For more than 20 years, Canada’s school system has not helped most kids learn to read. Now, parents all over the country are speaking out in shock. Kids are falling behind early, and many never catch up. By Grade 3, students who can’t read fluently often face ongoing struggles. Some drop out. Others deal with mental health issues like anxiety and depression. The COVID phase only made things worse, even in the education system. Now, with global literacy rates rising in places like Singapore and South Korea, Canada is not up to the mark as it should be. The big question is: will we finally fix this failed education system, or will we keep failing our kids? The time for action is now—and the solution starts with how we teach reading in early grades.
Reading Skills Are Low—And Still Not Fixed
Shockingly, this crisis has lasted over 20 years, while Canada’s literacy rates remain stuck. Most students who struggle early in reading continue struggling through high school. They fall further behind every year. These kids are also more likely to face risky behaviour, low self-worth, anxiety, and depression. Children who can’t read well by Grade 3 often fail to finish high school.
Pandemic Made a Bad Problem Even Worse
When COVID hit, school closures and online learning disturbed every planned educational programmed. Did it make things worse for struggling kids?
Yes—it did.
We may not have all the numbers yet, but we do have early signs. The Toronto District School Board found that reading scores in Grade 1 dropped 9 points for online learners and 3 points for those in class.
The Current Method of Teaching Reading Isn’t Learner-Oriented
We need to improve how we teach reading from Kindergarten to Grade 3. Without a new teaching strategy, Canadian students—and the country—will fall even further behind. The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read report (started before COVID) criticized how schools teach reading. It made 157 recommendations for change.
The report supports phonics—teaching kids to sound out words. Right now, many teachers use “three-cuing,” where students guess words using pictures and context. Guessing is not reading. Phonics is based on science. It works.
Reading Wars Are Over. It’s Time to Move Forward
The battle between phonics and “three-cuing” has gone on for 50 years. Enough is enough. We need a clear plan and full support for teachers and principals to shift how reading is taught. But change takes more than rules—it takes leadership. Schools must update how they work. Teachers need help learning advanced methods to keep in mind the educational psychology. Districts that succeed take 3 to 5 years to fully transform. Parents must also stay involved. When families help, kids learn faster.
Lowering the Bar Isn’t Support—it’s Sabotage.
Canada’s schools have confused equity with lowering standards. One example? Ontario’s “de-streamed” Grade 9 math. The goal was fairness—but the result? Strong students are uninterested. Average students still aren’t helped enough. Equity means giving every student what they need, not the same thing. We must raise the bar—but also give each learner the tools to reach it. High achievers need challenges. Struggling kids need support. Both can happen together.
Real Life Has Deadlines—So Should Schools
Let’s look at real school life: phones in class, distractions, and missed deadlines. Over 60% of teachers say phones harm focus. At the same time, students can often skip deadlines, ask for endless extensions, and retake work without penalty.
This sends the wrong message: that hard work and accountability don’t matter. But in real life, deadlines aren’t optional. Neither is effort. We must prepare kids for the real world—not protect them from it.
Will Canada Improve—Or Keep Falling Behind?
PISA test scores show we’re slipping. In 2022, Singapore scored 575 in math; Canada scored 497. In reading, Singapore hit 543; Canada, 507.
That’s not just a gap—it’s a warning.
The education system of any nation fuels the economy. When schools lower expectations, they fail to prepare kids for work, innovation, and leadership. Countries that aim for excellence are racing ahead. Canada must choose: raise standards and support students—or fall further behind.
