Louisiana education leaders say student growth, early literacy, and classroom support remain top priorities as educators gather for the 2026 Teacher Leaders Summit. The annual event carries the theme, “Big Ideas Start Here,” and has drawn nearly 7,500 teachers and administrators from across the state.
Kevin Berken, vice president of Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and District 7 representative, said schools are seeing results from Louisiana’s accountability changes and literacy efforts.
Berken pointed to the state’s updated accountability system as a major driver of progress. The system tracks individual student growth rather than focusing only on performance comparisons.
School leaders now monitor student progress more closely. Teachers and administrators create plans designed to help struggling students improve over time.
“We want growth,” Berken said during an interview at the summit. “We want every child moving forward.”
Louisiana Literacy and Math Progress
State leaders highlighted recent education gains.
Berken said national studies from Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth showed Louisiana ranked first nationally in reading growth since 2022 and second in math progress over the same period. He also noted that Louisiana climbed from 49th to 32nd nationally on education rankings over five years.
Education leaders credit several strategies:
- High-dosage tutoring programs
- Science of reading instruction
- Fundamental math instruction
- Stronger accountability measures
- Early literacy intervention
Louisiana lawmakers have invested funding into tutoring efforts aimed at helping students reach grade-level expectations by third grade. State policy now places a stronger emphasis on reading proficiency before students advance academically.
Teacher Leaders Summit Focuses on Future Challenges
The summit also addresses emerging issues shaping education.
Artificial intelligence, student attendance, and chronic absenteeism remain major discussion topics. State leaders said keeping students in classrooms remains critical to improving long-term outcomes.
Education officials say Louisiana’s work is not finished.
State leaders believe continued investment in literacy, math instruction, and teacher development will determine whether Louisiana can maintain momentum and improve education outcomes statewide.