scapegoats

Mississippi Governor Blames Low Literacy on Working Moms

Photo: Cliff Owen/Corbis

Wondering how America got so “mediocre” at reading? Mississippi governor Phil Bryant has an answer, but it’ll get him in trouble; he can “see the emails tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to tell the truth?” he asked at a Washington Post Live panel. The downward slide began when “both parents started working, and the mom is in the work place.” (It’s a very common arrangement these days.) He added that while it is not a mother’s responsibility to teach children to read, both parents used to have more free time to spend with children. Here’s where to send that e-mail, by the way.

MS Governor Blames Low Literacy on Working Moms