NYC NOW - September 25, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: September 25, 2023

U.S Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is rejecting calls to resign. Now, one New Jersey lawmaker is challenging him in next year's Democratic primary. And finally, WNYC’s Michael Hill talks with education reporter Jessica Gould about a family’s struggle to navigate services for students with dyslexia.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jinnay Pierre. We begin in New Jersey, where calls continue to mount for Senator Bob Menendez to resign after being indicted on corruption charges. And one New Jersey lawmaker is taking it a step further. Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey's third congressional district will challenge Menendez in next year's Democratic primary. Kim says the indictment cast doubt on the senator's integrity, something he thinks constituent. shouldn't have to worry about. Right now, it's so important for the people in New Jersey to have representation in the Senate

have representation in government. And that is not what Senator Menendez can provide right now. Kim announced his intention to run against a senator over the weekend on X, formerly known as Twitter. Menendez says he will not resign and denies any wrongdoing. He predicted Monday that he would be exonerated in his federal bribery case and would still be, quote, New Jersey's senior senator. Stay close.

There's more after the break. Now let's head to New York and talk about education. One of Mayor Eric Adams's key initiatives is to better serve students with dyslexia in New York City public schools. WNYC education reporter Jessica Gould talked with my colleague Michael Hill about one family struggle to navigate

the labyrinth of services for students with dyslexia. By the way, this story is based on a bonus episode we put out over the weekend. So check it out if you haven't already. Tell us about what you've been following for the last seven months or so. I've been talking to a nine-year-old fourth grader named Matthew Green and his grandmother, who's named Tranez.

He was recently diagnosed with dyslexia. And what I wanted to capture was the frustration that many children and their families feel when they get a diagnosis like this. Many of them feel like they're on their own, without much help from the city's school system. And I want to play you an excerpt from the episode. This is from the very beginning where we meet Matthew and he talks about his experience. Tell me why you didn't want to read in front of me. Because I don't feel comfortable to read one of other people. Why? What happens when you read?

Well, I get frustrated because sometimes the words are harder to sound out in my head. And I shut down. What does shutting down mean? Like I stop, I get an attitude sometimes. I start to cry sometimes because it's like struggling because my brain like, it's like I can't handle it because it's hard. When I met Matthew Green earlier this year, he was eight years old. He'd just been diagnosed with dyslexia, and he had been struggling in school for years.

And like so many kids, he thought that was his fault. Like I wasn't a good kid in second grade. I kept like not doing my work and stuff. Just felt bored in class and I just didn't want to read at all or do my math. But they would call my grandma or my mom and I would talk with my grandma slowly, She tried to hold my breath, and she would tell me, just try it best. Can I just say one thing? Sure. If it wasn't for my grandma, I wouldn't be here right now.

He had a really difficult time, and it showed in his behavior. I would get calls at least once a week. You know, him throwing chair. him, it was really bad. A lot of that I can attribute to he wasn't getting the support that he needed. Jessica Trinney sounds really dedicated to her grandson. Would you tell us more about the efforts she's put in? Sure. It was incredibly time-consuming and it was very stressful. And I think many parents of students with learning differences will recognize this struggle. She lobbied Matthew's school over and over again. for more help. At the time, all they offered him was a smaller class with kids with a broad range

of disabilities and then some psychological counseling on the side. There was no extra literacy support and the teachers weren't trained in how to teach kids with dyslexia to read. In fact, until recently, most schools had been using strategies that have been disproven and actually made it harder for kids with dyslexia. But through research and connecting with fellow parents, she discovered what she called an alternate reality. So this cottage industry that helps you access dyslexia services outside the public school system. The problem is that even though these resources are available, they can come with a very high price tag. And that makes it much easier for families with money and connections to manage, which in turn drives major inequities in the outcomes for students with dyslexia.

Would you explain how that system works? It's really complicated, but there are some key steps for a family that's trying to help their dyslexic child if they feel the public schools can't serve them. First, you have to get an evaluation, ideally a neuropsych, to determine if a student truly is dyslexic, and that can cost thousands of dollars. Then you get a lawyer to help you sue the Department of Education for services and retaining a lawyer that can also cost thousands of dollars. Now, under the law, the city has to ensure students with disabilities can get a free and appropriate education. So many families sue to get reimbursed so they can send their kids to specialize schools. But it can take years to be reimbursed. So parents often front the tuition, and that's to the tune of more than $70,000 a year, sometimes for two years at a time before they get any money back.

So what is Mayor Adams doing to change this system? The Adams administration has acknowledged that the system in place for dyslexic students in public schools has been extremely flawed. The mayor himself called it a Shakespearean tragedy. I spoke with Deputy Chancellor Carolyn Quintana, who said stories like Matthews are exactly why they're making the changes they're making. We understand that there's, in general, a crisis in terms of how we've been teaching reading and how students have been learning to read. And this crisis is especially significant for any of our young people who either have been diagnosed with dyslexia or who may be at risk. So last year, the Education Department expanded these literacy screeners to identify students who are at risk of reading problems and get them more support. And then with a group of parents, the city also launched pilot programs at public schools where teachers have gotten extra training in the techniques that are considered the gold standard in teaching students with dyslexia.

Then this fall, the Adams administration is starting to overhaul. literacy instruction across the school system. Schools are phasing in new curricula that officials say will help all students, including those with dyslexia, learn to read. But Quintana acknowledged that this is just a start. And according to my reporting, it didn't come quickly enough for Matthew. His family is suing the DOE to send him to a private school, which he started a few weeks ago. And Jessica, you plan to keep covering this, right? I do. I'll be keeping a close eye on the rollout of Mayor Adams' initiatives, and I'll be checking in with Trinace and Matthew. And I want to hear from people with experience in navigating the system for students with dyslexia. I also want our listeners and readers help to tell me about all the other changes that are going on in the school system right now. If you're a teacher, are you getting the materials and training you've been promised to improve reading instruction? Are administrators, do you feel like you're getting the support you need?

And from parents, what are you seeing? Are you seeing these changes? Please email me at J-Gould at WNYC.org. That's WNYC's education reporter, Jessica Gould, talking with my colleague, Michael Hill. And be sure to hear the full story about Matthew and his grandmother in our episode from this past weekend. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. Catch us every weekday, three times a day. I'm Jene Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.