# Teachers' unions and reading gaps

> States with strong teachers' unions lag in early literacy despite policy efforts
- Title: Teachers' unions and reading gaps · Fox News | Shortify
- Summary: States with strong teachers' unions lag in early literacy despite policy efforts Strong teachers' unions correlate with weaker early literacy outcomes in…
- Keywords: teachers' unions, early literacy, progressive policy institute, reading scores, mississippi, arkansas, georgia, south carolina, louisiana, indiana, maine, new york
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/politics/powerful-teachers-unions-share-striking-link-states-struggling-teach-kids-read
- Author: Robert Schmad
- Published: 2026-09-17T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: teachers' unions, early literacy, progressive policy institute, reading scores, mississippi, arkansas, georgia, south carolina, louisiana, indiana, maine, new york
## Union strength and reading scores
Eight of ten states with worst early literacy scores have strong teachers' unions

> Eight of the 10 states to score among the worst in the Progressive Policy Institute’s assessment of early-literacy policies were home to powerful teachers' unions
## Mississippi's literacy turnaround
Mississippi boosted reading scores through kindergarten screenings and literacy coaches

> Mississippi's reforms added kindergarten-through-third-grade screenings, literacy coaches, and individual reading plans
## Republican states excel
Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Indiana improved reading scores

> Mississippi Arkansas Georgia Louisiana South Carolina and Indiana all Republican-leaning states with weak unions were among the states with the best literacy outcomes
## Democratic states lag
Maine New York Illinois Hawaii Washington and Rhode Island have weak reading scores

> Maine New York Illinois Hawaii Washington and Rhode Island blue states were among the worst
## Policy implementation challenges
Teachers' unions slow adoption of new literacy methods in classrooms

> Teachers' unions exert massive influence over educational policies and classroom implementation
## Key takeaway

Strong teachers' unions correlate with weaker early literacy outcomes in states