Dyslexia Canada Responds to Ontario's Education Minister, Stephen Lecce's, Funding Announcement
On April 16th, 2023, Alicia Smith, Executive Director of Dyslexia Canada was given the opportunity to respond to Minister Lecce’s press conference regarding the government of Ontario’s announcement to boost reading, writing and math skills in schools. Read Ms. Smith’s response here:
Every year for the past 20 years we have at least one third of students in Ontario leave high school without having reached the level of literacy they need to fully participate in the modern economy. That is one out of three students who are being shut out of life opportunities due to low literacy. Low literacy puts these young people at increased risk for many negative long-term outcomes, including under and unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and issues with mental health and addiction. We know from decades of data that racialize and indigenous students, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and students with disabilities like dyslexia are disproportionately impacted. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Research conducted in Canada and internationally, along with real results from classroom teachers right here in Ontario, clearly shows that if we change our approach we can improve outcomes. When schools align instruction with reading science, implement universal screening to identify children at risk for dyslexia and other causes of reading difficulties, and provided targeted early intervention starting in kindergarten, reading difficulties can be prevented for over 95% of all children.
We have had the information necessary to improve literacy outcomes for over 20 years. The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right-to-Read Inquiry was launched to discover why the Ontario Education system had yet to adopt current evidence-based best practices. The OHRC has provided a comprehensive set of recommendations for necessary changes at all levels in education, including the ministry, school boards, schools, and faculties of education.
Dyslexia Canada is encouraged that the government of Ontario has committed to implementing the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s recommendations. We see today’s funding announcement as a positive and necessary step that will help Ontario school boards shift their approach to early literacy to align with evidence-based practices.
I know many Ontario school boards and teachers that have made significant progress over the past several years in updating their practices to align with those outlined in the Right to Read recommendations. It is very exciting to see the data coming out of these classrooms and to hear about the positive impacts, not only in children’s reading ability, but also in their confidence, self-esteem, behaviour, and enthusiasm for reading and learning. There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that every child, in every school board, is provided with the instruction and support they need to get off to a good start with reading. With today’s announcement, we are one step closer to that goal.
I would like to thank Minster Lecce and his team for engaging with us in productive discussions over the past year. Dyslexia Canada remains committed to working collaboratively with all parties and stakeholders to ensure that the Right to Read recommendations are fully implemented.
Watch Minister Lecce’s announcement here. Alicia Smith, Executive Director at Dyslexia Canada speaks at 10:45.