01/22/2026
Estimates of people who have dyslexia are as high as 20 per cent, and the condition can have profound psychological and emotional impacts. At every grade level, they are more likely to be suspended, expelled, or placed in juvenile detention, especially if their families are economically disadvantaged. The personal and societal harm doesn’t end when students leave school: More than 40 per cent of all imprisoned adults in the U.S. have dyslexia, and as many as eight in 10 are “functionally illiterate.”
If reading were taught better, almost all students would benefit, and students with neurological differences would be easier to identify and treat before their difficulties with reading derailed their lives. “There’s a window of opportunity to intervene,” a cognitive neuroscientist said. “You don’t want to let that go.” But some researchers say that the way many American schools treat struggling readers is fundamentally flawed. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that proven methods for teaching dyslexic students have been known for decades.
Read David Owen’s full report:
Proven methods for teaching the readers who struggle most have been known for decades. Why do we often fail to use them?