Advocacy
Advocacy Focus: Literacy and Dyslexia.
To learn more JOIN our email list contact READ4NJ@keelservices.org.
Decoding Dyslexia Resources
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
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Parent Networking
Connect with other parents, share experiences and resources, learn from one another, support on another. This journey can feel lonely, but I assure you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
To learn more and JOIN our email list contact READ4NJ@keelservices.org.
Parents, students, and educators share their stories - Shared Stories
Educator Networking
Network and connect with other educators. Learn about new resources and share with your fellow educators. Learn about advocacy efforts in your areas of interest.
To learn more and join our email list contact READ4NJ@keelservices.org.
Parents, students, and educators share their stories - Shared Stories
Join Advocacy Efforts
By improving Literacy in our education system we will be creating improvements and benefits for all children, for all people, for all of our society. The ripple effects we have the opportunity to create will be endless... to students, to families, to teachers, to schools, to communities, to the economy, to our nation's work force, to innovation, to science, to healthcare system, to mental health, to our justice and correction departments, the list of benefits and areas that will be improved is endless. I challenge you to think of a societal problem we face or our children will face that will not be impacted or improved by our communities being literate.
To learn more and join our email list contact READ4NJ@keelservices.org.
Creating problem solvers
by fixing the problem.
When we think of the problems our society faces and those that will come for our children, and we consider the amazing and unique ideas our children and our neurodiverse thinkers have to solve these problems, the least we can do is ensure they learn to read so they can continue learning, thinking about, and sharing their ideas!
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Your life has been changed by amazing individuals who had someone behind them that taught them how to read at home using different methods than shared at school. Those methods are now proven by brain science and evidence based research. Think of how life would be different without the contributions from these neurodiverse thinkers that changed our lives because someone cared and committed to teach them to read or supported their difficulties in unique ways....Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Edison, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs, this list is endless too.
Life as we know it would be very different without the contributions of these unique and innovative thinkers. These thinkers specifically had difficulty learning to read and write, and some despite their efforts never mastered the skills. However, science now proves we can effectively teach reading to most children.
Improving Literacy Instruction
Science of Reading and Evidence Based Research has proven for decades how the human brain learns to read and teaching methodologies that are effective in learning to read.
Some reality and bad news of how we got here...promise to share some good news below...keep reading.
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Unfortunately, the "Reading Wars" were created prior to our nation following the science and implementing the necessary changes. The reading wars sound harsh especially when we are talking about our children and teaching literacy. However, when you dig in and learn the history of how we ended up here, with a broken system and our children struggling and suffering it becomes very clear. Like most wars, the reading war was riddled with politics, corporate gains, personal pride, and personal gains all at the sacrifice of our children and our society for decades.
DECADES....this needs to be reinforced and a continued reminder that the Science of Reading, the methodologies for effective reading instruction are not new ideas or teaching fads. As you learn and reflect it is mid boggling, frustrating and heartbreaking that our children continue to suffer unnecessarily.
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Fortunately there is GOOD NEWS....we know how kids learn to read, we have evidence based programs that are effective. We are now tasked with making sure we have policy and funding to support our teachers and our children in accessing the training, supports, and materials to improve literacy for all children.
To learn more and join our email list contact READ4NJ@keelservices.org.
Policy Change
We need to advocate for policy change at the state level (and hopefully others will follow) to ensure our children are provided with effective literacy programs in all public schools.
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Why is this important? Maybe you know NJ developed a NJ Dyslexia Handbook. Maybe you know in 2015 the US Department Of Education, Office of Special Education Programs issued a Dear Colleague Letter regarding IDEA and IEPs and guidance on using the term Dyslexia in special education. Maybe you know Science of Reading or Multisensory Reading programs are available and claim to be used in your child's school.
Unfortunately the reality is all of these guides and resources are available. However, in very few public schools are these documents understood or followed and implemented with fidelity to be effective and support our students.
For example...
A parent shares documents and research findings to support all three ideas above - the OSEP Letter to Colleagues - to #saydyslexia, the evidence based practice programs, and the NJ Dyslexia Handbook to support the discussion sharing the guidelines and recommendations. Unfortunately for this family the school district's response included "we do not have to follow the guidelines or recommendations in any of these documents as they are only guidelines and not law." Leaving parents with little support when advocating for their children. Leaving teachers with little support when advocating for their students and their own professional development to meet their students needs. Leaving our children to struggle and suffer.