Encouraged by our Educators
Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04)
For decades, a student’s dyslexia diagnosis meant falling behind or underperforming academically with long-lasting impacts reverberating into adulthood. Studies have shown that students who lack critical reading skills are more likely to drop out of school early, less likely to find well-paying jobs, and even risk spending time in the criminal justice system.
This week, we’ve seen some great reports coming out of the state of Arkansas regarding improved student outcomes on state assessment exams. This is especially encouraging given that the National Council on Teacher Quality found that 94% of Arkansas teacher preparation programs have scored a grade of A or A+ for preparing elementary school teachers to use science-backed instructional methods for teaching reading, placing Arkansas well above the national average of 53%.
Before my time in Congress, I had the privilege of serving as school board president and in the Arkansas General Assembly where I dealt more closely with education policy. Because of this, I developed a greater understanding around dyslexia and how important a scientific understanding of this learning disability is. But understanding alone is not enough. It is also necessary to have science-of-reading based instructional programs to help students with dyslexia to overcome it. With 94% of our higher education reading programs that teach our educators how to teach in Arkansas scoring A or A+, the expectations and excitement for our students is high.
Coming to Congress and serving as co-chair of the Congressional Dyslexia Caucus, I’ve used my deeper understanding of dyslexia to be a strong advocate for legislation like the 21st Century Dyslexia Act that highlights the need for a more scientific understanding and approach to prevent the harm that unidentified learning disorders can inflict on our young students.
The results we’ve seen in recent reports are certainly encouraging. Beyond that, they are further proof that when we give students and teachers the tools they need to gain a greater understanding around dyslexia and other learning disabilities, everyone comes out as a winner. Students feel more encouraged and eager to learn; teachers feel empowered and equipped to support their students in reaching their full potential.
Learning disabilities should never prevent students from succeeding in the classroom. I’m certainly encouraged by these excellent results and grateful for the leadership on the state level and in Congress to continue advocating for efforts that create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all learners.