Each year, Dyslexia Canada’s Educational Excellence Awards recognize individuals 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 tirelessly to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn to read.
Serving a geographically vast and diverse region in Ontario that includes Peterborough, Cobourg, Clarington, and the City of Kawartha Lakes, the PVNCCDSB supports over 15,000 students from kindergarten to grade 12. Sheila Piggott, the Superintendent of Learning at the board, and Lindsay Bowen, a literacy consultant, have spent the past three years spearheading a transformative literacy initiative deeply rooted in the science of reading and proactive system change.
Preceding the release of the Right to Read report and well before provincial directives, Sheila and Lindsay committed to changing how literacy was taught and supported in their schools. “We knew the Right to Read was coming, but more importantly, we knew we could do better for our students,” Sheila shared. Their mission started with strategic investments by shifting tutoring funds toward hiring literacy coaches who worked directly in classrooms, modelling instruction and supporting educators in real time.
This in-class support became the cornerstone of their initiative. A fantastic team of coaches followed a gradual release model, which involved modelling instruction, co-teaching, and empowering classroom teachers to lead with confidence. It wasn’t about temporary fixes. It was about building capacity and changing literacy culture from the ground up.
One of the most impressive aspects of their work has been their system-wide approach to screening and early intervention. Every K–2 student in the board is screened twice yearly using evidence-based tools. Teachers are released to conduct these assessments while literacy coaches deliver classroom instruction using pre-developed lesson plans, ensuring continuity and instructional time are never lost.
Lindsay credits the initiative’s success to strategic collaboration with expert teachers throughout the grades and between the school board’s departments, most notably Special Education. For example, Sheila brought together a team that included special education leaders, psychometrists, speech-language pathologists, and classroom educators. “We were building a shared understanding of literacy assessment and intervention. That collaborative space was crucial,” Lindsay explained.
The impact of this work is not only measurable but deeply human. Coaches who have returned to the classroom now serve as literacy leaders in their schools. French Immersion teachers, often underserved in literacy reform, and dedicated French coaches have tailored resources and offered support. Both Sheila and Lindsay would say that it has been inspirational to see the support of our principals and how quickly educators in both elementary and secondary have shifted their practice to align more readily with structured literacy. For this reason, every decision has been guided by a central question: What do our educators need to help every child learn to read? As Lindsay reflected, “We’re just trying to make every day a little bit better for students.” It’s clear they’ve done far more than that—they’ve changed the trajectory of literacy learning for thousands of children.
Dyslexia Canada applauds Sheila and Lindsay for their visionary leadership, bold decision-making, and unwavering commitment to equity in education. Their efforts have elevated their board and helped set a new standard across the province.