If I'm elected to the US Senate my kids are going to private school!

Oh wait! My kids have graduated college. Never mind.

Despite being the nation’s poorest state, Mississippi has surpassed Washington – one of the three wealthiest states – in early reading achievement for the first time ever.

How did Mississippi do it? The state made several major reforms, including requiring 3rd graders to read at grade level before advancing to the 4th grade. That’s also what Rep. Michael Keaton’s House Bill 1832, the Building Opportunities for Student Success (BOSS) Act, would do.

Reading proficiency by 3rd grade is widely recognized as a critical milestone, because students who cannot read proficiently by then are far more likely to struggle across all subjects in later grades.

Additionally, the BOSS Act would:

▶️Hire reading coaches and update teacher training;

▶️Mandate structured literacy programs (science of reading);

▶️Provide targeted Learning Assistance Program funding for struggling students;

▶️Offer teacher and paraeducator bonuses for improved student performance; and

▶️Require the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to consider Singapore Math for Washington students.