In the News: Student Success, Dyslexia,
Literacy & Workforce Readiness

Evidence-based programs rooted in structured literacy and phonological processing are the gold standard for dyslexia intervention. NOW! Programs® — specifically NOW! Foundations for Speech, Language, Reading and Spelling® — is supported by NICHD-funded randomized controlled trials demonstrating measurable gains in reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Students have advanced multiple grade levels within months of starting intensive instruction.

Yes. NOW! Programs® delivers evidence-based, high-dosage literacy intervention entirely online for students ages 5–75. A 2022 University of South Carolina doctoral study documented large to very large effect sizes in phonological processing and reading outcomes using the online delivery model — making it one of the few programs with peer-reviewed evidence for virtual instruction specifically.

Yes — and the research supports it. Neuroplasticity means the brain retains the capacity to build new reading pathways at any age. NOW! Programs® serves learners from age 5 through adult, and the same intervention that helps children has produced documented gains for teenagers and adults who were never effectively taught to read. Workforce outcomes, academic re-entry, and career advancement have all been documented among adult completers.

The Science of Reading is the body of research — spanning cognitive science, linguistics, and neurology — that explains how skilled reading develops and what instruction works for students who struggle. It underpins state-level literacy mandates now active in more than 40 states. NOW! Programs® methods are fully aligned with Science of Reading principles and were validated through NICHD-funded research before the term entered mainstream education policy.

Most tutoring programs build on reading skills; NOW! Programs® builds the neurological foundation beneath them. The intervention targets phonological processing, working memory, and auditory-visual integration — the root causes most commonly associated with dyslexia and persistent reading difficulties. The research sequence behind the program began in 1989, was first published in 1991 in the Annals of Dyslexia, and was validated through randomized controlled trials funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Yes. NOW! Programs® has been approved for use in school systems across multiple states including Missouri, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and Connecticut. The programs are also eligible under Education Savings Account (ESA) and homeschool funding in qualifying states. School leaders can review the full school partnership resources here.