The following is sponsored content from WYO Right to Read.
Across Wyoming, families, educators, advocates, the Department of Education, Professional Teacher Standards Board and the University of Wyoming are rallying behind a single, urgent goal: ensuring that every child has the right to read. During September (National Literacy Month and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month) and October (Dyslexia Awareness Month), five members of WYO Right to Read — a nonprofit advocacy group — shared their stories and hopes for a future where reading is not a privilege, but a promise.
Gay Wilson, a retired educator and former reading intervention specialist, a director of WYO Right to Read, and Founding Director of Philanthropy with The Reading League Wyoming, reminds us that nearly 48 million adults nationwide cannot read above a third-grade level.
“Literacy is not just an educational issue — it’s a matter of equity, opportunity and human dignity,” Wilson said. She called on Wyoming to lead the nation through early screening, structured literacy instruction and evidence-based teacher training. “Wyoming has the heart, the grit and the vision to make literacy equity our legacy,” she said.
Chandel Pine, founder of Paul’s Mountain Advocacy for Literacy and a director of WYO Right to Read, brings deeply personal motivation to the cause. Her son, Paul — bright, funny and kind — struggled to read and was later identified as likely dyslexic, revealing how invisible reading difficulties can be. In fifth grade, Paul died by suicide.
“We cannot separate education from prevention or literacy from life,” Pine said. “When we fail to teach a child to read, we risk their confidence, their inclusion and sometimes their life. Literacy saves lives.”
Annie McGlothlin, co-founder and a director of WYO Right to Read, shares how her grandson spent years in special education without learning to read until private testing revealed dyslexia. “It shouldn’t take lawyers and heartbreak to secure a child’s right to read,” she said. “Every student with dyslexia deserves at least one hour a day of structured literacy from a trained teacher. That’s not optional — it’s essential.”
Kari Roden, founder of Bloom Literacy Solutions, co-founder of WyLit, board member with the International Dyslexia Association–Rocky Mountain Branch and a director of WYO Right to Read, advocates for teachers as much as students. “Most educators were never taught the Science of Reading in college,” Roden said. “Our goal isn’t to criticize them — it’s to equip them. When teachers are empowered with evidence-based training, everyone wins.”
Megan Hesser, parent, a director of WYO Right to Read, founder of Hesser Literacy Partners and Parents of Wyoming Readers (PoWR) speaks to the knowledge gap around dyslexia. Her son’s struggles were dismissed for years as immaturity or lack of effort. “They didn’t know,” she said. “But now we do — and we must act.”
Hesser joins WYO Right to Read, in supporting draft legislation that would ensure every Wyoming student is screened early and taught using structured literacy grounded in the Science of Reading.
Together, these voices deliver a single message: literacy transforms lives.
WYO Right to Read offers a library of comprehensive resources and advocacy tools — including draft legislation, templates for communicating with school districts, Joint Education Committee contact information, inclusive guidance on students’ educational rights and information on recognizing dyslexia and related learning difficulties — all available at WyoRightToRead.org.
Now is the time to act. A generation of children not taught to read is no longer sustainable or acceptable. This coming year is a budget year, which means Wyoming’s literacy legislation will require a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate. Your voice is powerful, and it matters. Contact members of the Joint Education Committee and your local legislators, and urge them to support literacy for every Wyoming student by passing the Language and Literacy Instruction, Assessment and Intervention Bill in its entirety. Contact information is available at WyoRightToRead.org.
“Learning to read is a fundamental right — a legal right — not a privilege,” McGlothlin said. “Together, Wyoming can and should lead the way.”
About WYO Right to Read:
WYO Right to Read is a nonprofit organization that helped form a statewide coalition of educators, state administrators, parents and advocates working to ensure that every child in Wyoming receives instruction grounded in the Science of Reading. Through advocacy, appropriate training and community partnerships, the organization aims to close literacy gaps and make reading a right for all. Visit WyoRightToRead.org for more information.
