Interview w/ Pam Kastner

Pam Kastner, Ed.D., is an educational consultant at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) in Harrisburg, where she serves as the State Lead Consultant for Literacy. Pam currently co-leads Pennsylvania’s Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot Program extension and expansion for PaTTAN. In addition, she is part of a research team investigating the impact of explicit instruction in advanced phonemic awareness on student literacy outcomes. She serves on the statewide Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) team working extensively in the area of literacy, effective instruction, formative assessment, and professional learning communities. She has served in a number of leadership capacities at the district level and served as a Pennsylvania Distinguished Educator for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Pam is a certified Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) trainer and a certified reading specialist. Pam also has the honor of serving as the President of The Reading League Pennsylvania.

Today’s sponsor is Reading Horizons. Reading Horizons programs deliver proven supplemental core literacy instruction, based on the science of reading. The Reading Horizons podcast, named Podclassed, takes a deep dive into learning-focused topics such as structured literacy, social-emotional learning, dyslexia, and ed-tech with host, Laura Axtell—an educator and trainer with over 26 years of experience in instructional and administrative settings. Visit readinghorizons.com/podcast to learn more.

Further Learning/Resources from Dr. Kastner

• Pam Kastner’s Comprehensive Literacy Collection
• Emily Hanford’s APM Reports
• The Reading League Pennsylvania

Pam’s Picks

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
• Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann