Leading Literacy Provider Debuts New Podcast Series

(Kaysville, UT, March 3, 2022) — Reading Horizons, a leading literacy provider, today launched a new podcast, Literacy Talks, hosted by three literacy champions: Stacy Hurst, an assistant professor at Southern Utah University and Chief Academic Officer at Reading Horizons; Donell Pons is a nationally recognized dyslexia specialist and speaker, and a noted expert in supporting learners with dyslexia, and their teachers; and Lindsay Kemeny, a dynamic second-grade teacher who holds a Structured Literacy Classroom Teacher Certification from the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI).

In each episode, this trio of literacy experts shares candid conversations about applying reading science to successful classroom practice. Along the way, they’ll share their own diverse experiences in a wide range of learning environments, working with students, parents, education leaders, and colleagues. They’ll tackle the complex and sometimes challenging topics that matter to teachers working every day in classrooms to boost literacy. Listeners will also have the opportunity to learn about the educators, researchers, and books that made a real difference for these three reading professionals, profoundly impacting their practices.

The series begins with episodes that unpack topics including sight words and high-frequency words, decodable texts, and what the hosts refer to as literacy pet peeves. Following these programs, Literacy Talks will feature strategies for applying reading science research to classroom practice, and connecting speech to print to build foundational literacy skills.

“Literacy Talks has been an exciting and fascinating project to be involved in. Reading Horizons’ new podcast is a conversation among friends. We bring our own unique brand of humor, hope, and humanity as we share practical strategies and powerful tips driven by our passion for teachers and students alike,” said Stacy Hurst, Chief Academic Officer at Reading Horizons.

Meet Your Hosts

Stacy Hurst

Stacy Hurst

Stacy Hurst has degrees in Sociology and Elementary Education and reading and has Advanced Reading and ESL Endorsements. In over twenty years as an educator, she has been a first-grade teacher, ELL teacher, literacy coach,reading specialist, and now university professor.. Her extensive experience includes teaching reading, coordinating interventions for struggling readers, coaching teachers, implementing blended learning, and training thousands of teachers on effective literacy instruction. Stacy is the Chief Academic Officer at Reading Horizons, is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Southern Utah University, and is the co-author of Reading Horizons Discovery®.

Donell Pons

Donell Pons

Donell Pons has a dual Master of Education and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees from Westminster College, where she received the Teacher of Tomorrow award. She is a widely recognized dyslexia presenter, consultant and reading tutor. Ms. Pons was a member of the taskforce that wrote the Utah Dyslexia Handbook. She holds a special education certification and has taught secondary Language Arts and worked at a charter school focusing on supporting students on the Autism spectrum. She is the mother of two children with dyslexia.
Lindsay Kemeny

Lindsay Kemeny

Lindsay Kemeny holds the Structured Literacy Classroom Teacher Certification from the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) and has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has been teaching at the elementary level for 11 years and currently teaches second grade. After her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and depression, she began her deep dive into effective literacy instruction. In addition to being a classroom teacher, Lindsay has served as a teacher mentor, reading interventionist, and presenter.
Reading Horizons invites educators everywhere to join the literacy conversation at #RHmomentum. The first episode of Literacy Talks is available now on all major platforms. Check out the podcasts webpage to learn more here.

About Reading Horizons

Reading Horizons supports educators with powerful tech-enabled foundational reading instruction that helps all students reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade. For nearly 40 years, the Reading Horizons method has aligned with the evolution of the science of reading, empowering over 50,000 educators with evidence-based teaching strategies that prevent and remediate reading difficulties. Reading momentum begins with Reading Horizons.

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