Each year, Dyslexia Canada’s Educational Excellence Awards recognize those making a meaningful difference in the lives of students with dyslexia. These awards celebrate educators who embrace evidence-based practices, prioritize early identification, and work to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn to read.
Pamela Guilbault has been named the 2025 recipient of the Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Award, a recognition she describes as “such an amazing honour” and “absolutely astounding.” A lifelong educator, Pamela brings both humility and insight into her work, and is known for her deep commitment to literacy and student success—qualities that set her apart and make her a truly deserving honoree.
Understanding that literacy is more than just reading, Pamela has led literacy transformation efforts across two provinces. “It’s the foundation for our children’s independence,” she says. “Without being able to be literate, competent, and confident, we’re doing our students, our children, and our future an injustice.” Her dedication stems from witnessing students’ internalized failure—something she finds deeply troubling. “That’s not just an academic response. That’s an emotional response… socially intrinsic to the psyche of children.”
Currently serving in the Catholic Independent Schools of the Nelson Diocese (CISND) in southeastern British Columbia, Pamela supports a diverse range of communities. “Our schools are 50% publicly funded, but they’re independent,” she explains, “that allows us a very unique ability to be quite agile and very deeply values-driven in how we deliver education.” This approach helps them move as a system without losing local, human connection, an element she sees as “critical to our literacy transformation.”
Her journey began in Alberta, where she served as a principal, deputy superintendent, and superintendent with Lakeland Catholic Schools. There, she faced a stark reality. “Over 50% of our students were struggling to read. And that was a statistic that was alarming, but also galvanizing.” During this time, Pamela began collaborating with Dr. George Georgiou of the University of Alberta to raise literacy scores across the Lakeland Catholic School Division, combining classroom instruction with universal screening and targeted pullout intervention programs.
Seeing incredible success at the northern Alberta school division became the catalyst for transformative literacy work, and the momentum Pamela carried into her current role in B.C. The literacy model is both data-driven and heart-centred, and requires dedicated educators. “You need to bring the right people to the table because you’re not going to be able to do it alone,” she says of her collaborative approach. By working with researchers, using universal screening, and identifying specific skill gaps, her teams tailor interventions for each student. These interventions are reinforced in the classroom through improved literacy instruction. “It’s an entire ecosystem where all layers are working together.”
The results speak volumes. In Alberta, the number of students reading below grade level in Grades 1 to 3 dropped from over 50% to under 20%. In B.C., even in just the first year, “our students had improved between 6 months to 3 years of growth,” says Pamela. But the impact goes beyond numbers. “We have students who are saying that reading out loud doesn’t make them feel bad about themselves or scared (anymore).”
Her work also transforms teaching practices. “Teachers are replacing where they were using instinct before, and now they’re using intention,” she says, adding, “Data starts conversations; it doesn’t end conversations.”
Through her leadership, Pamela continues to reshape literacy education in Canada, ensuring that every child, regardless of background or learning profile, has the tools and confidence to succeed. As she says, "No student should be left behind. We don’t have time to waste. Now is the time to focus on improving literacy and ensuring every child has the tools to succeed."
Dyslexia Canada wishes to express our deepest gratitude to Pamela for her work toward a more inclusive literacy program. Congratulations!