Written Off: America's Failure to Educate Dyslexic Children (2020)

One out of every five children in the United States has dyslexia, and are not capable of learning inside the public education system. These are smart kids, talented kids, and they possess a whole set of abilities that non-dyslexics don't have, but they are being left behind and made to feel inferior because the public education system only supports the 80% of non-dyslexics in their student population. Parents with kids who have dyslexia feel frustrated that their child is being left behind and that their pleas for help go unanswered. They go to extraordinary measures to get their child the help they need, but too often those measures are out of reach for many families. That's why, three years ago, the founders of Lakes and Bridges established the first public charter school in South Carolina (and one of only 4 in the nation) designed to meet the needs of children with dyslexia and give hope to families who were desperate to give their children the education they deserve. We want to explore the issue of educating dyslexics in America, and show that there is an alternative. We've partnered with Lakes and Bridges to use their success in educating children with dyslexia as a case study to prove that these kids are smart, they are capable, and that there is a way to educate them and prepare them for success. We aim to challenge the public education system to do better when it comes to serving the needs of all children, not just those without dyslexia. We aim to give hope to families affected by dyslexia, and show them there are alternatives. Through our documentary we hope to inspire other teachers to replicate the success of Lakes and Bridges, either inside the public school system, or by creating charter schools across the nation to address this serious failing by the public education system.