Statement of Purpose

Learning to read is like a vaccine against poverty. Unfortunately, thousands of students in New York State are taught to guess words instead of receiving proper, evidence-based reading instruction. As a result, over 52% of students who speak English as their first language read significantly below grade level, putting them at risk of dropping out or graduating with low literacy skills.
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We advocate, raise awareness, educate, and legislate on the social and economic injustices stemming from non science of reading instruction, other educational barriers, and feasible solutions. We support students in crisis, including low-income families and those in foster care, to ensure they receive the services they are legally entitled to, including evidence-based instruction in reading and writing.

We advocate for school reform and encourage districts to build capacity by implementing universal screening tools, multi-system support, data teams, evidence-based literacy instruction, and other essential services. Our goal is to ensure equitable access to education for all students. The science of reading approach reduces the number of students referred to the Committee on Special Education by enhancing service quality and lowering long-term costs.

Our long term goal is to stop the school-to-prison pipeline by advocating for underprivileged students and using legal tools to reform underachieving public schools in New York. Furthermore, we organize literacy interventions for disadvantaged children, including children in foster care. One of our long term goals is to legislate for funding to provide online remediation for incarcerated youths, and adults.

Studies indicate that 80% of youths brought before courts have weak literacy skills (National Assessment of Literacy, 2016). In addition, almost half of the population of incarcerated adults have dyslexia (Moody, 2000), and three out of four people on welfare cannot read (National Assessment of Literacy, 2016).

Literacy is essential to becoming a full member of society. Children who do not learn to read and write well without remediation are destined to become socially and economically disenfranchised.​

Our programs ensure that children, youths, and young adults who struggle with literacy receive expert evaluations and science-based remediation that meets their specific needs. In addition, we progress monitor to ensure they reach their full potential and achieve reading and writing fluency. These basic skills will allow them to become literate, independent individuals who can successfully function within our society, further their education, and find meaningful careers. 

Our Organization

Dyslexia Advocacy Action Group is a 501c3 grassroots movement founded by parents and teachers concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia within our public schools. We aim to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families and teachers to support students by using structured literacy methodologies that are explicit sequential, and science-based.

​We ensure meaningful and successful levels of literacy in our students by holding educational institutions accountable.
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Furthermore, we inform policy-makers on best practices to identify and remediate students with dyslexia or at risk of dyslexia in care, prisons, and our communities.
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