About DD-NJ

Our group is comprised of parents of children who are dyslexic. We are not experts, nor are we a formal business or a traditional educational organization. We are truly grassroots! We offer other stakeholders the benefit of our collective experiences. We encourage parents and children to meet with their local, state, and national policy-makers to share their stories, report on unmet needs, and make suggestions for improved policy and/or legislative initiatives for identifying and supporting dyslexic children in our public schools.

DDNJ-member-photo-Nov-2011

October 2020 will mark our 9th Anniversary!

Our beginnings… In October 2011, 8 parents took a train ride to New York City to attend a National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) luncheon. On that trip, we shared our stories, our struggles, our heart breaks, and our frustrations and anger about trying to help our dyslexic children and getting nowhere within our public schools. No one was from the same NJ town, but we all had similar stories, similar journeys. We were virtually strangers to each other. By the end of the day, we declared that someone should do something to fix the system and to help other parents like us. We decided that collectively, maybe we could be that “someone”.

The news article that started it all: Trenton Times 2/27/2012
Princeton Group Says It’s Hard to Get Children’s Dyslexia Treated or Even Recognized

Decoding Dyslexia on the National and International Stage!

Since our inception, parents from across the nation and beyond have been inspired, empowered, and engaged. Today, we are happy to boast that the Decoding Dyslexia movement has expanded to all 50 U.S. states and internationally too!

To connect with the Decoding Dyslexia movement in your state, Canadian province,
or other country, download this contact information list:
Decoding Dyslexia Groups Contact Information List 2020

DD International:

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

1 day ago

There’s still time to register for Tonight’s Decoding Dyslexia-NJ big event! We’ve got lots to talk about… particularly about some the interesting data we collected from our parents & teachers survey. Registration open until 6:00pm today!Program begins at 7:00pmwww.eventbrite.com/e/the-state-of-dyslexia-10-years-later-tickets-570239861777 ... See MoreSee Less

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

1 week ago

Attention Parents & Teachers... We need to hear from you!We are less than a week away for our important DDNJ event on March 23rd where we will take a hard look at how our NJ dyslexia laws have helped and not helped change how children who struggle to read are being taught within our public schools now. While there are some districts which have made significant changes and have been seeing results, WE KNOW that this is not happening in MOST of our NJ districts around our state! That's why we are hosting this event.This what we are going to talk about at our event. So, we could use YOUR help in learning more about what's happening or not happening in your district whether you are a parent or a teacher. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS ANONYMOUS SURVEY BY MONDAY 3/20 and we will report these results at our event on Thurs. 3/23. Thank you!forms.gle/tF8uUmCNAg9QVPT97 ... See MoreSee Less

The State of Dyslexia 10 Years Later (Anonymous Survey)

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Dear survey participants, In preparation for our event on March 23, 2023, we invite you to participate in this anonymous survey so we can better understand the "state" of dyslexia from the perspective...

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

1 week ago

We wonder the same thing Washington Post 🤔😠. For those about to complain, reading is much more than *phonics* but letter-sound correspondence is the essential foundational skill for children. "So why do so many teachers refuse to adopt methods that work — and hold fast to those that don’t?"wapo.st/3YIDInV ... See MoreSee Less

Opinion | Cut the politics. Phonics is the best way to teach reading.

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The reading wars have raged for decades. But there is a conclusive answer: The phonics method works.

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

2 weeks ago

Important work from National Center on Improving Literacy BU Wheelock Literacy Education Wheelock College, Boston University "Originally, there weren’t a whole lot of evidence-based programs because there wasn’t a lot of rigorous research being conducted for reading programs. Now, there’s no issue with supply. Now it’s an issue of demand. It’s a question of how do we incentivize teachers, principals, districts, and state decision makers to use evidence and not opinion to make decisions about what our children are experiencing in the classroom?"www.bu.edu/wheelock/magazine-article/closing-the-literacy-gap/?fbclid=IwAR32_iUu4Kzgr4Agtjum8G3vP... ... See MoreSee Less

Closing the Literacy Gap | Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

www.bu.edu

Hank Fien grew up in the 1970s and ’80s in a working-class South Jersey town, where he witnessed the stark divide in life experiences between his peers who were taught how to read and those who were...

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

3 weeks ago

The State of Dyslexia – 10 Years Later ... Free NJ In-Person EventMarch 23, 20236:00pm - 9:30pm Crowne Plaza Conference Center870 Scudders Mill RoadPlainsboro NJ 08536In 2013 and 2014, the New Jersey Governor signed 3 dyslexia-related bills into laws.So NJ, where are we now? How have these new laws impacted our schools, our teachers and our children? Come spend an evening with Decoding Dyslexia–NJ and distinguished guests to discuss how the NJ dyslexia laws have played out in the real world setting. Learn about the changes to educational environments and the shifts in attitudes and thought processes taking place in many districts across the state. If things seem slow to move in your community, join us and hear from other parents & educators about how to take steps towards improved outcomes in your school. Detailed examples of implementation and resources will be presented.This will be a FREE in-person eventREGISTRATION REQUIRED via EVENTBRITE www.eventbrite.com/e/the-state-of-dyslexia-10-years-later-tickets-5702398617772.5 credits Professional Development Units (PDUs) will be provided by Learning Disabilities Association of New Jersey (LDANJ) ... See MoreSee Less

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

3 weeks ago

EP LeVar Burton, of the The Right to Read Film said: "We failed them, in America, we have failed them by not giving them evidence-based instruction," on CBS Mornings discussing the new documentary "The Right to Read" with director Jenny Mackenzie. #readacrossamerica #nationalreadingmonth #saydyslexia #untilallcanread The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Fountas & Pinnell Literacy New Jersey Department of Education www.cbsnews.com/video/levar-burton-and-jenny-mackenzie-discuss-new-documentary-the-right-to-read/..."The Right To Read" executive producer LeVar Burton and director Jenny Mackenzie join "CBS Mornings" to discuss their new documentary about the literacy crisis in the U.S. and how there is a disconnect between the science and how kids are taught to read in schools. ... See MoreSee Less

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

3 weeks ago

A new must-see film! “Everyone deserves to right to read. Literacy is for all.” Kareem Weaver“We have a lot of people struggling to read. Why aren’t we screaming and yelling about this?” Emily Hanford Beginning March 2, 12:00AM PT—National Read Across America Day— audiences can access the film on a virtual screening platform through March 9, 11:59PM PT.Sign up here for the virtual access: therighttoreadfilm.org/watch-the-filmOnce you've signed up, you will receive a viewing link by e-mail. Access ends March 9th.Trailer: youtu.be/ptUYVHDeHOw ... See MoreSee Less

The Right to Read 2023 Trailer

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The Right to Read shares the stories of a courageous activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the mos...

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

3 weeks ago

In celebration of National Reading Month, The Right to Read will be available to all audiences for free online! Beginning on National Read Across America Day—March 2, The Right to Read will be available to view for one week through March 9, 2023.Gather your friends, family, and colleagues to watch The Right to Read, which tells the story of an NAACP activist and public school teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read. The Right to Read was directed by Jenny Mackenzie and executive produced by LeVar Burton. The film features Kareem Weaver, Emily Hanford, and Dr. Kymyona Burk.Sign-up today for this free virtual screening! Sign-ups are limited to available bandwidth; one sign-up allows one view per sign-up during the virtual screening window.Once you've signed up, you will receive a viewing link by email on March 2, 2023.Visit The Right to Read website to sign-up for the film’s newsletter and learn about in-person events in your area. And follow them on Instagram (@righttoreadfilm) and Twitter (@righttoreadfilm) to join the conversation about The Right to Read!Questions? Contact therighttoread@rocofilms.comFORM LINK: www.therighttoreadfilm.org/watch-the-film ... See MoreSee Less

Watch the Film — The Right to Read

www.therighttoreadfilm.org

In celebration of National Reading Month, The Right to Read will be available to all audiences for free online for one week.Beginning March 2, 12:00AM PT—National Read Across America Day—audie...

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

4 weeks ago

“Just as we know there are foundational skills in reading, there is the same thing in math. Schools have been swayed by sexy practices, but that’s not how people learn....Take every single thing that’s been written about the science of reading, and hit ‘find/replace’ for math,” said Sarah Powell, associate professor of special ed UT-Austin.www.edpost.com/explainer/is-there-a-science-of-math-too?fbclid=IwAR04CUz-cgDH-YRbtrzipPSxSM7DuKzJ... ... See MoreSee Less

Is There a ‘Science of Math’ Too?

www.edpost.com

When it comes to best instructional practices, experts say the two subjects have parallel problems–and solutions.

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Decoding Dyslexia - NJ

1 month ago

Has your district had to spend MORE of your tax dollars to buy the "new and improved" The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project because they were sold a story that phonics and explicit teaching were not necessary? What's in your district?"Those phonics lessons were absent from the Teachers College curriculum, said Timothy Shanahan, a professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, who co-authored an influential critique of the curriculum in 2020."ny.chalkbeat.org/2023/2/14/23598611/nyc-schools-reading-instruction-teachers-college-lucy-calkins... ... See MoreSee Less

Hundreds of NYC elementary schools used a Teachers College reading curriculum Banks said ‘has not worked’

ny.chalkbeat.org

Data obtained by THE CITY and Chalkbeat reveal for the first time how deeply enmeshed the Teachers College curriculum has become in classrooms serving the city’s youngest students — and how diffi...

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