The Delta Issue #80
The Southern Surge is back in the spotlight — and other things we’re reading about
Hi everyone, Kunjan here.
Each week, dozens of links pass through our team Slack. This week, we’re rounding up the articles that sparked the most debate and discussion. Let’s dive in.
The Southern Surge is back in the spotlight
We wrote about the “Southern Surge” last May, focusing on three structural conditions that may be enabling sustained improvement across parts of the South. This topic is back in the national conversation, with two major pieces highlighting how deliberate policy choices around literacy, accountability, and execution, are improving outcomes for kids.
Chicago Tribune : ‘The ‘Southern Surge’ in Education is a Marathon, not a Miracle.
In his op-ed, Jeb Bush pushes back on the “miracle” narrative around the Southern Surge. Student progress, he suggests, reflects years of disciplined work by states that prioritized the fundamentals, established clear accountability, and stayed focused on execution even when it wasn’t politically convenient.
The New York Times : These Three Red States Are the Best Hope in Schooling
Nick Kristof ’s piece makes the case that results, not politics, should guide who we’re willing to learn from. He points to three Deep South red states that long represented “America’s educational basement,” but are now posting some of the strongest gains in the country. His argument is that the rest of the nation (especially blue states and progressives) should take pen to what these states did, particularly around literacy reform and chronic absenteeism.
Leadership watch: new chiefs stepping in
We’re also cheering on a few new superintendents stepping into office — leaders we’re proud to call friends — and excited to see what they build. Learn more about them below.
New Jersey PBS reports that Lily Laux, formerly a principal at the ILO Group , is stepping into the role of Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, the state’s top K–12 education official. She brings a deep commitment to literacy, an understanding of the strain on the teacher pipeline, and a focus on modernizing school finance so it better serves students.
As Lily put it during her confirmation, “when students are falling behind, every single day matters.” We’re excited to see what her leadership builds in this next chapter for New Jersey’s schools.
Virginia, Jenna Lawrence Conway :
As reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch , Virginia’s newly elected governor, Abigail Spanberger, has named Jenna Conway as Superintendent of Public Instruction. Jenna brings deep experience in curriculum and system-level work, and she steps into the role at an important moment for the state.
Virginia has spent the past several years raising standards and rebuilding its accountability system after significant pandemic learning loss. With new political leadership in place, we’re encouraged by the opportunity to focus on literacy, transparency, and strong expectations, and we’ll be watching how Conway helps shape that
Preparing kids for the future
The 74 Media : Why We Keep Asking the Wrong Question About Kindergarten Readiness
Susan Neuman and Lillie Bukzin argue that we’ve framed kindergarten readiness backwards. Instead of asking whether children are ready for school, we should be asking whether schools are designed to meet the children who walk through their doors.
I really appreciated their point that if we want stronger third-grade reading outcomes, we have to examine the runway from pre-K through first grade, not just focus on third-grade interventions. The questions we should be asking are: Is the curriculum cumulative? Are foundational skills introduced in a logical sequence? Are pacing and assessments reinforcing the same expectations? Because if those pieces aren’t coherent early on, kids are already behind by the time they reach third grade.
The Argument : Why Schools Keep Losing the Technology Bet
Kelsey Piper approaches the AI conversation with a healthy dose of déjà vu: “We’ve been here before. Let’s not repeat the same mistakes.”
Computers once promised to revolutionize classrooms, with sweeping claims and widespread adoption, but modest gains. “A device for every kid” became reality; the learning revolution did not. Piper warns that AI could follow the same trajectory if it’s layered onto instruction instead of embedded within a coherent instructional system.
Let’s get muddy
If you’d like to talk more about any of these topics — or anything else happening in K–12 — I’ll be joining Josh Czupryk for office hours on March 12 at 2pm ET.
