A viral video by YouTuber and new teacher Darius Cooks has thrust America’s long-standing literacy challenges back into the spotlight, even as some schools report measurable progress.
In early August 2026, Darius Williams—better known online as Darius Cooks, a food personality with millions of followers—posted an emotional video after just two days teaching seniors at Phillis Wheatley High School in Houston’s Fifth Ward. As a career and technical education instructor, he described assigning 17- and 18-year-olds two short paragraphs to read and a single sentence to complete by filling in four words. He said he annotated the text with the class, modeled the response, and essentially provided the answers in advance. Many still could not do it.
“I literally broke down in the middle of class,” Williams said, tears visible. “This is only day two, and I have seniors who simply cannot read and seniors who cannot write. They cannot write. They can reason… if it’s talking to their homeboy, but applying that to a written text, two paragraphs, they couldn’t do it.” He specifically referenced the struggles of many of his young Black and brown students, adding in the caption that “something is broken somewhere.” The clip rapidly amassed millions of views across Instagram and other platforms.
Williams’ account aligns with national data showing deep, persistent gaps. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, often called the Nation’s Report Card) found that only 35% of 12th graders scored at or above the proficient level in reading—the lowest mark in three decades. Roughly 32% performed below the basic level, meaning they struggled even to locate and identify relevant details for literal comprehension. Average scores had fallen three points since 2019 and ten points since the assessment began in 1992, with the steepest drops among lower-performing students.
These figures reflect broader trends: pandemic disruptions, rising screen time, and long-term declines that began before COVID-19. Only about one-third of seniors leave high school with reading skills considered ready for college-level work.
Yet the story at Wheatley itself is more complex. The school, whose long string of failing ratings helped trigger the 2023 state takeover of the Houston Independent School District, earned its first-ever “A” accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency for the 2025-26 school year—up from an “F” in 2019, a “D” in 2023, and a “B” in 2024. District leaders pointed to gains under the New Education System model, including rising STAAR passing rates in English I and II. Superintendent Mike Miles acknowledged that some students still enter high school below grade level but emphasized that the situation “was worse four years ago” and that the rating reflects real improvement for many kids.
Pushback came quickly. A former Wheatley English teacher who worked with many of the current seniors described them as among the strongest readers and writers the school had seen in years and criticized the video’s broad portrayal after only two days. Some students pushed back as well, saying they could read and write (though vocabulary or longer essays could be challenging) and questioning the decision to air the struggles publicly. Williams, who has faced past business controversies, confirmed he is progressing toward full Texas teacher certification while teaching under temporary provisions allowed by the state.
The episode captures a central tension in American education: genuine local turnarounds and higher expectations can coexist with stubborn skill gaps that leave too many graduates unprepared. Williams’ raw frustration mirrors what national assessments have quantified for years. Closing those gaps requires sustained focus on foundational literacy, effective instruction, and support that reaches every student—because the stakes for young people heading into college, careers, and civic life remain high.
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Darius Cooks has a point about America’s literacy crisis. The internet isn’t sure he should be the one making it
A Wheatley High School teacher claimed his students couldn’t read or write. Then the school got an ‘A’ rating – Houston Public Media
NAEP Reading Grade 12 : Reading Results
Darius Cooks Says Seniors Can’t Read. Their School Got an A
