When It Comes to Teaching Reading, When Will We Get It Right?

This summer, it seems like nobody took time off from the debate about how best to teach children to read. Emily Hanford’s latest documentary explores…

My Kid Had Tons of Background Knowledge, But He Couldn’t Read Without Learning Phonics

When our son was born, my husband and I knew a lot about how to prepare him to be a reader. We knew how to…

It Cost Nearly $250K to Teach My Son to Read. Here’s How to Do Better for Less.

My formerly illiterate fourth-grade son is now an eighth-grader at The Windward School for Children with Dyslexia, where he learned to read. Next year, he…

How ‘Oprah’ Reruns Helped My Dad Find the Right School for Me

I grew up in El Sereno, a low-income neighborhood near Los Angeles, and faced a difficult childhood. My mother was murdered when I was 6…

I Took a Year Off Work to Learn About Dyslexia Because My Son’s Teachers Couldn’t Teach Him How to Read

Why, for so many, is access to an education that recognizes the science of reading limited to private programs? My son experienced this as a…

Coffee Break: New Mexico’s Teacher of the Year Jessica Sanders on What Brought Her to Teaching and Why She’s Staying

Once you become a Teacher of the Year, your life changes. I recently had a chance to talk with Jessica Sanders on becoming the New…

Let’s Put The Science of Reading in Teachers’ Hands, So Kids Aren’t Left Behind

Several years ago, I found myself a parent of a struggling reader. My son was attending a very well-regarded NYC public school, but the teachers…

My Dyslexia and Self-Doubt Were No Match for the Supportive Teachers Who Got Me to Read

I remember walking through the doors of Blackstone Valley Prep Middle School seven years ago like it was yesterday. I didn’t know anyone. The “gymnasium”…