Foundations First: A Shift from Effort to Impact

It started with a quiet truth many educators have carried for years:

We are working incredibly hard… but for some students, it’s still not enough.

For Resource Teachers especially, this wasn’t a criticism of their work—it was a reflection of it. After countless hours supporting students, moving them forward, and refining interventions, a question began to surface:

What if the issue isn’t effort—but alignment?

That question is what brought hundreds of educators together for

Foundations First: Empowering Teachers for Equitable Language and Literacy.

Educators from across Quebec came together for Foundations First, representing all nine English school boards, the Cree, Kativik, and Littoral School Boards, the Kahnawà:ke Education Center, members of the Quebec Association of Independent Schools, and the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec.

This conference was made possible through the leadership of SNNAP, with the support of ACES , ISN, and LEARN. In the absence of a provincial ALDI coordinator, a dedicated SNNAP subcommittee was formed to ensure that Resource Teachers across Quebec continued to receive meaningful, system-level support.

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Literacy sits at the heart of everything.

It shapes how students access learning, express ideas, and see themselves as capable learners. And yet, too many students—especially those who struggle most—are not experiencing success that lasts beyond the resource room.

This conference wasn’t about adding more programs or strategies.

It was about stepping back and asking:

• What does effective literacy instruction actually look like?

• How do we ensure it reaches every classroom?

• And how do we build systems where success is designed—not left to chance?

  
  

Across two days, one message came through clearly:

It’s not where support happens—it’s how it happens.

Speakers and sessions grounded us in what decades of research have shown:

• Explicit, systematic instruction matters

• Reading, writing, and oral language are deeply connected

• Spelling, vocabulary, and word structure are essential—not optional

But perhaps the biggest shift was this:

Special education should not be solely defined by placements or labels but by the quality and effectiveness of the instruction students receive. This is the foundation of a strong Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework and the science of reading.

Another powerful theme emerged:

Too often, student success depends on luck—the right teacher, the right moment, the right support.

This conference challenged us to imagine something different:

• Schools where needs are identified early

• Systems that respond quickly and intentionally

• Teams that work in alignment rather than isolation

In other words, moving from pockets of excellence to coherent, school-wide impact.

Feedback from Participants

We asked participants what mattered most, and the answers were clear:

• Practical strategies they can use tomorrow

• Clear connections between research and classroom practice

• A deeper understanding of how reading really develops

• Support for implementation

But beyond the strategies, something else stood out:

A renewed confidence in the power of teacher knowledge.

Because while tools and programs matter, it is the expertise and decisions of educators that make the difference.

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Resources from the conference

All of the sessions from the conference were recorded and can be accessed here.

The working committee also compiled a list of helpful print resources:

MTSS & School Improvement

1. Reading Assessment Done Right – Stollar & Winn

2. MTSS for Reading Improvement – Stollar & Brown

3. Harnessing the Science of Learning – Nathaniel Swain

4. There’s Research for That – Heidi Anne Mesmer

Inclusive Practices

1. 7 Mighty Moves – Lindsay Kemeny

2. Explicit Instruction – Archer & Hughes

3. Apprendre autrement, réussir pleinement – Madore & Minor‑Corriveau

Word Reading: Morphology, Spelling, Phonics, Orthography, & Vocabulary

1. Making Words Stick – Molly Ness & Katie Pace Miles

2. Big Words for Young Readers (K–5) – Heidi Mesmer

3. The Megabook of Spelling (K–2) – Wiley Blevins

4. The Megabook of Spelling (3–5) – Wiley Blevins

Fluency, Comprehension, and Writing

1. Yes, Genre Makes a Difference – Larry Swartz

2. Think Big With Think Alouds – Molly Ness

3. The Megabook of Fluency – Rasinski & Cheeseman Smith

4. Foundational Skills for Writing – Meehan & Roberts

5. To Read Stuff You Have to Know Stuff – Kelly Gallagher

Secondary

1. The Essentials of Adolescent Literacy – Joan Sedita

2. Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers – Doug Fisher

Evidence-based Interventions

1. Small Groups, Big Results – Julia Lindsey

2. Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction – Smartt & Glaser

3. Reading Isn’t Optional – Jeanne Schopf (Secondary Students)

A Final Thought

At its core, Foundations First was about belief:

• That every student can learn to read

• That systems can be redesigned

• And that educators, working together, can create lasting change

Because when instruction is strong, aligned, and intentional…

equity in literacy stops being an aspiration—and becomes a reality