Brooklyn, NY – Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D/WF-44) announced today the dedication of $120,000 in state funding for structured literacy to P.S. 10 and P.S. 39 in Park Slope and P.S. 130 in Kensington. The funding was divided evenly between the three schools and will be used to support evidence-based literacy instruction and professional development. This grant is an expansion upon Carroll’s previous literacy grant allocation of $140,000 to three other schools in District 44. 

“I am proud to have secured $120,000 in State funding to support structured literacy programming at schools in my district. Early identification coupled with evidence-based literacy interventions are essential to effectively remediating dyslexia and other phonological awareness issues. I know this because I was fortunate to have my own dyslexia identified in 1st Grade and receive evidence-based literacy interventions that were structured and sequential. Using evidence-based practices will help ensure that all our children can become fluent readers and successful students,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll.

“We are incredibly grateful for Assemblymember Carroll’s partnership and dedication to ensuring every child becomes a confident reader,” said Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. “This kind of evidence-based advocacy is necessary to transform the way we approach literacy and establish programs that will benefit thousands of students.”

"We are deeply grateful to Assemblymember Robert Carroll for this generous grant, which empowers P.S. 130 The Parkside School to enhance our structured literacy initiatives. This funding allows us to provide our educators with advanced training and ongoing support in evidence-based reading instruction, ensuring that all students, including those with language-based learning differences, receive explicit, systematic, and multisensory instruction. By reinforcing the foundational skills of reading and writing, we are committed to fostering literacy proficiency and academic success for every learner in our diverse, multicultural community," said Stephen Cedermark, Principal, P.S. 130.

Caption: Assemblymember Carroll at P.S. 10 with Principal Laura Scott (P.S.10), Principal Sara Panag (P.S.39), Principal Stephen Cedermark (P.S.130), and parent leadership from all three schools at today's event.

Assemblymember Carroll has been a leader on reforming the State’s approach to teaching literacy and addressing the needs of children with dyslexia.

In 2023 the Legislature passed his bill the Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Task Force Act, which was then signed into law by Governor Hochul in December of that year. The Task Force issued its final report in December 2024 setting forth a blueprint for reforming the State’s approach to dyslexia and dysgraphia. Assemblymember Carroll secured $250,000 in the just Enacted Fiscal 2025-26 Budget to start a Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, which was one of the Task Force’s recommendations.

In 2024, his bill the Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act was passed and signed into law by the Governor. This legislation requires private insurance to cover the cost of neuropsychological exams to diagnose dyslexia. The Fiscal 24-25 Enacted State Budget included important elements of his Right to Read Act (A.78/S.7544), establishing teaching literacy based on the science of reading as the standard throughout the state. 

Over the past five years he has directed $260,000 to schools in his district in State funding for structured literacy programming, $50,000 to the Brooklyn Public Library to align their adult literacy programming with the science of reading, and has secured $1.3 million in State funding to support the Promise Project at Columbia University, which provides neuropsychological exams and teacher training regarding reading disorders for kindergartners in marginalized and under served communities in New York City. 

He is the prime sponsor of the following current bills related to literacy and dyslexia:

A.2687/S.5569 (R.Carroll/Fahy) would establish a Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia within the State Education Department. 

A.2721/S.7615 (R.Carroll/Bailey) would expand Medicaid coverage to include neuropsychological exams for dyslexia, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent proper diagnosis and intervention. 

A.5835/S.8044 (R. Carroll/Bynoe) would foster the use of evidence-based literacy practices in libraries, complementing the State Education Department’s ongoing literacy initiatives that drew on Assemblymember Carroll’s Right to Read Act.

A.37/S.6844 (R.Carroll/Jackson) - The New York Individuals with Dyslexia Education Act (NYIDEA) would establish statewide standards for dyslexia screening and intervention, overhauling the State’s approach to meeting the needs of K-5 students struggling to learn to read.

A.78/S.7544 (R.Carroll/Hoylman-Sigal) - The Right to Read Act focuses on reforming literacy education policies with a foundation in science-backed and evidence-based curricula.