An education revolution built on the science of reading has taken hold in the US with stunning results in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the nation. In Australia, after too many years of disappointing literacy outcomes, we can find green shoots and promising directions. The lessons from the US and elsewhere show how we can move faster and gain better traction.

Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the US: it is ranked worst in the country in child poverty and hunger, highest in teen births, and third last for adults with a high school diploma or equivalent. Yet despite this, Mississippi students are achieving remarkable results in both reading and maths with Mississippi’s economically disadvantaged fourth graders achieving higher scores in reading and maths than their peers nationally and in the South.