Cassidy Joins Secretary McMahon in Baton Rouge for Roundtable on Improving Child Literacy, Touts Louisiana’s Success

WASHINGTON – Earlier today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) joined Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, and other education leaders at Jefferson Terrace Academy in Baton Rouge, LA for a roundtable on how to strengthen literacy efforts to help children read better and succeed in the classroom. In the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, reading scores among fourth and eighth-graders declined 2 points from 2022, and 5 points from 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

According to NAEP, Louisiana is one of only three states with fourth-grade reading scores that met or exceeded their 2019 performance. For eighth-graders, Louisiana was the only state to recover to its pre-pandemic reading levels. The panelists discussed Louisiana’s successful implementation of evidence-based strategies in the classroom, like the “science of reading,” and how these efforts can be replicated nationwide.

“Louisiana has made great strides to help our children read better. What we are doing is an example for the rest of the nation. But, there is a lot more to do. The conversation was about what has been achieved and what else can be done,” said Dr. Cassidy. “I thank Secretary McMahon for attending, and I look forward to working with her and President Trump to get reading scores even better.”

Before the roundtable, Cassidy and Secretary McMahon went on a tour of Jefferson Terrace Academy, and observed teachers leading students through reading and writing exercises designed to build strong literacy skills.

As chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Cassidy released a new report last week outlining ways to improve child literacy and fix the broken K-12 education system to better serve American children and families.

In the report, Cassidy underscores the devastating effects of illiteracy, including increasing rates of high school incompletion and incarceration. It also impacts our nation’s ability to fill STEM jobs, raising serious concerns about our global economic competitiveness, and worse, our military’s preparedness.

To address child literacy and reform the K-12 system, Cassidy proposes:

• Strengthening accountability to ensure taxpayer dollars support proven methods that effectively teach kids how to read, including through the “science of reading.”
• Moving federal education dollars from unelected Washington bureaucrats directly to families so they can access tutoring and other literacy support programs.
• Empowering parents with information about school achievement in literacy so they can choose the best education option for their children.
• Ensuring federal resources can be used towards early-detection screening for learning needs, like dyslexia, that cause students to struggle with literacy.
• Equipping teachers with the tools and strategies to best teach children in the classroom.

Read the full report here.

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