Research abstract

Are public schools failing dyslexic children?

How could school and districts better support children with dyslexia and other learning obstacles? We know that currently they often fail learners by not providing properly trained teachers. Are there other ways they could improve on their curriculum? By Michelle Keiper

Laura Lurns Last updated December 29, 2016 · 1 min read

As a parent of a child with dyslexia, it is often our first instinct to protect and sometimes even blame others for something our child may be falling behind in. It is never easy to see our children struggle especially when it is associated with having peers around adding to the pressures.

Many turn to expensive private tutoring for the dyslexia-specific lessons their child needs, with out-of-pocket costs often running to $10,000 or beyond.

But, are our public schools failing our dyslexic children? If you are one to believe that our schools are not properly equipped for handling children with dyslexia, is there something else you can do to help your child along? Teachers can only do what the state boards allow. This makes it increasingly difficult to properly assist dyslexic children in many cases. With you knowing your child’s limitations or problem areas, consider learn ways to help them along at home and in-turn providing a better opportunity for success while at school.

Key takeaways

Parents of dyslexia children claim that schools are failing to teacher their offspring how to read.
This deficiency puts the child at risk of failing the third-grade state reading test he or she is required to pass to advance to fourth grade.
Many families are delaying retirement or using college savings to pay for private tutoring because they feel the school is not teaching them adequately.

Is your child struggling in school?

Get your free personalized learning roadmap

You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.

Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly

Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.

Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.

Get my free assessment & 7-day trial Cancel anytime during your trial.

Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.

A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.

Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert Writes about the learning brain for parents who want plain answers. Every article is grounded in current neuroscience and classroom practice.

Many turn to expensive private tutoring for the dyslexia-specific lessons their child needs, with out-of-pocket costs often running to $10,000 or beyond.

Key takeaways

Is your child struggling in school?

Keep reading