Free Republic

A Connecticut student who graduated with honors in June is now suing her former high school, claiming she can't read or write and is failing college as a result of her alma mater's poor curriculum. Aleysha Ortiz was born in Puerto Rico and moved with her family to Hartford, Connecticut, when she was 5 years old. She graduated through the school program despite reading at a kindergarten or first grade level as a sixth grader, according to reporting by CNN. During her last month at Hartford Public High School, after she disclosed she was attending the University of Connecticut in...

Jes Staley’s condition may have led to ‘a mistake’ in describing ties to paedophile, the bank’s chairman told the FCA. Jes Staley did not give a clear account of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein because of his dyslexia, according to Barclays’ chairman. In evidence to the High Court on Friday, it was revealed that Nigel Higgins claimed to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that Mr Staley “doesn’t read a lot” and “may have made a mistake” during an investigation into his relationship with the paedophile financier. Mr Higgins defended his former colleague by claiming he had “no motive” to mislead...

A Wisconsin mother is taking legal action against her school district for racially discriminating against her dyslexic son by putting minority students first. Colbey Decker recalled how her child struggled with reading from early on in his education. “He was exhibiting all the classic signs of dyslexia, where learning basic letters was really challenging,” she explained. “My son is in the 17th percentile, [but] he’s being pushed out of services for children who are higher performing.” The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), which is representing the Deckers, found the Green Bay Area Public School District’s policy explicitly prioritized...

A stone wall built by the Roman army as a defense against slave revolt leader and gladiator Spartacus and his men has been identified by archaeologists in an Italian forest. Local environmentalists who found the wall alerted archaeologists, who have now been able to provide greater insight using advanced radar and laser scanning methods, as well as soil sample analysis. The ditch and mound (or fossa and agger, respectively) was a common Roman defense system. This stone wall and earthwork, for instance, stretches nearly two miles through the Dossone della Melia forest in Italy’s Calabria region. A deep ditch once...

On March 15, 2022, an email appeared in the inbox of the election director of Forsyth County, Georgia, with the subject line “Challenge of Elector’s Eligibility.” A spreadsheet attached to the email identified 13 people allegedly registered to vote at P.O. boxes in Forsyth County, a wealthy Republican suburb north of Atlanta. Georgians are supposed to register at residential addresses, except in special circumstances. “Please consider this my request that a hearing be held to determine these voters’ eligibility to vote,” wrote the challenger, Frank Schneider. Schneider is a former chief financial officer at multiple companies, including Jockey International, the...

For nearly all of his 77 years, Henry Winkler says he has been dealing with a learning challenge that he'll never overcome – dyslexia. "There are times when I am so frustrated by my brain that I hit my head," Winkler tells TODAY.com in a sit-down interview. SNIP Upon being diagnosed at 31, the "Barry" actor says he finally realized that he was dealing with "something with a name." His initial reaction was anger at his parents. "I was so angry that I was yelled at, humiliated. I was grounded. I was punished. For what? For nothing," he says.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t give a State of the State address this year, shunning the teleprompter that has frustrated him because of his dyslexia in favor of a statewide tour this month, in which he can highlight his major policy goals in a more informal setting. Scripted speeches have given Newsom trouble because of his dyslexia, a common learning disability that makes it harder for him to read and do other things related to reading. It’s why he rarely uses notes in his public appearances and memorizes vast amounts of facts and figures. Last year,...

During his iconic opening monologue as host of the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, British actor-comedian Ricky Gervais hilariously admonished the assembled Hollywood royalty: "If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God and f**k off, OK?" Welp, we had a perfect case in point with a simple...

New York Mayoral candidate Eric Adams called himself the 'Biden of Brooklyn' at White House Monday after meeting with President Joe Biden about gun crimes – and says the topic of whether Biden wants more police on the beat 'didn't come up.' Adams, the Brooklyn Borough president who is heavily favored in the mayor's race after his messy primary win, joined mayors, law enforcement and security officials as Biden seeks to get a handle on a surge in gun violence nationwide. 'You know they call me the Biden of Brooklyn,' Adams said outside the White House following his meeting with...

Last month, the University of Warsaw’s Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology (PCMAUW) said its experts had discovered the remains of a Medieval cathedral in the ancient town of Old Dongola, along the east bank of the Nile River in what is now Sudan. Archaeologists believe the cathedral may now be the largest known surviving structure from Christian Nubia. Old Dongola was the capital of one of three Christian Nubian kingdoms, Makuria, which existed from the 6th century C.E. to the 14th century C.E. It grew to encompass churches, monasteries, a palace, pottery workshops, and cemeteries, and it also had elaborate...

Many people use the phrases “sight-word” and “vocabulary word” interchangeably, when they are quite different. This confusion, I believe, serves a sinister purpose for our Education Establishment. A sight-word is a one-dimensional object. You know it visually, that’s all. When you see the graphic design, you are supposed to respond in an automatic or conditioned way. You say the sound represented by the design. The Education Establishment pretends this is “reading” but it’s not. On the other hand, a vocabulary word is a multi-dimensional object. Most importantly, you know it phonetically. You say the sounds represented by the letters. This...

(Speech delivered by the writer to Pensare Oltre in Milan on Oct, 21, Details at end.) The Education Establishment promises to teach X, Y, and Z but, clearly to everyone, the children don’t learn much X, Y, and Z. The goal is to give the appearance of education, the illusion. Wheels turn, motors hum, children lurch about with 60 pounds of books on their backs. But finally it seems to be make-believe. If we count up all the knowledge and facts that children learn, schools are doing a poor job. I have to interject something here. Looking at my notes...

Do you agree? Good, then please pass this little summary to everyone you know. Or were you thinking, that’s crazy talk. Afraid not. It’s quite accurate, comparable to saying, “The sky is blue.” Reading instruction in our country has been insane and/or a criminal conspiracy for 80 years. The resulting illiteracy is a giant hemorrhaging wound. We cannot have a successful school system or a successful civilization unless children typically learn to read in the first grade or two. This is the 60th year since Rudolf Flesch wrote his famous book explaining why Johnny cannot read. Everything Flesch said in...

Not all at once, by some surgical procedure. No, this will be a slow, subtle process, taking place over years. Every step will be conducted with utmost seriousness. Scientific validity will be claimed. Endless research will be constantly referenced. If there is little progress or outright failure, teachers always seem amazed, as if such a thing had never happened before. Principals explain that the school is doing everything it can, if only parents would help in this delicate training. Children and families will be told with absolute confidence: we use the best methods here and our students learn to be...

Norway's opposition Conservatives, promising tax cuts and better healthcare, won elections in a landslide on Monday but faced tough coalition talks with a populist party that wants to spend more of the accumulated oil riches and curb immigration. Led by Erna Solberg, a former girl scout leader who has overcome dyslexia, the Conservatives promise to diversify the economy away from oil, privatize state firms, and reduce some of the world's highest taxes rates to give the private sector more breathing room.

...It was WOW. What does everyone else think about this MASTERPIECE!

In 2008 my site Improve-Education.org proclaimed Jay Leno “The Educator of the Year.” This was a bit of a promotional stunt; it was also grimly serious. Public education in the US is a field disfigured by hidden ideology, dumb theories, and low performance. In this arena, Jay Leno stands out like a brave knight in silver armor. As the Proclamation dramatically stated: “Whereas Jay Leno, via the Tonight Show segment called JAYWALKING, has done more than anyone else in the USA to promote the improvement of education; whereas Jay Leno has highlighted the lowering of standards and the flight from...

-six years ago, in 1955 to be exact, the most significant book about American education was published and, with very good reason, caused quite a stir. It was written by Rudolf Flesch, who had come to America to escape the Nazis in Vienna, became highly fluent in English and got a Ph.D in English at Columbia University. The book was entitled Why Johnny Can’t Read. It became a best-seller and rankled the entire education establishment. In it Flesch explained why so many children in American schools were having such a difficult time learning to read. He wrote: “The teaching of...

All dyslexics are not alike. According to new research, Chinese- and English-speaking people with the disorder have impairments in different regions of their brains. The findings shed light on the neurological basis of dyslexia and reveal fundamental differences in how brains process the two languages. Dyslexics, about 5% to 10% of the population in both the United States and China, have trouble making the connection between the sight and sound of a word. In English, this results in word distortions or transpositions of letters. "Dyslexia," for example, might be read as "Lysdexia." In Chinese, the problem can affect how a...

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- John Corcoran graduated from college and taught high school for 17 years without being able to read, write or spell.Corcoran's life of secrecy started at a young age. He said his teachers moved him up from grade to grade. Often placed in what he calls the "dumb row," the images of his tribulations in the classroom are still vividly clear. "I can remember when I was 8 years old saying my prayers at night saying please god tomorrow when it's my turn to read please let me read. You just pretend that you are invisible and when...