LAGRANGE, Ga., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Literacy Research Association has released a Literacy Research Report entitled, An Examination of Dyslexia Research and Instruction. The report is a response to growing national attention to the term dyslexia both in the media and in state legislatures. It summarizes, in plain language, the current state of dyslexia-related research to assist policy-makers, educators, parents, advocacy groups and others in their decision-making.

Dyslexia is the currently popular explanation for the fact that some children experience much more difficulty than others in becoming literate. The explanation hypothesizes a neurological difference that also confers a range of benefits and necessitates intensive phonics instruction.

Recently, advocates of this narrative have merged with those arguing that intensive phonics is the solution to all literacy problems, that science has spoken, and that legislation should enforce “the science of reading.” However, many leaders in the scientific community are concerned that these advocacy efforts do not accurately represent the scientific knowledge base and that it is, therefore, important to broaden opportunities for those in decision-making roles to learn about the scientific evidence. To that end, the Literacy Research Association requested members with relevant expertise to develop a comprehensive, accessible summary of existing research and theory to serve as a resource for the array of individuals and organizations involved in decision- and policy-making related to literacy learning difficulties.

An Examination of Dyslexia Research and Instruction examines the research basis for the dyslexia/intensive phonics narratives and the support for legislative actions. It concludes that, among many other things; a) there is no consistent, diagnostically useful definition of dyslexia, affecting not only any practical use of the term, but also interpretation of any related research, b) despite popular belief, arguments for intensive phonics instruction, both associated with dyslexia and not, are not reflective of the available research, and c) there is no evidence for the hypothesized associated benefits. The report ends with guidance for policy- and other decision-makers.

Co-authors of An Examination of Dyslexia Research and Instruction are Peter Johnston and Donna Scanlon, who are professors emeriti at the University at Albany, each with distinguished careers in literacy research.

“As the premiere literacy research organization, it is LRA’s responsibility to share unbiased research reviews with educational decision-makers, including policy-makers, educators, parents and advocacy groups to help them make informed decisions,” observed LRA President Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon, professor of literacy at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

LRA is a non-profit professional organization with 1800+ members who share an interest in advancing literacy theory, research, and practice.

LAGRANGE, Ga., March 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Literacy Research Association (LRA) has released a Literacy Research Report entitled Racial Justice in Literacy Research. “For centuries, literacy has been at the center of the dehumanization of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, a national insurrection, the waning of a global pandemic, exacerbated educational inequity across the globe, and the recent anti-Asian hate crimes in Atlanta, it is fitting that we look to racial justice in literacy to illuminate a pathway for the future,” state co-authors of the report.  

“Mockery, intimidation, bullying, and violence in schools and public spaces are signs of injustice suffered by individuals who experience racial violence,” according to a recently released LRA Statement Against Anti-Asian Violence. The statement also indicates that incidents from implicit bias to verbal and physical violence can be considered hate incidents. 

The Racial Justice in Literacy Research report, which can be accessed on LRA’s site, addresses the status of race and racism in the U.S. and discusses how racism operates in society in general, and literacy research in particular. Race and racism in literacy research are interrogated by inviting the field to move beyond the Black-White binary that continues to impede racial justice in U.S. literacy research through a presentation of how race functions in the education of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. In support of the LRA Statement Against Anti-Asian Violence, the Racial Justice in Literacy Research report addresses hate crimes in the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. More broadly, the report addresses racism in literacy research to advance racial justice for literacy equity. BIPOC continue to face literacy injustices in repressive laws designed to regulate whose literacy is valued, who has access to literacy, and how literacy is assessed. The laws are a pretext for institutionalized racism that justifies and regulates literacy, as well as obscures unfettered and equitable access to all. No other skill has been equally targeted. The report ends with emerging principles for advancing literacy research that reflect racial justice, and in turn, literacy, and educational equity for all.

“We hope that diverse publics, including literacy educators, will utilize the report as a way to have critical conversations that will lead to actions, such as policy changes that address systemic racism,” stated LRA president, Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon, professor of literacy, department of reading & language arts, Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

LRA is a non-profit professional organization with 1800+ members who share an interest in advancing literacy theory, research, and practice.