Louisiana’s recent academic gains have placed greater attention on what happens inside classrooms each day—and state education leaders say maintaining orderly classroom learning environments is an important part of sustaining that progress, according to this news release from LDOE. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley recently called on Louisiana school systems to protect instructional time by establishing classrooms that are calm, structured, and focused on learning. In a July 27 letter to school system leaders, Brumley emphasized that schools should maintain peaceful and orderly environments while consistently addressing behavior that interferes with teaching and learning.
The message came as Louisiana continued to report some of its strongest academic results in recent years. According to the Louisiana Department of Education, the state climbed from 49th overall in 2019 to 32nd on The Nation’s Report Card, its highest position to date. The national assessment measures fourth- and eighth-grade performance in reading and mathematics and provides states with a common measure for tracking academic achievement over time.
Louisiana also ranked first among states in reading growth and second in mathematics growth on the 2026 Education Scorecard, a report produced by researchers from Harvard University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College. Louisiana was the only state whose average performance exceeded 2019 levels in both subjects. Meanwhile, the state’s latest LEAP assessments produced the highest proficiency rates recorded in Louisiana’s testing program.
That approach builds on several years of state efforts aimed at reducing unnecessary demands on educators. Louisiana’s Let Teachers Teach initiative examined policies and practices that can take teachers away from their central responsibility of instruction. Combined with subsequent state policies and local school-system changes, the recommendations were intended to help educators devote more of the school day to teaching students rather than navigating avoidable administrative or classroom-management obstacles.
Protecting classroom learning and instructional time is especially important because even relatively small disruptions can accumulate across a school year. Classroom management is therefore more than a disciplinary issue. Clear routines, predictable expectations and consistent responses can help teachers maintain the conditions necessary for lessons, discussions, independent practice, assessments and other academic activities.
Brumley also identified bullying as a significant threat to productive learning environments. During Louisiana’s 2026 Regular Legislative Session, lawmakers adopted House Resolution 333, which urged public school governing authorities and employees to comply with and enforce the state’s existing anti-bullying requirements. The measure passed theLouisiana House on June 1 by an 86-0 vote.
Under Louisiana law, public elementary and secondary school governing authorities must incorporate policies prohibiting student bullying into their student codes of conduct. Those policies are intended to operate throughout the school year and work alongside school discipline rules, curriculum and violence-prevention efforts.
State law also requires school systems to maintain procedures for reporting and investigating alleged bullying,appropriately disciplining students found responsible and providing remedies for students who have experienced bullying. These requirements make anti-bullying efforts part of a broader responsibility to create school environments where students can participate in instruction without intimidation or repeated disruption.
Brumley’s message ultimately connected classroom culture with Louisiana’s larger academic goals. The state’s improving national rankings and record LEAP results demonstrate measurable progress, but sustaining those gains requires more than academic standards and instructional materials alone. Teachers also need sufficient time and appropriate conditions to use those resources effectively.
By asking school leaders to reinforce behavioral expectations, consistently address disruptions and fulfill existing anti-bullying responsibilities, Louisiana education officials are emphasizing that school climate and academic instruction are closely connected. As another school year begins, protecting classroom learning time has become part of the state’s broader effort to build on its recent educational progress.
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