A version of the following commentary appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Test data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that 42 percent of Missouri fourth graders can barely read. Some of these children are functionally illiterate; others can read written words but have little to no comprehension. Missouri’s fourth-grade reading scores rank 38th out of the 50 states on NAEP reading, far from our ranking of 14th in 2003.
There are several reasons for our decline, but a key problem is that teachers in Missouri still use scientifically unproven practices to teach reading.
Decades of research show clearly that phonics-based reading instruction is what works. In states that have emphasized phonics-based reading instruction, like Mississippi and Louisiana, fourth-grade reading scores have taken off.
Truly fluent readers perceive each and every letter of print. Ideally, skilled readers come to read every letter rapidly and fluently as they connect the letters’ sounds with their oral vocabulary. In contrast, an alternative practice known as the three-cueing system encourages students to rely more on memorization, on contextual clues, or on how the “whole word” looks.
We should teach students to practice reading using the foundations effective readers rely on. All teachers in Missouri should be teaching reading using phonics-based instructions, which is scientifically proven and field-tested.
However, many are not. There are various reasons for this (some claim it’s boring to teach, drives the “love of reading” out of students, etc.). But one system-level reason is that numerous teacher-preparation programs in Missouri have not bought into the science of reading.
The misalignment of our teacher-preparation programs is on display in a new 2026 report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). The report evaluates colleges and universities across the United States on how effectively their curriculum addresses the five core components of the science of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It also considers whether programs teach practices contrary to the science of reading, like the three-cueing method.
In the report, Missouri ranks 44th in its coverage of the core components of the science of reading, with an average score of just 2.3 out of 5.0 components. Half of states scored 4.0 or higher, while often-praised Mississippi scored 4.7.
Even more alarming, Missouri ranks second in the nation, behind only Maine, in teaching practices contrary to the science of reading. Teacher-preparation programs in Missouri taught, on average, almost four times more contrary practices than the national average.
Nearly half of the universities in Missouri evaluated by NCTQ received an F in teaching the science of reading, including Northwest Missouri State University, Truman State University, and Missouri Southern State University. By comparison, 73 percent of Mississippi’s programs received an A, and none earned an F.
Also concerning is that 52 percent of Missouri’s programs either refused to participate in the NCTQ survey, provided heavily redacted materials, or were otherwise unresponsive. These institutions are approved by the state to prepare future teachers; they should be transparent about how they train our teachers.
While there were some bright spots, most Missouri teacher-preparation programs remain poorly aligned with what works. The states with the largest reading gains—Mississippi, Louisiana, and Indiana—all rank among the best in alignment with the science of reading. Teacher-preparation reform is not a silver bullet, but it’s part of a comprehensive early literacy policy.
Until our teacher-preparation programs correct their practices, we’re going to continue to infuse our teaching workforce with new cohorts of teachers each year who are unprepared to follow the science of reading.
What can be done? The good news is that at least in principle, this is easy to fix.
In 2023, Indiana required teacher-preparation programs to align their curricula with the science of reading and prohibited them from teaching the three-cueing method, which NCTQ identifies as a contrary practice. If a program refuses to comply, it loses state accreditation. In a previous NCTQ report from 2023 based on data from before its reform, 33 percent of Indiana’s programs received an A+ or an A. In 2026, 96 percent received an A+ or A.
Missouri lawmakers must work together to prevent teacher-preparation programs in Missouri from licensing teachers if they teach methods of reading instruction that are known to be ineffective. This simple step would help address the growing reading crisis in our state.
