Commentary  Sept. 8 is International Literacy Day, and as we head into a new school year, it’s timely to reflect on the centrality of literacy in education. My wife teaches grade one, and, as with all primary teachers, one of the most critical aspects of her job is ensuring that her pupils become readers. Countless studies have shown that early literacy is the key to future academic success. As the American psychologist William James put the matter, “So it is with children who learn to read fluently and well: They begin to take flight into whole new worlds as effortlessly as young birds take to the sky.” To motivate her pupils, she uses a cleverly devised “Golden Apple” prize, a gold-colored metal bookmark in the shape of an apple. At the beginning of the year, she shows this glittering prize to her new class. She tells them it’s theirs to …