The 25-Year Betrayal: How Political Tribalism Failed Dyslexic Kids and Children of Color

In the past three weeks, America's approach to literacy education has crystallized into three stark moments. First, the House Education and Workforce Committee passed the Science of Reading Act with unanimous bipartisan support—a historic affirmation that evidence-based instruction works and signals it's likely to reshape how we teach reading nationwide. Second, Minnesota Republicans moved to strip diversity and inclusion from their state's science of reading law—reducing literacy to pure mechanics and removing the humanities that teach us who we are. Third, Donald Trump proved both sides right and both sides wrong simultaneously: he attacked Gavin Newsom's fitness for office because of dyslexia, revealing exactly why diversity, equity and inclusion instruction matter, while highlighting Gavin Newsom - a success story who is the product of structured literacy instruction. These three moments aren't separate stories.