Why Ontario's 'Right to Read Inquiry' needs to broaden its recommendations

If teachers were to only address the skills, knowledge and referral protocols that Ontario's Human Rights Commission recommends, students wouldn't have essential knowledge to support their reading. (Shutterstock)

The release of the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) Right to Read Inquiry earlier this year calls for rethinking early literacy teaching in Ontario.

The inquiry examined how Ontario schools are meeting the needs of students with reading disabilities. The report relies heavily on a body of research that has been called the “science of reading,” a body of scholarship focused on learning phonics, word recognition skills, comprehension and vocabulary.