Principal Newsletter: Dyslexia Awareness and Early Identification

Dyslexia affects approximately 15 to 20 percent of students, making it the most common learning difference in schools. Most principals have 30 to 60 students with dyslexia in their building at any given time. Many of those families are waiting for someone to name what is happening and explain what comes next. Your newsletter can do that.

What dyslexia actually is

Most families still believe dyslexia means a student sees letters backwards. Your newsletter can correct this clearly: dyslexia is a phonological processing difference that makes it harder to decode written words. It is neurological in origin, appears across all intelligence levels, and responds well to structured, systematic literacy instruction when identified early.

Getting the definition right in your newsletter prevents the years of confusion many families experience while waiting for a diagnosis that matches their mental model.

Your school's screening process

Explain what universal screeners your school uses, which grade levels are screened, and what happens after a student is identified as at-risk. Families who know the screening exists are more cooperative when they receive screening results and more likely to follow up if they have concerns.

What structured literacy looks like in your classrooms

Name the approach your school uses. Orton-Gillingham based instruction. LETRS-trained teachers. Specific phonics programs used in intervention. Families who know the school uses evidence-based approaches trust the system more than families who hear vague descriptions of reading support.

State law requirements

More than 40 states have passed dyslexia-related legislation in recent years. If your state requires universal screening, structured literacy, or specific family notification, your newsletter should inform families of those requirements. Families have a right to know what the law entitles their child to.

Resources for families

Direct families to reliable information: the International Dyslexia Association, your state's dyslexia handbook, and any local support groups. Families who find credible information are better partners in their child's reading journey than families who rely on what they read in a Facebook group.

Early identification saves years of struggle

The research is unambiguous: students identified with dyslexia before third grade and given structured literacy instruction have dramatically better outcomes than students identified later. Your newsletter's most important job in this area is getting families to take early screening seriously, not as a stigma but as an opportunity.