What parents of dyslexic children are teaching schools about literacy

Summary

The script highlights the reading gap among US school children, with less than 40% proficient readers, and the impact of dyslexia on students' learning. Arkansas parents, advocating for children with dyslexia, have led a push for new state laws on reading instruction, emphasizing systematic phonics teaching. The state is investing in retraining educators and implementing dyslexia programs, with the hope of improving literacy rates and transforming students' relationship with reading, despite resistance from the education establishment.

Takeaways

• 📚 The reading gap among U.S. school children is alarming, with less than 40% of fourth and eighth graders being proficient readers.
• 🌟 Parents of children with dyslexia are leading a push to change reading instruction methods in schools.
• 💔 Families with dyslexic children have experienced significant emotional and psychological struggles due to their children's reading difficulties.
• 💡 Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects one in five individuals, making spelling and reading challenging.
• 🏫 Arkansas has seen a change in how children learn to read, with a focus on explicit phonics instruction to help the brain process written words.
• 🔍 Parents and advocates have spent considerable resources on educational testing and tutoring to understand and address dyslexia.
• 📈 The National Center on Improving Literacy supports the systematic teaching of reading, particularly the use of phonics, for all students.
• 🎓 Arkansas is investing $6 million annually to revamp dyslexia screening, reading instruction, and teacher training and licensing.
• 👩‍🏫 Teachers in Arkansas are being retrained in comprehensive phonics instruction, a method they were not originally taught.
• 📉 Arkansas ranks poorly in reading proficiency, which has lifelong consequences such as higher dropout and poverty rates.
• 🔑 The new approach to reading instruction is showing promise in improving literacy rates, with anecdotal evidence of life-changing impacts on students.

Q & A

What is the current reading proficiency rate among fourth and eighth graders in the U.S.?

Fewer than 40 percent of fourth and eighth graders are considered proficient readers.

Who is leading the push to change how students are taught to read?

The push is being led by parents whose children have dyslexia.

What is the impact of dyslexia on individuals and their families as described in the script?

Dyslexia is a learning disability that makes it difficult to spell and read, causing psychological damage and distress, as well as impacting every fiber of the family.

What is the prevalence of dyslexia among the population?

Dyslexia affects one in five individuals.

What is the main focus of the new reading instruction system being implemented in Arkansas?

The new system includes explicit instruction in phonics, teaching students how letters and sounds go together to help the brain process the written word.

According to Sarah Sayko from the National Center on Improving Literacy, why is the phonics approach effective for teaching children to read?

Sarah Sayko states that reading is not a natural process and needs to be taught systematically, which the phonics approach does effectively.

How does the new reading instruction method at Springhill Elementary in Greenbrier, Arkansas, differ from traditional methods?

The method includes intensive reading instruction and uses senses of touch, feel, and movement to help imprint words into students' brains.

What are the lifelong consequences for students who cannot read well by the end of third grade?

The lifelong consequences include higher school dropout and poverty rates.

What changes have the Arkansas Dyslexia Support Group fought for in terms of reading instruction?

They have fought for laws to transform reading instruction, including comprehensive phonics instruction and retraining educators who were never taught this method.

How much is Arkansas investing annually to revamp its reading instruction and teacher training programs?

Arkansas is investing $6 million a year in these programs.

What is the significance of the changes in reading instruction in Arkansas, according to Stacy Smith from the Arkansas Department of Education?

Stacy Smith describes it as a watershed moment, noting that when schools started implementing dyslexia programs, their reading literacy results improved, indicating the effectiveness of the new approach.

What is the personal impact of these changes on principal Stephanie Worthey of Springhill Elementary?

The changes are personal for Stephanie Worthey because her son, Ace Newland, is a student who struggled with reading and has benefited from the new approach.

How do parents of children with dyslexia describe the difference the new teaching methods have made for their children?

Parents describe the difference as life-changing, as their children are now truly learning to read.