Minnesota vs. Mississippi: Needs even more context.

Students take part in a reading lesson at Hazlehurst Elementary School in Hazlehurst, Miss. (RORY DOYLE/The New York Times)

Note: The letter below was published on February 20, 2026 in Strib Voices as a letter to the editor in the Star Tribune .

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The recent counterpoint “Minnesota failure, Mississippi success in education? Needs more context” (Strib Voices, Feb. 18) comparing educational outcomes in Minnesota and Mississippi using ACT, SAT and overall NAEP averages misses a critical issue: Demographics matter.

When NAEP results are broken out by student subgroup (comparing low-income students to low-income students, and students of color to students of color), Mississippi is beating Minnesota in fourth-grade reading across nearly every demographic. And, contrary to the author’s claims, Black and economically disadvantaged students in eighth grade perform better in Mississippi than they do in Minnesota. In fact, Minnesota’s eighth-grade reading scores for all students have now fallen below the national average (sources: ciresiwalburnfoundation.org/read).

These results highlight Minnesota’s historic opportunity gaps and our state’s failure to educate all of our children.

Mississippi schools serve a significantly higher percentage of students of color and students living in poverty than Minnesota. Comparing overall state averages without acknowledging those differences can obscure what’s actually happening. If a state is producing stronger literacy results for comparable groups of students, we should aim to learn from that state — not dismiss their success.

Minnesota has made progress with the recent passage of the READ Act. The question now is whether we will implement it with the urgency and accountability needed to produce gains comparable to those in Mississippi. Minnesota families deserve clarity about how our students are doing.

Daniel Sellers, Minneapolis

The writer is executive director of the Ciresi Walburn Foundation.