In Spring 2025, BCTF Research held focus groups with teachers from across the province to discuss literacy in BC schools. A diverse group of teachers, who are committed and passionate about seeing their students develop strong literacy skills, provided insights into their experiences, as well as suggestions for how BC’s K-12 education system can endeavour to meet all students’ literacy needs.
What teachers told us
New teachers can feel unprepared to teach reading when they enter the classroom, and attribute this to critical gaps in their pre-service teacher preparation programs pertaining to literacy instruction.
Teachers are often left to learn about literacy on their own, spending a considerable amount of personal time and funds to build knowledge and capacity in literacy instruction to better address their students’ needs.
Sourcing and purchasing classroom literacy resources often falls on teachers, as funding for curricular supports and resources can vary by district. This adds to teachers’ workload and results in inequitable financial burden.
Inadequate staffing and insufficient budgets impact literacy instruction, interventions and support as teachers try to meet students’ needs with fewer human and material resources.
What teachers say they need
Teachers described multiple systemic changes to supporting literacy instruction and improving students’ learning conditions.
Strengthen pre-service teacher literacy preparation by providing teacher candidates with a deeper understanding of foundational literacy concepts and opportunities to develop robust instructional strategies.
Fund ongoing and accessible professional learning opportunities so any teacher may deepen their literacy knowledge and practice throughout their career.
Provide universal access to vetted literacy resources to reduce individual teachers’ workload and out of pocket spending while ensuring the resources used for professional and student learning meet place- and research-based standards for BC classrooms.
Increase prep, collaboration, and administrative time provisions, so that teachers have the time to plan for and respond to their students’ diverse literacy needs in collaboration with colleagues.
Invite critical conversations about teachers’ professional autonomy in the context of literacy policy and practice, ensuring teachers have opportunities to inform system decision-making, access professional learning, and engage in collegial dialogue.
Practice collaborative leadership and transparent communication at school, district, and union levels to provide guidelines and meaningful supports that navigate teachers’ deeply-held perspectives and commitments about literacy pedagogies.
Universal early literacy screening: Opportunities and cautions
As the Ministry of Education and Child Care’s early literacy screening initiative rolls out in the 2025-26 school year, teachers expressed support for screening but pointed to the need to acknowledge the time and staffing required for meaningful implementation. Teachers also hoped screening would serve not as an empty exercise in data collection, but as a process for driving appropriate support to students.
To view the full report, click here.
BCTF Research would like to thank the BCTF members who participated in Research on the Road focus groups on literacy instruction. Your time and contributions are deeply appreciated.