It’s another Mike Petrilli solo episode of The Education Gadfly Show, and this week he’s tackling some big questions about state education mandates and local control. From recess requirements to curriculum and Science of Reading policies, when should states step in, and when does intervention go too far? Mike looks at how Mississippi and other Southern states have taken a more hands-on approach to improving student achievement and what the rest of the country can learn from their success.

Then, on the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a new study from Texas finding that Science of Reading certification exams can help identify more effective reading teachers, but may also be shrinking the teacher pipeline.

Recommended content:

• Now states are mandating recess. Really? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Recess Is Disappearing. Parents Are Pushing to Bring It Back. —Chao Deng, The Wall Street Journal
• School Is Back in Session, and Recess Is Having a Moment —Emily Tate Sullivan, The 74
• Is state leadership at odds with local control? —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Pondiscio v. Ryan on state-led curriculum reform —Michael J. Petrilli, SCHOOLED
• Mississippi’s School Transformation —Sarah Mervosh, The New York Times
• Why Tennessee Should Be the National Model for Literacy —Scott Langford, Curriculum Matters
• Louisiana Threads the Needle: Launching a Coherent Curriculum in a Local-Control State —Robert Pondiscio, Education Next
• Texas Has a Theory of Education —Robert Pondiscio, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Screen or Barrier? Science of Reading Certification Exams and Teacher Supply in Texas —Andrew Avitabile, EdWorkingPapers (2026)

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