Sold a Story ‘Dyslexia and the Reading Wars’: Emily Hanford's Conversation with The New Yorker’s David Owen
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Apr 28, 2026 David Owen, New Yorker staff writer known for long-form cultural and science pieces. He shares stories about classroom reading struggles, his niece’s hidden dyslexia, surprising decades-old research on how kids learn to read, and the messy real-world politics of fixing reading instruction. Short, human anecdotes and reporting illuminate why evidence often fails to reach schools.
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Niece Hidden Struggle Turned Into Academic Success
- David Owen's niece hid her reading difficulty by turning pages when others did and volunteering to draw pictures in group work.
- She read at pre-K level at end of second grade, later improved after attending Windward and ultimately earned a PhD in physics.
Research Knows Better But Schools Persist With Old Methods
- Researchers have known for decades there are better ways to teach reading, yet ineffective methods persist widely.
- David Owen was surprised by the long historical clarity of effective reading science and the stubborn institutional resistance to change.
Centralized Systems Make Reading Reform Easier
- Centralized education systems can adopt improved reading programs faster because decisions travel top-down with fewer competing bodies.
- Anne Wick noted Mississippi's centralized structure made statewide reading reform easier than in fragmented systems like New York.
