Back-to-School: A Comprehensive Guide to Literacy Info and Resources for Parents of Struggling Readers
Newsmakers' education writer, and Santa Barbara's "Persistent Advocate" for dyslexic students and others who struggle to read, provides a rundown of people and places that can help.
By Cheri Rae
Reading is widely acknowledged as a basic human right, but like just about every right these days, it doesn’t come easy—and not without a fight.
Although reading proficiency scores are still stuck at an abysmal 50 percent, this crisis is too often met with a collective shrug.
Years ago, when my dyslexic son was a student at Santa Barbara High School, I received an email from a teacher who described me as “a persistent advocate.” From the tone and content of her message, it was obvious she didn’t mean it as a compliment.
Although he has long since graduated from college, I remain committed to dyslexia and literacy advocacy. It was all those years of fighting the education establishment that sustained his spirit and kept him on his pathway to success, allowing him to pursue a fulfilling personal life.
It shouldn’t have been so difficult then - and certainly not now - but I remain a persistent advocate for literacy, determined to keep working on these issues to make a meaningful difference in easing the way for others who face similar challenges.
When people ask me how I’ve kept advocating for so long, I’ve sometimes joked, “Oh, it’s in my blood.” Turns out it is.
The “Achieve Program.” My father’s cousin, Dr. Barbara Cordoni, was a pioneer in addressing the needs of dyslexic students and adults in a comprehensive way.
She was the author of the classic Living with a Learning Disability and countless scholarly articles in professional journals. In 1978, she founded the nation’s first university program to support students with dyslexia and other learning differences.
The “Achieve Program” at Southern Illinois University remains a permanent part of the institution and has inspired many similar programs across the nation. She testified as an expert witness multiple times before the House and Senate; served on many editorial and advisory boards; was instrumental in the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and her expertise was frequently cited in the New York Times.
She inscribed a copy of her book to my father, “I hope you find this interesting—living it certainly was! Love, Cousin Barbara.” I have this family legacy to live up to and carry on.
Increasingly, I’m feeling a sense of urgency to pass along information to families who are still forced to beg the education establishment to teach their children to read.
A must-read is Emily Hanford’s groundbreaking work, “Sold a Story,” which revealed the cause of the literacy mess we’re in. Her powerful research touched a nerve. Empowered, educated, and increasingly outraged parents across the nation who are speaking out and candidly sharing their stories to assist others everywhere.
Here is a guide to some other, validating voices of experience. Be inspired by them, and implement their lessons as needed.
Free Resources You Can Use
Parent Power. In 2018, Brett Tingley produced the film, “Our Dyslexic Children,” documenting the efforts of a group of parents to gain a proper education for their children in Upper Arlington School District near Columbus, Ohio. The group’s successful advocacy at the state and local level led to institutional change—and a national movement to empower other parents
Today, Tingley is the disarmingly direct president of “Parents for Reading Justice,” the literacy nonprofit that grew out of the parent group. She appears often in videos to help parents of struggling children; they are widely circulated on social media. The mission statement saythe group “instructs and supports grassroots parent groups to hold the education system accountable for evidence-based literacy instruction.”
Parents for Reading Justice also produces a regular podcast, often featuring a panel of experts including Kareem Weaver and Todd Collins, both of whom have appeared in Santa Barbara to discuss literacy issues. Recent topics have included, “A Worried Mother Does Better Research Than the FBI,” Poverty, Race and Excellence in Schools,” and “When Do I Take Action When It Comes to My Child’s Right to Read.”
Listen to the Lawyer. While attorney Peter Wright has long provided legal information about advocacy and special education law on his site Wrightslaw, Diane Dragan, Esq. has taken it a step further.
On her podcast, Litigating Literacy, she doesn’t mince words as she provides deep knowledge and broad insights based on realworld experience, at the intersection of education and the law.
“My journey into literacy advocacy began as a federal public defender,” she said. “I saw firsthand how IEPs failed children, leading them to federal prison. Now, I’m working to help children before they fall through the cracks, facing pushback from the very educators who are currently failing 50 percent of students.”
The St. Louis-based attorney freely shares eye-opening insights about low literacy in our public schools and the treatment of parents by school district officials.
Far too many of us are familiar with her examples that ring so true. Titles of recent episodes include, “Unanswered Questions, Broken Trust,” “Private Equity’s Grip on Education,” and “The Dark Side of Illiteracy: How Reading Failure Destroys Lives.” She offers essential knowledge for parents of struggling readers not readily available anywhere else.
For Students in Grades K-2.
Screening for “Reading Difficulties.” In 2023, California became the 40th state in the nation to require annual screening for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, in students grades K-2. The new legislation was part of a trailer bill that took effect last school year. The state provides a comprehensive FAQ page about “Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties.”
What happens locally after students are screened? Santa Barbara Unified began its state-mandated screening for reading difficulties in K-2nd grades in 2025-2026. The district’s website offers a video produced by Amplify, the company that produces the screener, but not much more than that.
Details about local post-screening interventions for those identified with “reading difficulties” or dyslexia are not clearly specified, nor is there information about parental notification or follow up after screening. Despite inquiries, I have never received a clear answer about what sort of comprehensive approach to dyslexia the district has developed—neither for K-2nd graders identified by the screener, nor for older students who are not mandated to be screened.
I have repeatedly suggested to SBUSD school board members and district administrators that the district follow the example of Fairfax County Public Schools, in Fairfax, Virginia for its outstanding dyslexia content on its website. My efforts remain unsuccessful.
Perhaps SBUSD’s website could provide similar information—supplementing with geographically and jurisdictionally appropriate resources—but failing that, locals can refer to the expertise offered by the large district known for its approach to dyslexia.
Closer to home, the Capistrano Unified School District offers a helpful, California-oriented approach.
For the 1 in 5 with Dyslexia.
California Dyslexia Guidelines: Due to the determined efforts of the advocacy group “Decoding Dyslexia-CA,” countless advocates and enlightened legislators, a landmark bill, AB 1369, created the California Dyslexia Guidelines in 2015. It was hailed as a big step forward in legislative efforts to implement best practices in addressing dyslexia in California schools—and then-Assemblymember Das Williams was an early sponsor.
Due to the steadfast opposition of the California Teachers Association, however, the provisions for mandatory screening and teacher training were dropped early on during the political process. And in a major concession to the powerful union, these Guidelines are officially advisory, not mandatory.
The disclaimer in the front reads: “Notice: The guidance in California Dyslexia Guidelines is not binding on local educational agencies or other entities. Except for the statutes, regulations, and court decisions that are referenced herein, the document is exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory. (See Education Code Section 33308.5.)”
Paid for by your tax dollars, these “guidelines” were created by a team of experts and advisors and finally released in 2017. Nearly a decade later, they remain relatively unknown to parents, teachers and school administrators. Although the document still has great value, it is in need of updating, since there have been many changes since it was issued. Unlike the state of Texas, which issues regular updates to its state handbook, California does not.
Megan Potente, state director of Decoding Dyslexia-CA noted, “I wish the guidelines were more present, but I am happy to report I’ve seen my district, San Francisco Unified School District, reference them over the years.” She added, “When I work with families, sharing the guidelines is one of the first steps I take to help them support their children.”
More information about dyslexia is available on the state Department of Education website here.
Get Involved at the Local Level.
A Chance for Change: School Board Bridge is a recently formed nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides training and builds skills of individuals who have an interest in serving as school board trustees in the local area. Its mission: “To strengthen public K-12 education in our region by engaging, identifying, recruiting, training, and supporting community members so they acquire the knowledge skills, and confidence to govern with integrity, transparency, and impact.”
Have Your Say. As Superintendent Hilda Maldonado enters her seventh year at the helm of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, there are two contested seats on the school board this November. Gabe Escobedo, Trustee for Area 1 since 2022, is running for City Council, while Rose Munoz, first elected in 2018, is running in Area 1 for a third term. Both races will soon heat up; based on my conversations with several challengers, a key campaign issue will be development of strategies and leadership required for the successful implementation of the Science of Reading.
The Santa Barbara Reading Coalition. A grassroots group of local community members dedicated to community education about improving reading skills of children in the Santa Barbara area. Strong proponents of effective implementation of the Science of Reading through strong leadership and community support, they provide a comprehensive website, produce speaker events, and are planning to host a school board candidates’ forum this fall.
The Dyslexia Project. Providing information and resources, the nonprofit (of which I am director) is focused on supporting strengths and addressing challenges characteristic of this common learning difference, which affects one in five individuals. We provide direction to parents, assist adults in the workplace, and offer outreach to community organizations interested in our approach to advocacy. Programs include “Literacy Is For Life,” “in/visible: 1 in 5: The Face of Dyslexia” photographic project and “The Art of Advocacy” assemblage art project.
A personal note. In the dedication to her book, Dr. Cordoni, wrote that she once asked her daughter if she resented all the time she had spent on advocacy work. Her answer was spot-on: “No, Mama. They were all my sisters, they were all my brothers.”
Cheri Rae is the director of The Dyslexia Project and the author of DyslexiaLand: A Field Guide for Parents of Children with Dyslexia. You can reach her at TheDyslexiaProject@gmail.com
Image: The Dyslexia Project.