Our Goals
Decoding Dyslexia – NJ is a grassroots movement driven by NJ families concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia within our public schools. We aim to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families to support their children and inform policy-makers on best practices to identify, remediate and support students with dyslexia in NJ public schools.
We advocate for:
- Expanded and improved access to early screening tests for dyslexia
- Mandatory dyslexia remediation programs, which can be accessed by both general and special education populations
- Access to appropriate “assistive technologies” in the public school setting for students with dyslexia
Goals we have achieved to date:
- A universal definition and understanding of “dyslexia” in the state education code (N.J.A.C. 6A:14-1.3)
- Mandatory teacher training on dyslexia, its warning signs and appropriate intervention strategies (N.J.S. 18A:6-131)
- Mandatory early screening tests for dyslexia (N.J.S. 18A:40-5.1, et seq.)
- Spreading awareness and offering families a variety of opportunities to connect, share experiences, and gain insights and resources:
- A Facebook Page reaching over 8,000 followers
- Parent/educator workshops and events
- Community roundtable discussions
- Parent networking sessions after our monthly business meetings
DD-NJ Advocacy in Action!
DD-NJ with Timothy Lynagh, Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director for Rep Christopher Smith (NJ)
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DD-NJ with former US Representative Rush Holt (NJ)
DD-NJ with Brendan Hennessey, Legislative Assistant for Representative Frank Pallone (NJ)
Feb. 8, 7:00 pm VIRTUAL event – Join the Montclair NAACP Education Committee Literacy/Dyslexia Task Force and Youth Council to kick off Black History Month with a community keynote: “Black Literacy today’s Civil Rights Issue that Impacts Our Entire Future” by Dr. Kareem Weaver. Dr. Weaver is a literacy and dyslexia advocate, the co-founder and executive director of FULCRUM (Full and Complete Reading is a Universal Mandate), and a member of the Oakland, CA, NAACP Education Committee. Dr. Weaver is committed to improving literacy rates in California and across the country by engaging stakeholders around the systematic structures needed to cultivate excellent reading outcomes for all students. Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnQeysDnGvQwd3Yw19U1l7VQZ97R8XzCReg2F1k7716HhhUg/viewform
Karina Eide Young Writers Awards - Deadline February 14, 2023![]()
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Over $1000 in cash prizes will be awarded to K-12 young dyslexic writers. This awards program is a partnership between Dyslexic Advantage and The Writers Workshop in NY. ![]()
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Applicants must be dyslexic and submissions may be from 17 to 700 words: poems, short stories, fan fiction, and excerpts from longer works. Works are judged on ideas, storytelling, and quality of writing and not on technical aspects such as spelling. Works may be dictated to a parent or friend. ![]()
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LEARN MORE: www.dyslexicadvantage.org/dyslexic-advantage-karina-young-writers-awards/?utm_source=substack&utm...
Dyslexic Advantage | Karina Eide Young Writers Awards
www.dyslexicadvantage.org
SUBMISSION ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 2023 Karina Eide Young Writers Awards! Submissions will be due by February 14, 2023. Apply here: form.123formbuilder.com/6301564/form CONGRATULAT...
Parents, be aware and please share with your BOE: “Reading Recovery, despite some positive research results, neither is effective enough to justify its exceptional cost, nor are its small benefits long-term enough.” writes Dr. Tim Shanahan in his piece "Me and Reading Recovery" in the 12/22 issue of Nomanis. ![]()
www.nomanis.com.au/single-post/edition-14-december-2022
www.nomanis.com.au
We’re turning our attention, in this edition, to spelling and writing instruction. J. Richard Gentry outlines why spelling should be hot in the coming year, Alison Madelaine discusses why weekly spe...
What parents everywhere need to know about early reading ...![]()
edsource.org/2022/teaching-young-children-how-to-read-what-california-parents-need-to-know/682719
Teaching young children how to read: What California parents need to know
edsource.org
What should parents do if they notice their child is falling behind in reading?
What to do with all those thoughts, feelings and questions after you listened to Sold a Story? Maybe you want to organize a listening party, a PLC or PD session, or a meeting at your child's school. This discussion guide, created by educator Margaret Goldberg, co-foundeRight to Read Projectoject, is designed to help you facilitate a conversation about the podcast. Download it here:![]()
features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/discussion-guide/
Discussion Guide for Sold a Story | APM Reports
features.apmreports.org
This discussion guide, created by a teacher, invites educators, parents, community members and kids to have a conversation about the podcast.
"I shared my story because it’s important to know why I’m doing this work. I don’t ever want any other parent to walk around with the deep pain of seeing their child be failed by a system that is supposed to help them. I hope that when people hear my story they know they aren’t alone and are not a failure. The guilt i carry for not being able to save my oldest is real & hard. If we make literacy changes, we will eradicate this forever." Naomi Pen᷉a tweeted after release of The New York Times "First Person" podcast. Have a listen and/or read the transcript! ![]()
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www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/opinion/schools-teaching-reading-dyslexia.html?unlocked_article_code=g...
Opinion | Kids Aren’t Learning to Read. This Mom Has a Surprising Solution.
www.nytimes.com
Naomi Peña doesn’t think parents should have to sue so their kids can learn to read.
"The Education Department's "capacity is the weakest I’ve seen since I’ve been doing this work,” said Peg Kinsell, longtime head of SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, Inc. , a group that addresses disability issues in children. Big programmatic changes, accountability and monitoring are "hard when you don’t have a lot of staff," she said."![]()
www.northjersey.com/story/news/education/2022/12/07/why-has-nj-failed-to-release-special-educatio...
NJ's special education ombudsman has not filed annual reports, as required by law
www.northjersey.com
Students with learning disabilities suffered disproportionately during the pandemic, but how much is impossible to assess without data.
CHADD - Children & Adults with ADHD Webinar TONIGHT at 7:00 ET: Math and writing require extensive working memory, but almost any student can master writing and math with the right study hacks and strategies. Learn more and register here: ![]()
chadd.org/webinars/i-cant-focus-when-adhd-impacts-your-childs-math-writing-performance/?fbclid=Iw...
Nat Malkus reviews "Sold a Story" in The 74 : which gives frustrated parents of struggling readers good questions to ask and the courage to demand better instruction. Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz, Senator Vin Gopal, Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt students with reading difficulties and disabilities are not getting the help they need! Parents, please contact your legislators to tell your stories. ![]()
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www.the74million.org/article/review-why-you-should-buy-into-the-sold-a-story-podcast/
Review: Why You Should Buy into the ‘Sold a Story’ Podcast
www.the74million.org
Updated Let me get this hard sell on the table right up front: You should listen to “Sold a Story,” a podcast about reading instruction in U.S. schools. After all, you can be concerned that 1 in 3...
After Emily Hanford told a crowd of a 1000 education policymakers and elected officials about her team's work on the new Sold A Story podcast, "ExcelInEd’s CEO Patricia Levesque stepped to the mic and fired a parting shot. “You all now know that there is something in our schools that’s doing harm to our children, so what are you going to do about it?... Fountas and Pinnell? Lucy Calkins? Reading Recovery and Levelled Literacy Instruction? Get them out of your schools!”"![]()
Robert Pondiscio Daniel Willingham The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Reading Recovery Council of North America ![]()
www.aei.org/education/the-noose-tightens-around-failed-reading-programs-in-schools/?fbclid=IwAR1z...
The Noose Tightens Around Failed Reading Programs in Schools
www.aei.org
For decades, the implicit logic of standards and test-based reform has been that teachers know what to do. But if teachers have been “sold a story,” then that logic model collapses. It pushes refo...Check us out on Instagram!