Also: Raising Reading Scores and Restoring National Parks

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Happy Thursday! In today’s newsletter, we examine the link between the declines in marriage and homeownership, what drove Mississippi students’ surge in reading test scores, and the state of America’s national parks.

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1. Marriage and the Market ([link removed] )

4.23_Wilcox ([link removed] )

Topline: Homeownership in America has declined sharply since 1980. In 1980, 67 percent of adults between ages 25 and 54 owned their homes. In 2025, less than half of Americans in that age group are homeowners. AEI’s Brad Wilcox and Maria Baer find ([link removed] ) that the decline in homeownership is due to more than housing affordability; it is linked to the decline in marriage.

American Pessimism: Only one in three Americans says they believe in the American Dream, and three in four Americans expect the next generation to fare worse than they have. Though economic indicators like real wages and the share of individuals in the upper-middle class are positive, Americans feel less certain that homeownership, stable work, and simple prosperity are attainable. Wilcox and Baer write that a key feature of the problem is that today’s young adults aren’t getting married the way previous generations did.

Marriage and the Housing Market: Married Americans are largely immune to the decline in homeownership. 71 percent of married adults own their home today, compared with 21 percent of their unmarried counterparts. Combined income and splitting expenses may make affording a home easier, but marriage also motivates more people to seek homeownership. Married men are more likely to work additional hours, are less likely to be fired, and earn more income than single men do. Parenthood also motivates Americans to save for and purchase a single-family home.

“The journey toward more white picket fences in America’s future will have to begin at the altar.”

—Brad Wilcox ([link removed] ) and Maria Baer

More on Marriage
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2. How Did Mississippi Improve Its Students’ Reading Scores? ([link removed] )

4.23_Pondiscio ([link removed] )

Topline: In 2013, Mississippi placed 49th in the country on national tests. On the most recent assessment for the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP), the state had leaped to ninth in fourth-grade reading scores. AEI’s Robert Pondiscio argues ([link removed] ) that the transformation in Mississippi should be viewed as Rachel Canter describes ([link removed] ) in The Atlantic: not as an overnight miracle but rather as a long-run marathon.

Mississippi Marathon: Mississippi approached its education policy with four major changes: clear standards and assessments, real consequences for failure, a shift toward evidence-based instruction, and sustained support for implementation. These changes did not happen all at once but were sequenced in a way that allowed a systemic rebuilding, not an overnight quick fix.

Lessons Learned: For other states, cities, or districts looking to replicate Mississippi’s dramatic improvements, the lesson is not that there is one answer to low test scores but rather that there is a longer, less glamorous process to fix them. Mississippi aligned what schools are asked to accomplish with what they are equipped to do, and it stuck to that system long enough to see results.

“Indeed, calling Mississippi a ‘miracle’ is a kind of dismissal. It allows us to marvel at the outcome without taking seriously the conditions that produced it. Miracles, after all, are not meant to be replicated. That’s why they’re miracles.”

—Robert Pondiscio ([link removed] )

More on Reading Scores
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3. National Park Problems ([link removed] )

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Topline: In 2024, America’s more than 400 national parks saw a record-breaking total of 331,863,358 visits. AEI’s Rob Portman writes ([link removed] ) that the national parks are being pushed past their breaking point by wear and tear from these staggering visit numbers and years of neglect.

Park Perks: In addition to being historic and natural spaces that embody the best of America’s heritage, natural beauty, and legacy, national parks are economic engines for local, state, and national economies, bringing in over $56 billion per year. The national park system is supported by aging infrastructure, including wastewater treatment plants, power lines, roads, trails, bridges, visitor centers, and campsites. This infrastructure is crucial for visitors to access the parks’ natural beauty.

Legislative Support: Legislation passed to address many of these problems, the Great American Outdoors Act, created the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), which provided $6 billion to support park infrastructure projects. The LRF injected $5 billion into local labor markets, supported more than 72,000 jobs for skilled workers and contractors, and contributed $8 billion to the national GDP. When the LRF expired in September 2025, $23 billion in needed repairs remained. Portman warns that, without future funding, existing and planned projects could cease, visitor safety could wane, and the park communities’ economic vitality could be jeopardized.

“It is our patriotic duty to steward the landscapes and historic places of our National Park System by passing game-changing legislation to preserve our most awe-inspiring places for Americans today and tomorrow.”

—Rob Portman ([link removed] )

More on National Parks
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Dive into More Data

4.23_Cox ([link removed] )

The Generational Ink Gap ([link removed] )

More on Gen Z’s Tattoos
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4.23_CTP ([link removed] )

Iranian Ships in the Strait of Hormuz ([link removed] )

More on Iran
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Special thanks to Rosalie Blacklock, Drew Kirkpatrick, and Hannah Bowen.

Thanks for reading. We will be back with more data next Thursday!

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