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New documentary follows fight to open NYC public school for kids with dyslexia
By
Jessica Gould
Published Jan 18, 2025
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Courtesy of Adam Segal
By
Jessica Gould
Published Jan 18, 2025
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Five mothers’ yearslong fight to open a specialized public school for New York City children with dyslexia is featured in a new documentary playing at the Quad Cinema near Union Square through Thursday.
“Left Behind” follows the advocacy that resulted in the South Bronx Literacy Academy's creation.
“It's a triumphant story,” said director Anna Toomey. “You can see the pain that not only these women have gone through but other families, and you see their determination and perseverance.”
The film captures the moms strategizing around kitchen tables, arming themselves with research about the risks their children and other dyslexic students face – from higher dropout rates to higher incarceration rates. They also discuss the possibilities: When children with dyslexia are given the right kind of instruction and support, they can thrive. They draw up plans for a pilot program and inject themselves into the 2021 mayoral race – calling on candidates to make a pledge to improve literacy.
“For me to own up to the fact that the public school system that I completely embrace, advocate for and fight for is not built for my son, it’s like a breakup,” said Naomi Peña, an education activist and one of the mothers featured in the documentary.
Mayor Eric Adams, who has dyslexia, and David Banks, the schools chancellor at the time, ultimately agreed to launch the school the mothers envisioned.
The South Bronx Literacy Academy began as a model classroom at a school in 2022 and opened as its own public school in 2023. The school’s teachers are all trained in Orton-Gillingham — considered the gold standard for teaching students with dyslexia to read — with small group instruction and extended literacy lessons. The school currently serves 98 students in the second through fourth grades, and the city plans to open another Literacy Academy in central Brooklyn next year.
The mothers are pushing for similar programs in all the boroughs.
Toomey said the story felt personal. She watched her son, who has dyslexia, struggle at his Westchester school, just as the five mothers featured in the movie watched their children falter in New York City’s public schools.
Experts say students with dyslexia need to be taught using a strong and explicit foundation in phonics, with a lot of time to practice reading, often in small groups or one-on-one. Historically, that level of instruction has not been available at the city’s public schools. So a two-tiered and deeply inequitable system emerged, where wealthier families tend to enroll their dyslexic kids in private, specialized schools with tuitions of $75,000 or more, and sue the education department for reimbursement. Less affluent parents often watch their kids who stay in the public system fall further and further behind.
Bronx parent Kerri Fleming said her son, a fourth-grader, was diagnosed with dyslexia last summer and was only reading at a kindergarten level when he started at the South Bronx Literacy Academy in September. She’s seen a transformation in his reading abilities and self-esteem.
“I see him reading words. I see him speaking better. His confidence is back. He feels seen,” she said in a recent interview.
But the city’s public school system still has a long way to go. Parents across the city have told Gothamist that most dyslexic students still aren't getting proper reading help even with the overhaul in literacy instruction that is underway at elementary schools.
Toomey said she hopes the film will help viewers “reimagine” what education can look like.
“These kids who have been left behind … they’re different thinkers, but they’re creative, they’re risk takers, and that’s the backbone of our society,” she said.
Tagged
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bronx
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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