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Black Boys With Dyslexia Need Love and Learning, Not Shame and Prison

As a young boy, I wasn’t a bad person. I feared going into the classroom because I couldn’t read. Had someone intervened in third or…

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…

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”…

I Was a Misfit in School, Then I Was Homeless, Now I’m Helping Kids Avoid That Same Fate

I went to Chicago Agricultural High School. It’s known as one of the best high schools in the Chicagoland area. Everyone told me it was…

Students With Reading Disabilities Deserve the Magic of Books Too

Exciting. Delightful. A joyful experience for the mind and soul, escaping into other worlds. This is the power of reading. Frustrated. Discouraged. Feeling like a…