Description
- Abstract:
- Mississippi sits near the bottom of most educational performance measures, ranking among the lowest average ACT scores, per pupil spending, and graduation rates of any state. Policy innovation and diffusion literature suggests that Mississippi, typically a laggard state with low capacity, would be incapable of improving its education standings. However, it was the first state to adopt a ‘Science of Reading’ law in 2013, which helped its fourth graders go from 49th in the nation in reading scores to 21st by 2022. This thesis explores the conditions under which laggard states can become leader states, exploring the factors that enabled Mississippi to innovate policy and lead its diffusion. Qualitative interviews with policymakers across three southern Republican-led states reveal that in order for laggards to innovate, they need strong leaders. This work then illuminates two different pathways through which laggards lead other states. The first is through direct state-to-state diffusion, such as in the case of Tennessee’s Literacy Success Act, and the other is through shaping national-level discourse, like in the case of Georgia’s Early Literacy Act. Understanding how and why states adopted these laws sheds light on under-examined diffusion dynamics, informing advocacy and policy change efforts.
- Notes:
- Senior thesis (AB)--Brown University, 2025
- Concentration: International and Public Affairs
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Citation
Barakett, Elysee,
"Thank God for Mississippi: How Science of Reading Laws Diffused in Three States"
(2025).
The Watson School of International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations, International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/zw9a-t224
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The Watson School of International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the The Watson School of International and Public Affairs department.... -
International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the International and Public Affairs department....