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Committee backs Literacy Academy Collective after presentation on dyslexia-focused schools
Summary
The Schools and Education Committee heard from Emily Helmstrom of the Literacy Academy Collective about dyslexia-focused public schools, state and private pilot funding, and teacher-prep reforms; the committee voted unanimously to draft and support a resolution urging continuation of NYC Reads funding and expansion of LAC.
The Schools and Education Committee on Jan. 2026 heard a presentation from Emily Helmstrom, director of external affairs and strategy at the Literacy Academy Collective (LAC), about the nonprofit’s dyslexia‑focused public schools, its pilot programs and a request that the committee back continued funding for the citywide NYC Reads initiative.
Helmstrom told committee members that literacy is “the most significant civil rights issue in New York City” and cited National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results showing persistently low reading proficiency, with particularly poor outcomes for students with disabilities, multilingual learners and Black students. She said reading researchers and federal health agencies indicate about “95 percent of students can learn to read if given the right reading instruction.”
The presentation described LAC’s full‑school intervention model for students who are often two to…
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