Almost every state in the US has dyslexia laws — but our research shows little change for struggling readers

Families with children with dyslexia have long lobbied lawmakers To respond to a pressing concern: Many young students struggle for years to learn to read, before schools acknowledge the problem.

In response, nearly every state in the United States passed some type of… Dyslexia laws Over the past decade. Most of these laws encourage or require schools to screen young children for reading difficulties, train teachers in evidence-based reading instruction, and provide targeted support to students who show early signs of dyslexia.

Families of children with dyslexia, teachers and Dyslexia advocacy groups These laws were widely praised. If schools can identify dyslexia early and respond with evidence-based teaching, reading outcomes are likely to improve and fewer children will fall behind.

But what actually happened after these laws were passed?

My colleagues And I Almost checked Two decades of National student data To answer this question. The results tell a complex story.

Undetected problem

Dyslexia is brain-based A learning difference that makes reading words slow and laborious, even when children have typical intelligence and learning.

About 5% to 15% of US children Experience persistent reading difficulties It corresponds to dyslexia. Without early support, these difficulties can continue in the long term Academic and emotional consequences.

Before the 2000s, dyslexia was rarely explicitly mentioned in educational policy. Students with dyslexia are often classified into a broad category of learning disabilities Without focused instructions Or support.

Parent advocacy groups and Dyslexia advocacy organizations He started pushing lawmakers In early 2010 to recognize dyslexia in government education policy. They also pressured states to require early screening for reading difficulties and to teach reading using rigorous methods supported by scientific research.

Their invitation coincided with an increase Scientific consensus: Early, explicit instruction in phonics and language structure helps struggling readers, including students with dyslexia.

Research and The invitation was also highlighted Many children with reading difficulties are not recognized until later in elementary school, after years of academic struggle, when gaps in reading skills are difficult to correct.

States are responding with dyslexia laws

a few states, Like Texas And ArkansasDyslexia laws were first passed in Early 2010. One of the main goals was to help schools identify dyslexia in students early, rather than waiting until these students experienced repeated academic failure.

By late 2010Most states have adopted some form of dyslexia legislation.

As of 2025All states except Hawaii have enacted dyslexia legislation.

While the laws shared similar goals of promoting early screening for reading difficulties, improving reading instruction and expanding support for struggling readers, they varied widely in the strength, funding, and expectations of schools.

My colleagues and I wanted to examine whether the wave of dyslexia laws that began in early 2010 was linked to changes in students’ reading outcomes.

Mixed results

We analyzed 4th grade reading assessments National Assessment of Educational Progressoften called the Nation’s Report Card, from 2003 to 2022.

We focused on how often students with reading-related learning disabilities were identified and how well these students performed in reading. We compared trends before and after dyslexia laws were enacted in 47 states.

Two results emerged:

• First, more than half of the states with these new laws showed no significant shift in identifying reading-related learning disabilities. Some states assigned more students, some fewer, but there was no consistent national pattern.

• Second, the reading achievement of students with learning disabilities often declined, rather than improved, after the passage of these laws in several states, including Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Only four states — Arizona, Mississippi, Nevada and Oklahoma — showed significant gains in reading scores on state assessments. With average increments ranging From 3 points in the case of Oklahoma to 10 points in the example of Arizona. Many other states saw flat trends or declines over the same period.

Passing the law does not mean changing the classroom

Our findings suggest that dyslexia laws often raise awareness about dyslexia and early reading difficulties without completely changing classroom practices.

Many countriesStates like Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and North Carolina required early screening for dyslexia — but did not ensure that schools trained staff, for example, on how to conduct such screening.

Even with enough teachers to screen for dyslexia, screening alone does not help students unless followed by it High quality instruction and ongoing support.

Financing is another major challenge. Most dyslexia laws were passed without allocating funding for teacher training or instructional materials, leaving districts to bear the costs. As a result, implementation has been uneven, with well-funded areas moving more quickly than others.

Teacher preparation is also important. Teaching reading effectively, especially to students with dyslexia, requires specialized knowledge that many teachers are never taught in their training programs. Without strong professional development and ongoing training, it may be difficult to implement new tasks.

Together, these factors help explain why dyslexia laws alone have not achieved widespread gains.

What distinguishes countries that have improved?

Despite the mixed national picture, students in some states, including Arizona and Mississippi, performed better on reading scores after their schools adopted dyslexia policies. These countries share many features.

First, when young children in these states were identified as being at risk for reading difficulties, schools were expected to provide additional reading instruction – rather than treating screening as an end in itself.

Second, schools in these states have invested in hands-on teacher training, focusing on how to teach basic reading skills—such as phonics and word decoding—that are especially important to students with dyslexia.

Third, these states have aligned their dyslexia laws with broader literacy reforms—such as using evidence-based reading curricula and providing teacher training—rather than treating dyslexia policy as a stand-alone mandate.

Mississippi often It was cited as an example of a state that successfully linked dyslexia policy to a comprehensive reform of reading instruction, which resulted in increased reading achievement scores from 2013 to 2019. This reform included more structured reading instruction, and training of teachers and literacy coaches in schools.

other states, Including Louisiana And Alabamaadopted similar methods and also saw gains in reading for children with learning difficulties – including dyslexia – after they enacted their own dyslexia laws.

Ready meals

Dyslexia laws recognize that struggling young readers deserve early, evidence-based support rather than years of delay. This alone constitutes meaningful progress.

But two decades of national data suggest that legislation by itself is not enough.

If states want dyslexia laws to deliver on their promise, the next step is clear: move beyond mandates and focus on how schools can support their implementation. For children struggling to learn to read, the difference between policy and practice can shape their entire educational future.