Education Secretary Linda McMahon kicks off tour to promote local school control

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Education Secretary Linda McMahon is kicking off a tour of all 50 states Monday morning to tout the potential benefits of local decision-making in schools.

It comes as the Trump Administration pushes to wind down the Department of Education in favor of state-led policy.

McMahon's first stop is in Louisiana where they went from being ranked 50th in fourth grade reading in 2019 to 16th.

Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley explains how they did it.

"Our science of reading strategy, our foundational math strategy, school choice, letting teachers teach a combination of efforts have really worked here," said Superintendent Brumley.

"That's why it's imperative that education be returned to the states. Because when states are creative and innovative, you will see the kind of progress that you've seen here in Louisiana," Secretary McMahon added.

Louisiana is the only state to improve upon its literacy rate since 2019, according to the nation's report card, which reviews standardized testing of fourth and eighth graders.