The authors point out that while official language minority education rights are protected by the Charter and the Official Languages Act, the provision of quality education for minority Francophones remains a challenge. Adult literacy assessments show that Francophone adults in minority-language contexts have weaker literacy skills than their majority-language counterparts.

Fostering stronger literacy development in minority-language contexts requires efforts on several fronts, including at home, at school and within the wider community, the authors note.

They call for an educational approach that makes the family, school and community partners in student learning; helps students become motivated to maintain their language and culture; and cultivates students’ awareness of the challenges of living in minority situations.