The factors affecting education are nothing if not complex, from classroom and teacher interactions to social pathologies brought to the schoolyard to the difficulty of marshaling talent and resources for the noble goal of universal literacy.

And there are no silver bullets for complex problems, like the reality that, right now, half of Louisiana’s schoolchildren cannot pass a basic reading test in third grade.

A young legislator on a mission is pushing ahead with a bill requiring schools to hold back third-graders who can’t pass the test; House Bill 12 by Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville, has won majority support from the Legislature and now sits on Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk awaiting action. 

Truth be told, Nelson's proposal is not the kind of blunt instrument that we would typically support.

That's not because its goal isn't worthy, but because of the many difficulties in making it achievable without holding back students who have not received proper teaching. The complexity of the educational process requires a great deal more than another mandate of another measurement of progress.

But Nelson is correct that the experiment with a similar mandate in Mississippi appears to have worked. Further, in Louisiana, despite our poor standing on many measures, more children are currently benefiting from a new focus on what some educators call the old-fashioned phonics method of teaching.

State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley told the Press Club of Baton Rouge that the emphasis on reading, and detailed work his department has undertaken with colleges preparing teachers, is showing results — even if, as he always adds, we’re “not where we want to be.”

The Nelson bill received a passionate shout-out from Capitol Hill, from U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy, R-Madisonville. Kennedy was a longtime state official before going to Washington. His statement of support included some wise words about the elaborate path forward if Edwards opts to sign the bill. 

This shouldn’t be, as Kennedy said, “that the child just repeats the third grade with no help. We will assign that child special tutors. We will assign that child special attention.”

All of those things must be carried out in practice, which is far beyond the scope of this or any single legislative instrument. Nor is the U.S. government perhaps the best example of follow-through and administrative efficiency.

Nelson's bill defers for two years the holdback penalty for children, to give the system time to put testing instruments and practices into place. That's wise. For one thing, our parishes — most students are not in charter schools, but in traditional school systems — face drastically varying economic challenges. Specialized teaching assistance isn't going to be easy to implement statewide, although Brumley has made it a priority at the state department.

Given the experience elsewhere with this particular approach, perhaps this is the time to try it in Louisiana's schools. But we must be aware of the impact of holding a child back in an early grade.

A longtime head of Louisiana's prison system once said he could predict the population of the jails years ahead of time, by looking at how many children had failed the third grade that year. Real success can change that dynamic, but it will take a considerable commitment.

We agree with Kennedy when he says that “our kids deserve the chance. Every child can learn.”