A student's inability to keep pace with the demands of the classroom can produce feelings of inadequacy, performance anxiety, depleted motivation, and even behavioral maladjustment. Too often, schools respond to such students with well-intentioned procedures or guidelines that fail to meet the needs of the thwarted learner. However, in recent years research in the neurosciences, psychology, education, and related fields has provided promising answers to the frustrating quandaries schools have faced when students are unable to keep pace in reading, writing, mathematics, and specific subject areas. In this article, the author describes the mechanisms underlying the kinds of common reading and writing deficiencies. The author discusses how the use of brain-based research helps to identify and treat these deficiencies.