Reading - A fundamental Human Right NOT accessible for ALL children.

Canadians need to take an honest hard look at their failing educational system.

Research in reading clearly demonstrates that popular approaches such as Guided Reading and Balanced Literacy, are not effective for teaching ALL students to read. Our current EDUCATION system does not focus on the decoding skills struggling readers need to succeed.

Let’s stop the “Wait to Fail” model. Structured Literacy explicitly teaches systematic word-recognition/decoding strategies. These strategies benefit ALL students and are vital for those with dyslexia.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) recently published a compelling report entitled ‘Right to Read’, which focuses on human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities. Learning to read is a basic, essential human right.

The solutions and recommendations presented by OHRC are applicable to every province and territory. Concurrently, Alberta revamped their ELA curriculum, Manitoba’s Human Rights Commission is releasing a similar report on the state of reading instruction, and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission initiated a systemic initiative to investigate systemic barriers for students with reading disabilities.  

It is time for Canada to step up and take action. Our children deserve a fighting chance. Every child has the right to the best instruction based on the research of the science of reading. Research shows that when the right systems (approaches - based on scientific evidence) are put in place, 95% of children can learn to read. 

We have the knowledge and data that support the best reading practices. It is time Canadians take a stance in helping its future generation become proficient lifelong learners.  A child’s chances of reading success should not be determined by the province they live in.

‘When you know better, you do better’ Maya Angelou.  Let’s do better for our children!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash