Every school leader wants students to start the year with confidence. Yet for the one in five students with dyslexia or another reading difference, the school year often begins with unnecessary barriers before they ever open their first book.
That’s where allyship comes in.
Allyship is more than support or good intentions. It is taking intentional action to remove systemic barriers so every individual has an equitable opportunity to succeed. In schools, literacy allyship means proactively creating conditions where students who struggle with reading can fully participate in learning—not after they fall behind, but from the very first day of school.
As literacy research continues to evolve and states strengthen expectations around evidence-based reading instruction, school leaders have an opportunity to rethink what advocacy looks like. Here are four ways administrators can become stronger literacy allies this school year.
1. Provide equitable access on day one; not after students struggle
Too often, accommodations don’t begin until benchmark assessments are complete or intervention meetings have been held. While these processes are important, they can leave students with print disabilities spending weeks or months without meaningful access to grade-level content.
Equity doesn’t always mean providing the same resources to every student. It means ensuring every student can participate in learning.
Providing accessible instructional materials from the start, including accommodations like Learning Ally’s human-read audiobooks, allows students to engage with the same grade-level texts as their peers while continuing to develop foundational reading skills.
When students can access curriculum immediately, they spend less time falling behind and more time building knowledge, vocabulary, confidence, and classroom engagement.
Leadership takeaway: Don’t wait for students to demonstrate failure before removing barriers. Begin the year with accessibility in place.
2. Build a shared understanding of dyslexia across your entire school
One educator who understands dyslexia can make a difference in a student’s experience. But when an entire school shares a common understanding of dyslexia, students are more likely to receive consistent, informed support across classrooms, grade levels, and interventions.
That shared understanding matters because our knowledge of dyslexia continues to evolve. The 2025 revision of the definition of dyslexia, published in Annals of Dyslexia, reflects current research and describes dyslexia as a neurodevelopmental learning difference characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, spelling, and decoding. The authors also emphasize that these difficulties can have broader consequences for reading comprehension and written language.
For school leaders, staying current on the research is an important first step toward creating a schoolwide approach to supporting students with dyslexia. Educators need a common foundation for recognizing characteristics of dyslexia, understanding how it can affect learning, and distinguishing between instructional approaches that address reading skill development and accommodations that provide access to grade-level content.
Professional learning can help build that foundation. Learning Ally’s Dyslexia Awareness training can give educators and administrators a shared starting point for understanding dyslexia and the implications for students in their classrooms.
That knowledge shouldn’t live only with special education teachers or reading specialists. Classroom teachers, interventionists, instructional coaches, administrators, and other staff all play a role in creating an environment where students with dyslexia can access instruction, demonstrate what they know, and develop as readers.
Leadership takeaway: Allyship starts with understanding. Invest in a shared, research-informed understanding of dyslexia so every member of your team is better prepared to recognize barriers and respond to students’ needs.
3. Commit to evidence-based literacy instruction
Across the country, states continue to adopt legislation requiring evidence-based literacy instruction, teacher preparation, and professional development grounded in the Science of Reading.
While implementation requirements vary, the message is consistent: effective reading instruction should reflect decades of cognitive science and reading research.
School leaders play a critical role in translating these expectations into classroom practice.
Professional learning should equip educators with practical strategies they can immediately apply to improve instruction and intervention. Programs like Structured Literacy in Action help educators strengthen instructional practices aligned with the Science of Reading while supporting implementation across classrooms.
When instructional practices are aligned across grade levels, students receive more consistent support and teachers gain greater confidence in their literacy instruction.
Leadership takeaway: Evidence-based instruction is one of the strongest forms of advocacy because it benefits every student while providing critical support for those with dyslexia and other reading differences.
4. Build a culture where families are partners
Literacy doesn’t stop when students leave school. Families often want to help but may not know which strategies are most effective.
School leaders can foster stronger partnerships by communicating regularly, sharing practical resources, and creating opportunities for families to learn alongside educators.
Hosting family workshops, sharing reading tips throughout the year, and introducing accessible reading tools all help reinforce learning beyond the classroom. Resources such as Supporting Struggling Readers at Home give families practical ways to encourage reading confidence without adding stress.
When schools and families work together, students receive consistent encouragement wherever they learn.
Leadership takeaway: Allyship extends beyond school walls. Families become powerful literacy allies when they’re equipped with the right tools.
Make Literacy Allyship Part of Your Leadership Plan
Being a literacy ally is about making intentional leadership decisions that remove barriers before they become obstacles.
By providing equitable access from day one, investing in educator knowledge, strengthening evidence-based instruction, and partnering with families, school leaders can create schools where every student has the opportunity to thrive.
For the one in five students with dyslexia and other reading differences, those decisions can shape not only this school year, but a lifetime of reading confidence.
Ready to strengthen literacy support in your school? Explore Learning Ally’s solutions for accessible reading, professional learning, and family engagement to help every student become a confident, capable reader.
