2025 — 80.1% of schools and 87.2% of districts earning a C or higher, compared to the previous year — the long-term trajectory shows what evidence-based reforms can accomplish, even in a high-poverty state.
In contrast, Dulles Elementary School in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood—right in the heart of the community I serve—shows the opposite picture. The school, which serves primarily Black and low-income students in grades pre-K through 8, ranks in the bottom 50% of elementary schools in Illinois. According to recent data, only about 1% to 5% of students scored proficient in math and 3% in reading on state assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 3.9% were proficient or better in math and 13.8% in English language arts – far below the Chicago Public Schools district averages (27.3% in math, 42.8% in ELA) and state averages (38.5% in math, 53.1% in ELA). Chronic absenteeism remains high, often between 25% and 40%, and the school has difficulty with the different subgroups of students. The Illinois system rates it as “commendable,” but those numbers don’t lie. Far too many children leave without the foundational skills they need to thrive.
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That is why Project HOOD is building the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center near this primary school. The $45 million center will include a private Christian school for boys from single-parent homes, and I am trying to learn as much as I can from Mississippi’s success so that our school can follow a similar model. I am driven by the urgent need to reverse these fortunes. We can’t wait for broken systems to fix themselves. We will work to create a model that teaches children skills, faith and opportunity – something Mississippi proves is possible when priorities are aligned.
The contrast between Mississippi and Chicago is so stark that I’m tempted to call what’s happening in Chicago criminal. It borders on educational errors. Mississippi succeeded with clear standards, teacher retraining in the science of reading, accountability through letter grades, and the courage to hold students back until they master the basics—policies rooted in what works, not ideology. Chicago, despite massive funding and talent, remains mired in bureaucracy, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates, resistance to proven methods, and excuses about poverty. It doesn’t help that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson focuses on blaming phantoms of white supremacy instead of doing the real work and confronting academic failure head-on.
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That’s the real backwardness – not the South, which has shown wisdom in embracing evidence instead of excuses. From these roads in Mississippi, the message is clear: The chain of low expectations can be broken anywhere – with bold policies, hard work and faith in children’s potential.
Mississippi is the proof. Chicago may follow suit. Project HOOD will take the lead.
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