About Us

Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery Supports Early Literacy Learning Across Canada

Established in 1993, the Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery is a charitable organization that works collaboratively with wide-ranging and diverse educational communities across Canada to implement Reading Recovery in their elementary schools.

Our Mission Statement: The Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery maintains high-quality implementations of Reading Recovery, IPLÉ and Literacy Lessons which demonstrate fidelity to a culturally responsive, specific model of teaching children, training educators, continually improving and collecting data across Canada.

We do this by:

  • monitoring and quality assurance through the Standards and Guidelines
  • delivering expert teaching that is individually designed, equitable and responsive to student strengths and needs
  • providing sustained, specialized professional development focused on complex theories of literacy learning
  • advancing the development of knowledge and practice based on research, data, and evidence

Through expert one on one teaching that supplements classroom instruction, Reading Recovery and IPLÉ serve children in Grade One who are most at risk in literacy learning.  Literacy Lessons serves children in Grades Two to Four who are most at-risk in literacy learning.

Teachers who are in a school where there is Reading Recovery can receive one year of intensive training to become a Reading Recovery trained teacher.  This training is provided by a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader.  Teacher Leaders are trained over the course of one year by one of five trainers located at training centres in Halifax, Thornhill, and Winnipeg.

Download a Reading Recovery Brochure to learn more.

Kids in a library

Proven Results

Over 30 years of national implementation demonstrates that 100% of Reading Recovery students improve, and 70% are reading and writing at or above Grade level  after just a few weeks of lessons, and that they maintain grade level in successive years, thus ensuring that all children learn to read and write.

Strategic Plan – 2021 to 2024

As we enter a post-pandemic period, the Board of Directors spent a few months reflecting on our work and planning for the future to develop a 3 year strategic plan.

In the planning, 4 strategic goals were developed:

  1. Differentiate ourselves through effective communications, advocacy and professional learning
  2. Deliver high quality, adaptable and culturally responsive early literacy interventions
  3. Develop a sustainable, resilient and dynamic organization equipped for change and ready for the next phase of history
  4. Draw upon data and research to cultivate change, create impact and increase awareness

A summary of the entire plan is available for download.

Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery® Board of Directors

President Wenda Dickens
Vice President Margaret Roberts
Treasurer James Samograd
Secretary Dee Dee Verlinde
Executive Director Donna Jean Forster Gill
Ontario Dr. Lyn Sharratt
Ontario Dr. Shelley Stagg Peterson
Manitoba Dr. Joe Stouffer
Nova Scotia Lisa Hoover
Manitoba Celia Caetano-Gomes
Ontario Susan Nelan
British Columbia Sallie Boschung
Ontario Lee Busnarda-DiFeo
Nova Scotia Yvette Heffernan
Manitoba Debra Mayer

Charitable Registration Number 139744973RR0001

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