Opinion | We know how to teach our dyslexic students. Let’s start doing it

I ran for state representative because I wanted to make life better for the kids who too often get overlooked — the ones who sit in class every day knowing they are smart but feeling defeated because reading just doesn’t “click” for them the way it seems to for everyone else. For thousands of Michigan children, that frustration has a name: dyslexia.

State Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, R-Jackson, represents Michigan’s 46th House District. (Courtesy photo)

Dyslexia affects roughly 20% of the population. These students are bright, capable and creative. They simply decode words differently. We all know people who fit this description. What they need is the right kind of instruction at the right time. Yet too many Michigan students never get it.

That’s why I introduced House Bill 5081, a plan that finally puts proven reading strategies into Michigan classrooms by ensuring that every school has at least one teacher trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Orton-Gillingham is a structured, multisensory method that has helped dyslexic readers for nearly a century. Instead of asking struggling students to adapt to a system that isn’t built for them, this plan equips educators with the tools that meet students where they are.

Parents and teachers have been asking for this kind of support for years. Teachers want training that actually works. Students simply want a fair chance to succeed. But Michigan’s reading crisis continues, with more than 7 out of 10 fourth graders being deemed not proficient in reading. When 1 in 5 children has dyslexia, addressing this learning difference could be foundational to fixing literacy statewide.

Orton-Gillingham works because it teaches the structure of language in a way that is logical, explicit, and engaging. It uses sight, sound, touch, and movement together to help students master reading skills step by step. I’ve seen the impact firsthand through my years on the Michigan Dyslexia Institute Board. Children who once brought home F’s suddenly start earning A’s — not because they got “easier” work, but because someone finally taught them in a way they could understand.

If we care about improving Michigan’s literacy rates, if we care about preparing kids for life, then we cannot keep ignoring the needs of 20% of our students. We already know what works. We simply haven’t required it.

The good news is that this isn’t a partisan issue. It shouldn’t be. House Bill 5081 has support from legislators in both parties who agree that dyslexic children deserve evidence-based instruction.

Michigan’s kids cannot wait another decade for change. Let’s give teachers the training they’ve been asking for. Let’s give parents the support they’ve been fighting for. Most importantly, let’s give dyslexic children the chance to learn the way that works for them.

We’ve had the solution for decades. Now it’s time to put it into practice. Every child needs to learn to reach. Let’s finally make this happen.