New York, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul today signed Assemblymember Robert Carroll’s bill (A.2687/S.5569) establishing a statewide Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia within the New York State Education Department. The new Center creates New York’s first statewide standards for screening, interventions, and teacher training to support the roughly one in five children estimated to struggle with dyslexia.

“I grew up struggling with dyslexia. Without early identification and real intervention, I would not have made it through school, let alone reached a place where I could write laws to help other kids get the support I was lucky to receive. Today Governor Hochul signs a law that takes an important step toward giving that same chance to every child in our state,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll. “The New York Dyslexia Center will establish a statewide framework with explicit standards to help schools and teachers identify dyslexia and dysgraphia as early as possible, while ensuring they are trained to deliver structured, sequential, cumulative, and multi-sensory literacy instruction proven to support struggling readers. I am grateful to the Governor for her leadership, and to the advocates, educators, and families across New York who fought to make this possible. Creating the Dyslexia Center will ensure far more children get the support I did. Putting it into law means these best practices will endure and continue to guide how we serve every struggling reader.” 

The law establishes the framework needed to deliver consistent, evidence-based literacy support across the state. The Center will set clear standards for early screening, interventions, teacher training, data collection, and public information. Carroll also secured $250,000 in the state budget to launch the Center. 

The stakes extend beyond literacy. New York faces rising family out-migration, with households with young children 40 percent more likely to leave the state, and twice as likely to leave New York City. For lawmakers focused on strengthening communities statewide, the Center offers a direct response to families who feel failed by a system that has struggled to teach reading. An estimated 1.6 million New York parents have a child with dyslexia.

The Center also gives the State a clear, parent-focused message grounded in real needs instead of cultural fights. New York will move from having no meaningful dyslexia standards to becoming a national leader in supporting students with language-based learning disabilities.

Assemblymember Carroll brings personal experience and a deep record to the issue. He grew up dyslexic and learned to read only because a teacher intervened early. He has introduced more than a dozen bills focused on literacy and dyslexia, and has secured statewide funding to expand structured literacy programs and diagnostic access. His view is simple: if public schools cannot teach reading, families leave, and when families leave, New York’s civic foundation weakens.

Advocates across New York praised today’s signing:

“The Governor’s signing of this legislation marks a defining moment for literacy in New York State. Establishing the Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia within the State Education Department ensures that evidence-based practices, early screening, and high-quality educator training will finally be implemented consistently across districts. This is the infrastructure we have been waiting for to support students who struggle to read and write,” said Marion Waldman, Executive Director, Teach My Kid to Read. “I want to express my deep appreciation to Assemblymember Robert Carroll for his leadership and persistence in championing this legislation. His commitment has helped ensure that every child in New York will have access to the instruction and support they deserve.”

“EdTrust-New York and the New York Campaign for Early Literacy applaud Governor Hochul for signing bill A.2867/S.5569,” said Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, executive director of EdTrust-New York.

“This bill creates a State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia and takes a critical step toward ensuring students receive the screening and support they need. The Center will play an especially important role for Black students, who are too often undiagnosed and identified with dyslexia at only half the rate of their White peers. We welcome this strong commitment to equity and deeply appreciate Assemblymember Carroll and Senator Fahy’s leadership on this issue. We look forward to the positive impact it will have on students and families statewide.”

“Students with dyslexia signal to us that many others are struggling, ‘the canaries in the coal mine’ The alarm bells have been going off for years. Instead of acting with urgency, we’ve tried hard to quietly cover up a reading emergency,” said Sarah Sevier Kiefer, Skaneateles Parent Education, Support & Advocacy Group. “The Dyslexia Center is what families have been waiting for, real solutions, bringing best practices to our schools for dyslexia. These practices also happen to be the gold standard for all kids to learn to read well. With The Center and these tools, dyslexic thinkers are the ones who will lead the way out of this crisis. They’ll climb the mountain and take everybody else up with them.A heartfelt thanks to Assemblymember Robert Carroll for this incredible accomplishment, from the parents, grandparents, kids and especially from us moms!“

“Everyone at The Gateway School is thrilled to see this bill signed into law.As a school that has been serving students with language-based learning disabilities for over 60 years, we know that early intervention and structured literacy instruction has life-changing outcomes for students,” said Sherri Helvie, Head of the Gateway School. “All children deserve evidence-based teaching strategies that ensure that they can read and write, and be full participants in their communities and civic life.We’re tremendously proud that Assemblymember Robert Carroll, an alumnus of Gateway, has championed this bill:the futures of New York students will be transformed because of it.”

“I’m sure I echo the excitement of the entire Windward School community when I say I’m thrilled to be a part of the Center’s development. The State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia will help clarify definitions and best practices for diagnostic work, will lay the framework for universal screenings, and will create standards for evidence-based practices in addressing dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities. These initiatives represent a huge step forward for some of New York’s most vulnerable and eager learners,” said Jamie Williamson, Head of The Windward School. 

“This is a monumental piece of legislation for students and families in NY State. Establishing a Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia has the potential to transform lives and education by providing critical support and resources and by promoting understanding and awareness, paving the way for a more inclusive future for all," said Dr. Katharine Pace Miles, Director of Reading Science, Brooklyn College. 

With today’s signing, New York takes a major step toward ensuring that children with dyslexia and dysgraphia are identified early, taught with proven methods, and supported throughout their education. The Center will help close literacy gaps, strengthen schools and communities, and give every child a fair chance to read.