Nancy Wise, Ph.D.

Available now on the ACPI website! Members can access this Recherches en bref, a research summary focused on struggling readers in the French immersion program. Check it out!

dyslexiacanada.org/dyslexia-and...

French Immersion - Dyslexia Canada Families often have important questions about how learning to read in French, and sometimes in both French and English at the same time, affects their child’s

BREAKING NEWS! Dyslexia Canada now has a dedicated space on its website for French Immersion families with children who have #reading difficulties or diagnosed reading disabilities like #dyslexia. Check out the FAQs that address concerns often raised by families. dyslexiacanada.org/support/fren...

Episode 9: Dispelling the Myths of FSL and Special Needs Learning Podcast Episode · “French Footprints: FSL in the Early Years” · 2025-07-21 · 26m

Is dual language learning too difficult for children with special education needs? Dr. Fred Genesee weighs in on this podcast, “Dispelling the Myths of French as a Second Language and Special Needs Learning:” podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/f...

(PDF) Biliteracy for bilingual children with reading impairment PDF | On Sep 25, 2025, Dianne Macdonald and others published Biliteracy for bilingual children with reading impairment | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Study finds that beliefs that limit biliteracy for students with reading disabilities are unjustified: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

A 3-year longitudinal investigation of the overlap and stability of English and French word reading difficulties in French immersion children | Request PDF Request PDF | A 3-year longitudinal investigation of the overlap and stability of English and French word reading difficulties in French immersion children | Extensive research has demonstrated the im...

To identify FRENCH IMMERSION students with reading disabilities or impairments, assessment should include tests of word reading accuracy and fluency in both English and French: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

In 2019, I was invited by Kathryn Garforth, Ph.D., founder of Garforth Education, to write this guest post: www.garfortheducation.com/french-immer...

Just finished a presentation for the ALCDSB entitled “Including All Learners in French Immersion.” By sharing research evidence, I tried to debunk the belief that FI is ‘unsuitable’ for struggling readers, multilingual learners, & students with developmental disabilities. 🤓

This new Parent Handbook was created by the team at Dyslexia Canada with parents in mind - those with children who are struggling with reading in the English program & in French immersion. Download it here: drive.google.com/file/d/1HB0o...

Son-au-graphe & CBE Structured Literacy Lessons, that are research-based & help students overcome their reading difficulties. And we have French progress monitoring resources to give teachers feedback on the effectiveness of their reading instruction so that adjustments can be made, if needed. 🙌🙌

On this, National French Immersion Day, we should celebrate the progress that’s been made to support at-risk readers in the immersion program! We now have standardized screening tools in French & English that can identify at-risk readers early on. We also have French structured literacy programs,

I’m attending IDA Ontario‘s Navigating Dyslexia Family Conference. Who else is planning to attend? Let’s connect!

FI Leave Here Tomorrow: Improving... | ERA This paper presents a synthesis of the literature on inclusion in French immersion (FI) programs in Canada from the last 20 years. A lens...

This 2025 paper identifies key approaches to make Canada’s French immersion program more inclusive: era.library.ualberta.ca/items/761d1b...

An excellent episode! I would have liked @j-metsala.bsky.social to include the frustrations of families of struggling readers in French immersion, reported during the Ontario Human Rights Commission Inquiry. So many said their kids were refused support of any kind (pp. 100, 336).

Ask the Educator: Benefits of registering your child in immersion programs | Watch News Videos Online Watch Ask the Educator: Benefits of registering your child in immersion programs Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

Dr. Sarah Fedoration joins Global News to discuss the benefits of immersion programs and why they’re such a great choice for families. She also debunks many of the misconceptions about immersion programs: globalnews.ca/video/110904...

Link for teachers: carletonu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Link for parents: carletonu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Check out the Featured Article in Réflexions by Dr. Tamara Sorenson Duncan and colleagues entitled, "Research Summary: Including Students with Additional Learning Needs in French Immersion."

Bilingualism: Fact vs. Fiction

Cammarata & Fedoration’s article (2024) focuses on student retention in FRENCH IMMERSION. The authors underscore the impact of attrition on the sustainability of FI & offer recommendations to reduce attrition during transition periods from Gr.3 to Gr.4, Gr.6 to Gr.7, & middle school to high school.

Multilingual Learners in Canadian French Immersion Programs: Looking Back and Moving Forward | The Canadian Modern Language Review French immersion (FI) programs in Canada have historically served predominantly Canadian-born, English-speaking students and families in their endeavour to learn both of the country’s official languages, French and English. However, FI programs are becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse as a result of increased global migration to Canada, and many newcomer, multilingual families are interested in providing official-language bilingual education opportunities for their children. The present article is a hybrid literature review and reflection article pertaining to multilingual learners in FI programs. The first section presents a synthesis of post-millennial research (2000-present) according to the following four areas of inquiry: (a) language education policy, (b) educator perspectives, (c) motivation, and (d) achievement. Subsequently, the second section introduces two emerging areas for future research: (a) intersections of race, migration, and language; and (b) plurilingual education. The article seeks not only to summarize recent research with respect to multilingual learners in FI programs but also to set the stage for important and timely areas of future research and to promote more inclusive and equitable FI programs in Canada.

1. “Multilingual learners in Canadian French immersion programs: Looking back and moving forward”

In this literature review, I synthesize recent scholarship with multilingual learners in French immersion programs and propose new areas for future research.

New FRENCH IMMERSION research (Shakory, 2024): In order to ensure accuracy of a “struggling reader” identification, reading difficulties should be continually assessed & monitored in L1 (English) & L2 (French), as reading difficulties manifest earlier in the L1. utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/c...

Welcoming French immersion researchers to our French Immersion Community Starter Pack! Please join us!

Dyslexia, Bilingualism, and Learning a Second Language Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. Yet we know very little about it when two or more languages are involved.

“Will my FRENCH IMMERSION dyslexic child struggle to learn to read in both French and English?” Parents often pose this question prior to withdrawing their child from the FI program, hoping that a switch to English will be the answer. This is rarely the case. www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/life...

Our French Immersion Community on Bluesky is growing! Thanks to all of you for joining. Please reach out to FI researchers, parents & caregivers, school principals, VPs, teachers, and support staff. We need a place where we can come together to discuss FI topics of interest to all of us.

Yes, early screening in K-2 is now mandated in Ontario. This, in combination with structured literacy instruction & access to reading interventions, will hopefully reduce the number of struggling readers who end up switching to the regular English program.

(PDF) A school-based phonological awareness intervention for struggling readers in early French immersion PDF | The current intervention study investigated the sustained effectiveness of phonological awareness training on the reading development of 16... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ...

Parents often pull their children out of FRENCH IMMERSION (FI) when they’re struggling with reading; however, if we identify at-risk readers in K/Gr.1 and provide evidence-based reading interventions, many could overcome their difficulties and remain in FI: www.researchgate.net/publication/...