…and why this knowledge is your greatest advantage when advocating for your child in public school
- 1. Schools Don’t Always Teach Reading the Way the Brain Learns Reading
- 2. If You Don’t Know What High-Quality Instruction Looks Like, You Can’t Spot Poor Instruction
- 3. Because When You Know the Science, You Stop Feeling Intimidated in School Meetings
- 4. Because If Your Child Struggles, You Need to Know What Kind of Struggle It Is
- 5. Because No One Knows Your Child Better Than You — And School Systems Need That Perspective
- 6. Because Advocacy Isn’t About Being Pushy — It’s About Being Precise
- So… Why Does Your Understanding Matter?
If you’re reading this, you’re already that parent — the one who refuses to just nod politely during a parent-teacher conference while words like phonemic awareness, decodable text, or structured literacy swirl around the room like educational confetti.
And good for you.
Because here’s the truth: your ability to advocate for your child’s reading needs is directly tied to how well you understand reading development – in the brain, in the classroom, and in real life.
Too many parents assume reading is “natural.” Kids just… learn it eventually, right?
Not quite. The science couldn’t be clearer:
Reading is a man-made skill that the brain must be explicitly taught.
And unless parents understand this, our ability to spot poor instruction – and fight for better instruction – becomes almost impossible.
Let’s talk about why your understanding of reading science isn’t just “nice to have.”
It’s essential.
1. Schools Don’t Always Teach Reading the Way the Brain Learns Reading
You would think every classroom in America is using the most up-to-date, evidence-based reading instruction.
You would be wrong.
Many schools still rely on meaning-based or “balanced literacy” approaches – the ones that encourage guessing from pictures, memorizing whole words, and using context clues instead of actually decoding. These approaches feel warm and fuzzy, but research does not support them as effective for most children, especially not struggling readers.
In contrast, code-based instruction (phonemic awareness + phonics taught in a clear sequence) is what aligns with how the brain builds its reading circuitry.
Yet despite decades of research, these approaches still coexist in classrooms like some sort of educational Frankenstein. And guess who gets caught in the middle?
Your child.
This is why it matters that you can tell the difference.
To learn more about how to spot the differences, see this article.
2. If You Don’t Know What High-Quality Instruction Looks Like, You Can’t Spot Poor Instruction
Most parents assume their child is receiving excellent reading instruction. And many teachers truly believe they’re providing it! But intentions don’t equal outcomes.
To advocate effectively, you need to know what should be happening.
For example, in strong early reading instruction:
- Phonemic awareness should happen daily for at least 5 minutes
- Systematic phonics should take up the majority of reading time in K–2
- Fluency practice should occur several times a week
- Vocabulary + background knowledge must be intentionally taught
If none of these things are happening – or they’re happening “sometimes… maybe… depending on the unit”… – that’s a problem. And it might be the reason your child is struggling.
Instruction is the first place parents should look when reading difficulties appear – not a diagnosis or a label.
Once you know what “good” looks like, you can finally ask the right questions.
To learn more about the specifics of good instruction, see this article.
3. Because When You Know the Science, You Stop Feeling Intimidated in School Meetings
It is very hard to advocate when you feel like teachers are speaking a language you don’t know.
But once you understand terms like phoneme, grapheme, orthographic mapping, or decodable text, suddenly you’re not the confused parent in the meeting.
You’re the one asking:
- “What phonics scope-and-sequence are you using?”
- “How are you supporting phonemic awareness this year?”
- “How much decodable text practice do students get each week?”
- “What specific fluency routines are in place?”
And you’ll know what answers to look for. Knowing the science and language of reading instruction gives you power — not to be combative, but to be informed, confident, and clear about what your child needs.
And trust me, teachers notice the difference.
To learn more about the language of reading instruction, see this article.
4. Because If Your Child Struggles, You Need to Know What Kind of Struggle It Is
Not all reading difficulties are the same. In fact, they tend to fall into three profiles:
- Word reading difficulties (decoding issues)
- Comprehension difficulties
- Mixed difficulties
If you don’t understand these categories, you can’t meaningfully interpret testing, teacher comments, or reading assessments.
And here’s the kicker: Many children who appear to have a disability are actually victims of ineffective instruction.
Your understanding helps prevent unnecessary mislabels and ensures real needs aren’t ignored.
To learn more about the three reading profiles and how to identify why your child struggles, see this article.
5. Because No One Knows Your Child Better Than You — And School Systems Need That Perspective
Teachers see your child for a snapshot. But you see the whole movie.
That means:
- You know whether they struggle with sleep, attention, or eating (all can relate to reading difficulties)
- You understand their interests and quirks
- You can tell when something is off
- You can see patterns a school may miss
So your voice actually matters most – but only if you’re armed with information that positions you as a partner, not a bystander.
When you understand reading science, you stop feeling like you’re “interfering,” and start realizing you are an essential part of the decision-making team.
This is what we call the Parent Advantage — the power you have when you combine deep knowledge of your child with deep knowledge of what they need instructionally.
6. Because Advocacy Isn’t About Being Pushy — It’s About Being Precise
Parents often hesitate to speak up because they don’t want to offend the teacher. But advocacy isn’t about blaming – it’s about naming.
You’re not saying, “You’re teaching wrong.”
You’re saying, “Here are specific elements my child needs to thrive. How can we make sure they’re in place?”
This is reasonable, collaborative and effective.
So… Why Does Your Understanding Matter?
Because your child can’t advocate for themselves.
Because schools are overworked and often undertrained.
Because ineffective reading instruction can derail a child for years — but effective instruction can change the brain itself.
And because the combination of your insight + reading science = the most powerful tool your child has.
This is the Parent Advantage. And it starts with knowing how reading actually works.