There is a wide gap between what research identifies as effective reading instruction and intervention and what is offered in most Ontario schools. We are working with local school boards and researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children to help bridge that gap and improve reading outcomes for struggling readers.

In spring 2022 the Ontario Human Rights Commission released the Right to Read Report. It found that Ontario’s public education system is failing students with reading disabilities (such as dyslexia) and many others, by not using evidence-based approaches to teaching reading. The report calls for system-wide changes to Ontario’s approach to literacy, including evidence-based structured-literacy instruction, universal screening and early and equitable access to evidence-based reading interventions and accommodations.

Working with the researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) we show the effectiveness of implementing evidence-based reading remediation (Empower^TM Reading) in community schools, one of the report’s key recommendations. We show that receiving Empower^TM Reading is associated with a long-term improvement to children’s reading skills.

We are also currently working with the Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) to help implement other key recommendations from the Right to Read report, including universal Kindergarten pre-reading screening.

Dr. Jan Frijters, Professor, Child and Youth Studies, Brock University

Dr. Maureen W. Lovett, Senior Associate Scientist Emeritus, Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Professor Emerita of Paediatrics and Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto