Study Links Strong Teachers' Unions in Blue States to Lower Student Literacy Scores

A new analysis suggests a correlation between the strength of teachers' unions and student literacy levels, with blue states featuring powerful unions predominantly showing lower scores compared to Republican-led states with less union influence.

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) study indicated that at least eight of the ten states with the worst student literacy scores are liberal strongholds with politically influential teachers' unions. In contrast, only five of these states were Republican and one was a swing state.

New York, where over half of third to fifth graders failed reading proficiency exams recently, was identified as one of the lowest-performing states and also has some of the most robust teachers' unions.

Conversely, the study found that top-performing states were predominantly conservative and had teachers' unions with less political sway. Among the 23 top-scoring states, 13 were Republican-majority and only four were Democratic hubs. Extending this to the top 32 states, only seven were Democratic, with just four of those ranking in the 25th percentile for teachers' union power.

Rachel Canter, Director of Education Policy at PPI, conducted the assessment. Canter spent nearly two decades in Mississippi advocating for systemic reforms that she credits with transforming the state's students from having some of the nation's lowest literacy rates to some of the highest.

Canter's study highlighted a significant trend: the more powerful a state's teachers' union, the worse its student literacy scores tended to be. While not strictly adhering to party lines, this trend often disadvantaged Democratic states.

"Democrats, however, don’t often ask me how to replicate Mississippi’s success," Canter stated. "They ask if it’s possible at all, given the power of teachers’ unions in their home states."

Canter suggested that states where teachers' unions hold significant influence are slower to implement improved educational programs. Her analysis of 18 literacy policies recommended by ExcelinEd showed that Democratic states had adopted an average of nine policies, while Republican and swing states adopted an average of 13.5.

"States dominated by Democrats have been slower to embrace similar reforms," Canter observed. "Organized labor might explain some of this gap."

Mississippi's educational transformation saw student test scores climb significantly. In 2013, the state had some of the lowest scores for middle and elementary students, but by 2024, they ranked seventh in literacy and 13th in math. These improvements are attributed to widespread reforms, including requiring third graders with low literacy scores to repeat the year and mandating extra training for teachers in underperforming elementary schools.

Mixed-language literacy screenings for students from kindergarten to third grade were also implemented in Mississippi, with parents notified if their child was performing below average. Several Southern states, largely Republican strongholds, adopted similar policies and subsequently dominated the rankings for student literacy scores and teachers' union power.

"We found a strong, negative correlation between the two — the more powerful the unions, the fewer literacy policy principles the state had adopted," Canter concluded.

The study utilized data on teachers' union power from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and literacy score data from the education advocacy group ExcelinEd.