Southern Surge 2.0: From Literacy Miracle to Movement

Everyone’s talking about the Southern Surge—but most of what’s being said misses the point. The story isn’t just about phonics or retention laws; it’s about the deeper system shifts that four Southern states made around curriculum, coaching, and leadership. This conversation demystifies what really fueled the South’s historic gains in reading, unpacks what’s been lost in translation as other states rush to replicate it, and explores what these lessons reveal about how states can drive any large-scale improvement—beyond literacy alone.