An expression is obtained on the basis of phase perturbation theory for the contribution to the mean differential reflection coefficient from the in-plane co-polarized component of the light scattered diffusely from a two-dimensional randomly rough dielectric surface when the latter is illuminated by s-polarized light. This result forms the basis for an approach to inverting experimental light scattering data to obtain the normalized surface height autocorrelation function of the surface. Several parametrized forms of this correlation function, and the minimization of a cost function with respect to the parameters defining these representations, are used in the inversion scheme. This approach also yields the rms height of the surface roughness, and the dielectric constant of the dielectric substrate if it is not known in advance. The input data used in validating this inversion consists of computer simulation results for surfaces defined by exponential and Gaussian surface height correlation functions, without and with the addition of multiplicative noise, for a single or multiple angles of incidence. The reconstructions obtained by this approach are quite accurate for weakly rough surfaces, and the proposed inversion scheme is computationally efficient.