NEWS & EVENTS

7 new NYC schools open for the first day

The first day of school is underway in New York City, as thousands of students file into newly opened public schools.

New Brooklyn school dedicated to supporting students with dyslexia, other disabilities set to open in September, Mayor Adams tells amNY

A new school will open next month to help support students who struggle with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, Mayor Eric Adams told amNewYork in a one-on-one interview on Monday.

Fahy, Carroll Legislation Establishing a New York State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Legislation will ensure the State follows best practices to address the needs of children with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Brooklyn school closure wins approval, making way for new ‘literacy academy’ for struggling readers

After months of intense debate, a citywide education panel voted Wednesday night to close a Brooklyn school with dwindling enrollment and open a new one for struggling readers in its place.

New documentary spotlights mothers' journey to open school dedicated to children with dyslexia

CONCOURSE VILLAGE, The Bronx (WABC) - A new documentary is out that spotlights a group of mothers in their journey to help their children with dyslexia get a proper education.

New documentary follows fight to open NYC public school for kids with dyslexia

Gothamist - Five mothers' yearlong fight to open a specialized public school for New York City children with Dyslexia

Leadership shakeup: Official overseeing reading overhaul steps down to run Brooklyn school

Chalkbeat: A top Education Department official who oversees Mayor Eric Adams’ sweeping literacy overhaul is stepping down to run a Brooklyn school focused on students with reading challenges.

New York dyslexia, dysgraphia task force calls for early interventions, legislative support

News 10: NYSED report features 14 recommendations for schools

Hochul signs law requiring insurance coverage for dyslexia exams

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act into law. Starting January 1, the legislation—S5481A/A2898A—requires commercial health insurers to cover neuropsychological tests that diagnose dyslexia in New York.

IndieWire: Parents of Dyslexic Kids Join Forces in ‘Left Behind’ Trailer to Fix NYC Public Schools — with Help from U2’s Larry Mullen Jr.

Only 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, yet nearly half of everyone incarcerated suffers from the learning disability. Those ratios don’t match, and a new documentary, “Left Behind,” aims to address the dyslexia problem at its source: the public school system.

New grant looks to boost literacy effort for New York City’s students struggling to read

To help combat alarmingly low literacy rates and help underserved youth, the New York Community Trust awarded a $150,000 grant to the Literacy Academy Collective....

NYC plans to close Brooklyn school, open new ‘literacy academy’ for struggling readers

City officials want to close a shrinking Brooklyn school, replacing it with a new one designed to help struggling readers, modeled on an innovative program that launched last year in the Bronx.

Left Behind - Documentary Screening

We’re excited to announce the release of Left Behind, a gripping documentary that chronicles LAC’s journey to open the nation’s first public school for students with dyslexia.

The Path Forward: Transforming Literacy Instruction

Literacy Academy Collective is proud to have been working hard all year facilitating a state-wide conversation through Hunt Institute's The Path Forward...

Regents briefed on work to improve reading instruction

Chancellor Young: 'It is unconscionable that children are not learning to read'

Power to the Parents Ep 3: Beyond the Alphabet: Advocacy for Dyslexic Learners

This conversation explores the challenges and experiences of a parent advocating for her dyslexic children in the public school system.

CBS News - The Science of Reading: Schools taking direct aim at challenges posed by dyslexia

When kids fall behind on their reading, it can be easy to blame the school, the teachers or even the curriculum, and while sometimes bad instruction is to blame, undiagnosed dyslexia can be at the heart of the issue.

New York to rethink how teacher prep programs approach literacy instruction

Teacher preparation programs in New York and across the country have long faced criticism for not adequately training future educators to teach literacy, in part by failing to embrace long-standing evidence about how children learn to read.

City’s first public school for dyslexic students opens in Mott Haven

The South Bronx Literacy Academy, a school for second- and third-grade students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities, opened two weeks ago as the new school year began.

N.Y.C. to Launch School Dedicated to Dyslexia

New York City is designating its first school explicitly for students with dyslexia. The initiative will also screen detained or incarcerated students for difficulty with reading.

NY Daily News: NYC to start dedicated school for dyslexia, screening program at Rikers Island

New York City will grow its smorgasbord of dyslexia initiatives this fall — from the first district school explicitly for students with the learning disability, to screening detained or incarcerated students for difficulty reading.

Chalkbeat: Meet the principal of NYC’s first district school exclusively for students who struggle to read

In September, New York City’s education department plans to open the city’s first traditional public school exclusively devoted to students with dyslexia and other reading issues.

The Literacy View: Ep.22 - NYC Continues to Use Teachers College Reading Curriculum Despite Push for Change

Naomi Peña has spent years fighting the NYC school system to help her dyslexic children. Finally, she’s working with the Department of Education to launch the Literacy Academy Collective, a pilot program founded by parents to better serve students with dyslexia.

New York lags in helping struggling readers. Can Mayor Eric Adams’ pilot dyslexia program help?

MANHATTAN, N.Y. — When Naomi Peña’s first-born child was having trouble reading 16 years ago, teachers at his public school chalked it up to behavior problems.

First Person Podcast: Kids Aren’t Learning to Read. This Mom Has a Surprising Solution.

Naomi Peña doesn’t think parents should have to sue so their kids can learn to read.

Science of Reading Podcast: From the community, for the community: Grassroots organizing, with Naomi Peña & Akeela Azcuy

Community and education activist Naomi Peña and clinical psychologist Dr. Akeela Azcuy knew that, as moms of struggling readers themselves, they had the opportunity to advocate for not only their own children but all children.

Dealing with dyslexia in NYC Public Schools

Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly promised a brand-new approach to reading and literacy for students this coming school year.

Spectrum News: Parents play a major role in new dyslexia pilot program

Naomi Peña has spent well more than a decade fighting the city’s school system to help dyslexic students — like her own four children.

How the city is helping students with dyslexia

Dyslexia is believed to affect 20% of the population, and for the city's public schools, that could mean hundreds of thousands of students.

Chalkbeat: NYC is promising to overhaul literacy in NYC schools. What will it take?

This fall, changes are coming to New York City classrooms.

The Windward Science: Unsiloing Science (Connecting Schools and Literacy Researchers)

Leading school administrators bring to the forefront the critical need to accelerate reading instruction and student learning through advances in educational research and science across disciplines.

A Conversation with Dyslexia Activists, Dr. Akeela Azcuy and Naomi Peña

Daniel spoke to a couple of the co-founders of the Literacy Academy Collective, Naomi Peña & Dr. Akeela Azcuy

Educating All Learners Alliance

Episode 43: 5 Minutes with Literacy Academy Collective

The Village Radio Talk Show

Advocacy for the Youth

Bloomberg: New York City Plans to Screen Every Student for Dyslexia for the First Time

Lack of screenings contrast with policies in place across the rest of US

WBGO: NYC Unveils Program To Address Dyslexia

New York City officials will making investments into supporting public school students will dyslexia.

CBS News: New York City to screen all students for dyslexia, with specialized instruction starting in the fall

New York City is embarking on a landmark program to assess all public school students for dyslexia and provide targeted, specialized instruction to help them reach their full potential.

Staten Island Live: Identifying dyslexia early

NYC to provide literacy screeners to all public school students

The New York Times: Mayor Adams Unveils Program to Address Dyslexia in N.Y.C. Schools

The mayor, who has dyslexia himself, would open two new schools, train teachers and direct schools to use phonics-based lessons as a way to address a literacy crisis in the city.

NY1: Adams: All public school students to be screened for dyslexia

The city will assess all students to determine if they are at risk of dyslexia — and will launch new pilot programs offering targeted support to students with the reading disability, officials announced Thursday.

La prueba que harán todas las escuelas de NYC a sus estudiantes, por iniciativa de Eric Adams

En vista de que la ciudad enfrenta una “crisis de alfabetización”, en alcalde Eric Adams está impulsando un agresivo plan para detectar la dislexia en los estudiantes de la ciudad de Nueva York.

News 12: City officials announce literacy initiative to identify students with dyslexia

Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks say they are taking a "comprehensive approach" in supporting public school students with dyslexia.

Harlem World: Mayor Adams Chancellor Banks Announce Comprehensive Approach To Support Students With Dyslexia

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks today announced the largest, most comprehensive approach to supporting public school students with dyslexia in the United States.

NY Daily News: NYC unveils sweeping new plan to support kids with dyslexia

The New York City Education Department revealed a sweeping, school system-wide plan Thursday to help kids with dyslexia — a cause near and dear to Mayor Adams’ heart.

Univision: La prueba que harán todas las escuelas de NYC a sus estudiantes, por iniciativa de Eric Adams

En vista de que la ciudad enfrenta una “crisis de alfabetización”, en alcalde Eric Adams está impulsando un agresivo plan para detectar la dislexia en los estudiantes de la ciudad de Nueva York.u

Chalkbeat: In a seismic shift, NYC to mandate elementary schools use phonics-based curriculum

New York City will require all elementary schools to adopt a phonics-based reading program in the coming school year...

AMNY: Adams and Banks announce new approach to supporting students with dyslexia

New York City Mayor Adams and Schools Chancellor David C. Banks announced plans for a new approach to educating and supporting students with dyslexia.

New York Post: NYC public school kids to be screened for dyslexia, Eric Adams says

Big Apple public school students will soon be evaluated for risk of dyslexia as part of a broader effort to boost resources for children with the learning disability, Mayor Eric Adams vowed Thursday.

PIX 11: ‘Literacy matters’: NYC officials announce help for students with dyslexia

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Thursday a comprehensive approach to aid public school students with dyslexia.

Gothamist: NYC will screen public school students for dyslexia for first time

Mayor Eric Adams will launch new pilot programs for students with dyslexia at two public schools, and increased literacy screenings at scores of others...

NBC: New York City to Screen All Public School Students for Dyslexia

Mayor Eric Adams has identified his own dyslexia, undiagnosed while he was in school, as a major influence on the course of his life

ABC 7: All NYC public school students to be screened for dyslexia as part of pilot program

All New York City public school students will be screened for being at risk for dyslexia in what officials are calling the largest and most comprehensive approach...

NYC schools slated to receive $7.4M to address dyslexia: What does that mean for students?

The budget includes funding for dyslexia screeners and programs, according to a report by Gothamist, as well as new school buildings in Harlem and the Bronx designated to support students.

Gothamist: Mayor Adams proposes $7.4 million plan for public schools to address dyslexia

Mayor Eric Adams is promising to pump millions of dollars into identifying and supporting students with dyslexia.

World: School made to fit: Educators are trying to provide more help to students with dyslexia

Naomi Peña’s four children have dyslexia. In fall 2020, as her son Lucas learned virtually from home in New York City during the pandemic, she realized just how far behind he was at his public school.

Chalkbeat: NYC to open new school for students with dyslexia, Banks says

New York City officials are planning to open a new school focused on serving students with dyslexia, Chancellor David Banks said Wednesday.

TYT's The Conversation

Literacy Academy Collective Co-Founder Naomi Peña joins Adrienne Lawrence on The Conversation to talk about her efforts to start a school geared towards dyslexic learners.

The Village Radio Talk Show

Naomi Peña is a Parent Leader and Community Activists in the Lower East Side Manhattan where she was born and raised.

Politics NY: Manhattan Community Leaders Propose New School for the Dyslexic in Greenwich Village

Ilia Edwards-Novelo could tell early on that her son Rowan was bright. He was already reading word books by the time he was eighteen months old, and he excelled in pre-K and kindergarten.

Chelsea News: Moms with a Mission

They've got an ambitious plan to help Manhattan students who struggle with a learning disability

Chalkbeat: These NYC parents struggled to find schools that would address dyslexia. Now they want to start their own.

When Emily Hellstrom’s son didn’t take to reading, she figured he would outgrow it.