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I want to commend Matthew Berg-Wall for his clear-eyed and path-defining assessment of Minnesota’s READ Act in his Nov. 23 commentary (“Minnesota’s READ Act needs improvement”). His piece succinctly diagnoses the gravity of our reading crisis and points toward Mississippi’s proven path to improvement — a path Minnesota has thus far only partially chosen to follow.
Berg-Wall is exactly right: Mississippi’s extraordinary gains in reading were not the product of vague aspirations. They are born from firm, measurable policy commitments, mandatory retention, rigorous teacher preparation and attention to educator effectiveness. Minnesota must adopt the same level of seriousness and accountability in order to truly see the reading gains the READ Act strives for.
Yet, there is a crucial aspect of Mississippi’s blueprint that deserves attention in Minnesota: school libraries served by licensed school librarians.
Mississippi state law requires that every school have a certified school librarian based on enrollment. Schools with fewer than 300 students must have a half-time minimum position, and full time (or more) in schools with 301 or more. This is an acknowledgment that literacy does not begin and end with phonics instruction. Skilled librarians nurture a culture of reading, curate high-quality texts, collaborate with teachers and provide individualized support that is especially vital for struggling readers. Their presence is part of the ecosystem that helped Mississippi move from near the bottom to the top of national reading rankings.
Minnesota, by contrast, has no statewide requirement for school librarians, and many districts, especially those serving students who would benefit most, have quietly eliminated these positions. According to a 2023 survey, nearly half of Minnesota schools do not have a librarian serving their school libraries. We cannot claim to follow Mississippi’s model while leaving out a core pillar.
If Minnesotans are serious about improving reading outcomes, strengthening the READ Act must include adopting Mississippi’s expectations not only for retention, teacher training and evaluation, but also for universal access to certified school librarians. Mississippi improved because it invests in every part of the literacy infrastructure. Minnesota must do the same. Over 40 years of research continually points to the positive effect that librarians, or media specialists, have on student reading and literacy rates.
