Why parents in this Chesco school district want it to call their kids ‘dyslexic’

In Tredyffrin/Easttown, some children are struggling to read. Their parents blame dyslexia and schools they say aren't teaching them, but the reality is more complicated.

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Jamie Lynch immersed herself in books on reading assessment and dyslexia when her son struggled to learn to read. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Jamie Lynch immersed herself in books on reading assessment and dyslexia when her son struggled to learn to read. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Tredyffrin/Easttown in Chester County is one of Pennsylvania’s top-rated school districts. But a group of parents says their kids struggle to read because they have dyslexia. And they’re pushing the district for a curriculum that’s more focused on phonics. This local parent rebellion is part of a growing national debate over how to teach children to read. On today’s episode of The Why, WHYY education reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent explains what’s at stake in this debate, and why mastering reading at an early age is crucial to future success.

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