Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership and Research

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Most states experienced declines in Grade 4 reading performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) following the COVID-19 pandemic; however, Louisiana improved relative to national and regional trends. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods case study examined how Louisiana communicated statewide literacy reforms between the 2021–2022 and 2023–2024 school years and how those reforms help contextualize the state's post-pandemic NAEP reading trajectory. Quantitative analyses examined Louisiana's NAEP reading performance from 2011 through 2024, including subgroup trends and comparisons with Southern states. Qualitative document analysis examined state-created instructional artifacts, including legislation, policy guidance, curriculum resources, and professional learning materials. The findings indicate that Louisiana's post-pandemic reforms were communicated through a coherent and mutually reinforcing system of instructional guidance that consistently aligned curriculum, professional learning, leadership, and implementation supports. When integrated with the quantitative findings, this implementation infrastructure provides important context for understanding Louisiana's improvement while stopping short of causal attribution. This study demonstrates how systematic analysis of state-created instructional artifacts can document the translation of policy intent into instructional practice, providing a framework for understanding statewide reform beyond policy adoption alone.

Date

7-17-2026

Committee Chair

Lewis, Jr., Henderson

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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Available for download on Wednesday, July 27, 2033

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