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Pam Allyn

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American literacy expert and author
Pam Allyn
Born (1963-01-31) January 31, 1963 (age 61)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationAuthor
Literacy Expert
Alma materAmherst College (BA)
Teachers College, Columbia University (MA)
Period1984 – present
Spouse Jim Allyn ​(m. 1988)​
Website
pamallyn.com

Pamela Krupman Allyn (born January 31, 1963) is an American literacy expert and author. She is the founder and CEO of Dewey, a learning program and platform built to strengthen the home-school bridge and support parents and caregivers in helping their children in the classroom and beyond. Allyn founded LitWorld, a global literacy initiative, and LitLife, a consulting group working with schools to enrich best-practice teaching methods and build curricula for reading and writing. She has worked extensively and independently as a social impact and education strategist.

Allyn is the author of 27 books and over 100 book chapters and articles on children’s literary advocacy, childhood development, and educational trends. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah Radio, The Huffington Post, CNN International, and in The New York Times, among others.

Allyn previously served as a spokesperson for BIC Kids, championing BIC's 2014 "Fight For Your Write" campaign.

Early life

Allyn was born in New York City and raised in Scarsdale, N.Y. She received her undergraduate degree in English from Amherst College in 1984, where she studied under Professor Barry O’Connell.

Career Beginnings and LitLife

After graduating college, Allyn spent one year as a second-grade teacher in Washington, D.C., a year she refers to “often in work and in foundations for all programs” and the foundation for her passion for children’s advocacy. She pursued her Master’s in Deaf Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, graduating in 1988. Allyn continued to teach in the New York City Public Schools system and served as the Director of Funded Projects for The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project for nearly a decade after graduation, where she worked alongside NYC schoolteachers as a coach and literacy leader.

Allyn’s departure from Teachers College led to her founding the program Books for Boys in 1999 at The Children's Village, the nation's largest residential treatment center for foster care children. Allyn shared in a 2003 interview that she wanted the boys at The Children’s Village “to know that whatever experience they’re having, they can read about it. They can find a book that relates to that experience; they can write their own stories about it. Anything can become an opportunity to create or find a good story.” As of 2023, the program is open to all genders and now operates under Open Door. The program has been acclaimed for its innovative efforts on behalf of at-risk youth and has been replicated in other foster care agencies. Allyn founded LitLife in 2002 with her husband, Jim Allyn, and now operates across 13 states and 18 countries. LitLife works with charter and public schools throughout the United States and Latin America, conducting teacher training, professional development, curriculum design, and content review to improve reading and writing programs. LitLife's primary focus is consulting in schools and building flexible K-12 literary achievement frameworks to help exceed national learning standards.

International Advocacy and LitWorld

Allyn founded LitWorld in 2007, a non-profit focused on cultivating global literacy leaders through transformational literacy experiences. The organization develops adaptable programs that promote leadership and strengthen children and their communities. In a 2013 interview with News 4 New York, Allyn shared, “We started LitWorld in the spirit that all children deserve the right to read and write, no matter where they live, no matter where they’ve come from or are going to; everybody can use literacy for their own dreams…it’s one of those causes that everybody can belong to.”

LitWorld's LitClub and LitCamp programs, which run during the school year and out-of-school times, were developed to empower emerging leaders, storytellers, and academic achievers. The program’s success led to the development of the 7 Strengths Framework, which became the basis for LitWorld’s activities. “The 7 Strengths vision sets us on a path to a new era,” says Allyn, “where we come together to help every student achieve independence, purpose, and joy, every one of them” (Allyn & Morrell, 2015, p.5).

In 2010, Allyn and LitWorld established World Read Aloud Day (WRAD), an advocacy day focusing on the right to read and write. The idea came from a LitClub child who asked his teacher, “Why can’t we create a birthday party for the read-aloud?” LitWorld launched the program in partnership with Scholastic, with Allyn stating that “the best, most successful initiatives in education happen when we listen to the voices of children.” The event is hosted on the first Wednesday of February, with live celebrations, virtual read-alouds, book lists, at-home activities, and read-a-thons with readers reporting worldwide. World Read Aloud Day is celebrated by over 90 million people in 170 countries and 50 states. Allyn remained part of the LitWorld team as the Executive Director until 2017. As of 2020, LitWorld has reached over 1.12 million children across more than 30 countries worldwide.

Women and Girls’ Advocacy

Knowing the importance of literacy culture in children's lives and seeing the positive impact LitClubs had on their communities, Allyn and the LitWorld team created a Girls LitClub Initiative in Kisumu, Kenya, in the summer of 2011, with over 100 girls in attendance at the first Girls LitClub meeting. LitClubs specific to girls were launched in Ghana, Nepal, Uganda, and India, building community, friendships, and the tools needed for innovation. Allyn described the importance of the clubs as “life and death work.”.

Pam Allyn and a LitWorld student hug each other in Kisumu, Kenya in 2011.
Allyn with a LitClub student in Kisumu, Kenya in 2011

She noted, “The girls in LitWorld’s LitClubs read and write to find out who they are, to see that stories can inspire them, and make them feel less alone. They can read and write to look out at the world, to imagine it as a possibility for themselves and for their families. Through these programs, the world becomes a hopeful place.”

In response to the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of Resolution 66/170, Allyn and LitWorld launched Stand Up for Girls in 2012, a worldwide rally in recognition of the International Day of the Girl. Each year on October 11th, LitWorld clubs conduct empowerment activities, talk about the girls and women that inspire them, and help them become leaders in their communities. At noon in their time zones, celebrants are asked to rise as they can to symbolically stand for girls’ rights. LitWorld celebrates International Day of the Girl annually and often uses the time to highlight girls in LitClubs worldwide.

LitWorld collaborated with Global G.L.O.W (Girls Leading Our World), a non-profit creating mentorship programs for girls’ self-advocacy and community building, to create the Global HerStory Summit in 2016. The summit took place each International Women’s Day at different locations in the United States in 2016, 2017, and 2018, allowing girls and women from across Global G.L.O.W and LitWorld programs to meet, collaborate, and share their experiences. The initial summit in New York City involved 90 girls ages 10-16 and 49 mentors from 10 countries, and a standing-room-only audience of 300. The two organizations continued collaborating on the HerStory Campaign through 2018, hosting conversations with UN Women and other leading girls’ advocacy groups.

Publisher Partnerships

Allyn’s publishing partnership with Scholastic began when she released her first book, The Complete 4 for Literacy, in 2007. Several of her works, including Best Books for Boys (2011) and Every Child a Super Reader (2015, 2022), were launched through their publishing house. Scholastic designated her as the Global Ambassador for Scholastic's "Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life." campaign for the 2012-13 academic year, advocating for reading and access to books on all platforms, and as the National Ambassador for Open a World of Possible from 2015 to 2018. Allyn was also a frequent guest contributor to the Scholastic On Our Minds Blog, sharing the importance of listening to children and their needs for creating effective learning curricula. Upon Scholastic’s purchase of LitCamp and its licensing from LitWorld in 2016, LitCamp programs were expanded to include millions of children worldwide. Allyn joined Scholastic full-time as their Senior Vice President of Innovation and Business Development from 2018 to 2020. Allyn also collaborated with Pearson by creating the “Core Ready” instructional framework to help schools meet the Common Core educational standards. The books were utilized in partnership with LitLife to help implement the common core standards in schools. Allyn is also a co author on the widely used ReadyGen Program in partnership with Pearson.

Entrepreneurship and Dewey Inc.

Allyn founded Dewey with the support of her longtime collaborator and co-author, Dr. Ernest Morrell, after recognizing that children were not returning to in-person classes “whole or healthy” following the COVID-19 Lockdowns. Building upon her research and program implementation, Allyn spearheaded the creation of the Dewey Family Learning Hub, an online learning support platform for school districts and families. This resource provides PreK-12 parents and caregivers with accessible, expert-created content to support them in fostering their children’s academic growth and personal well-being. Dewey then launched MathCamp, a PreK-Grade 8 mathematics program, co-authored with renowned mathematics educator Mike Flynn. The program operates in public school districts to accelerate summer mathematics and STEAM learning, providing support and meaningful learning experiences that benefit all children.

Selected Books

Year Title Publisher ISBN Notes
2007 The Complete 4 For Literacy Scholastic 9780439026444 Written debut. Provides an organizational framework, detailed models, lessons and practical support for mapping and building grade-specific curricula.
2008 The Complete Year in Reading and Writing Scholastic 9780545046336 Second author; co-authored with Karen McNally. Lesson sets. Provides one year of monthly units of study focusing on four essentials of reading and writing.
2009 What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child - and All the Best Times to Read Them Penguin Books 9781583333341 A book for parents, teachers, and caregivers celebrating the power of reading aloud with children.
2010 The Great Eight: Management Strategies for the Reading and Writing Classroom Scholastic 9780545173537 First author; co-authored with Jaime Margolies and Karen McNally. Maximizing classroom productivity with management tactics.
2011 Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways that Will Change Their Lives Scholastic 9780545204552 The “must-read titles” for even the “most reluctant readers.” Addresses the challenges boys face as readers and assists parents and caregivers in making sure boys read passionately.
2011 Your Child's Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age National Geographic Books 9781583334393 Utilizes the "five keys" to help kids W.R.I.T.E.: Word Power, Ritual, Independence, Time, and Environment.
2012 Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving the Common Core State Standards Pearson 9780132907460 Lesson sets. From LitLife’s Core Ready collaboration with Pearson.
2015 The Road to Knowledge: Information and Research Pearson 9780132907514 Lesson sets. From LitLife’s Core Ready collaboration with Pearson.
2015 Every Child a Super Reader: 7 Strengths to Open a World of Possible Scholastic 9780545948715 First author; co-authored with Dr. Ernest Morrell. Utilizes LitWorld’s 7 Strengths Framework to build a learning lifestyle and help children experience “bookjoy.”
2017 Taming the Wild Text: Literacy Strategies for Today's Reader Shell Education 9781425816964 First author; co-authored with Monica Burns. Focuses on building critical habits to support a lifelong love and connection with reading.
2022 Tell Your Story: Teaching Students to Become World-Changing Thinkers and Writers Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 9781416631521 First author; co-authored with Dr. Ernest Morrell. Shares “principles and strategies to help students use their own stories.”
2022 Every Child a Super Reader, 2nd Edition: 7 Strengths for a Lifetime of Independence, Purpose, and Joy Scholastic 9781338832341 First author; co-authored with Dr. Ernest Morrell. Updated edition of the 2015 book of the same name.

Selected awards

Year Award Category Result Ref. Notes
2007 James Patterson Page Turner Award Won With "Open Door" program at The Children's Village
2007 The Children's Village Legacy of Service Award Won
2009 Disney, Points of Light Points of Light Foundation Award Won With Jim, Katie, and Charlotte Allyn
2013 Scholastic Literacy Champion Award Won
2017 The Brock Institute Brock Prize in Education Innovation Nominated
2017 Teachers College, Columbia University Distinguished Alumni Career Award Won
2018 National Council of Teachers of English CEL Kent Williamson Exemplary Leader Award Won
2024 Titan Women In Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year (New Start Up) Won

References

  1. "An Interview with Pam Allyn '84". 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  2. "Pam Allyn". 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  3. "Litworld: Our Mission". 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  4. "LitLife Team". 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  5. America, Good Morning (March 9, 2011). "Books Without Borders: World Read Aloud Day with Clifford the Big Red Dog". Good Morning America.
  6. Allen, Ron (September 18, 2007). "Books for Boys". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012.
  7. Berman, Dr. Laura (March 1, 2010). "Read with Your Child". Oprah Radio.
  8. Allyn, Pam (2012-04-16). "Art + Words = Change + Power in Harlem". Huffington Post.
  9. CNN. Pam Allyn on Spreading Literacy, CNN Interview, retrieved 2023-05-10
  10. Hu, Winnie (April 27, 2009). "Doing a Few Chores, and Helping Bridge Bronxville and Nairobi". The New York Times.
  11. "Bic Is On A Mission To Save Handwriting. Does It Need Saving?". WBUR. 2015-10-13. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  12. Weiner, Yitzi (2022-10-21). "Author Pam Allyn: 5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve The US Educational System". Authority Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  13. "A Message to Parents, from Pam Allyn". YouTube. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  14. "Book Balm". 2003-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  15. "Open Door Program". 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  16. King, Kathleen J. "Books for Boys Founder Pam Allyn". Archived from the original on 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2012-06-21.
  17. "What is LitLife?". 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  18. "Litworld: Our Story". 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  19. "Pam Allyn Shares the LitCamp Model on NBC New York". 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  20. "7 Strengths to Support Our Students and Families at Home". 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  21. "Litworld: Our Approach". 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  22. "The Story of World Read Aloud Day". 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  23. "The Story of World Read Aloud Day". 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  24. "A Global Movement Powered by the Mighty Read-Aloud". 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  25. "World Read Aloud Day". 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  26. "WRAD-A-Thon" (PDF). 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  27. "The Story of World Read Aloud Day". 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  28. "LitWorld: Our Impact". 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  29. "A New Girls' and Women's Literacy Empowerment Movement". Huffington Post. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  30. "A New Girls' and Women's Literacy Empowerment Movement". Huffington Post. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  31. "International Day of the Girl Child". United Nations. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  32. "Stand Up for Girls Celebrated at Thirteen Public Schools in Kumasi, Ghana". LitWorld. 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  33. "International Day of the Girl 2019: Capturing Celebrations Around the World". LitWorld. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  34. "Our Vision: A World Where Girls Thrive". Global G.L.O.W. 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  35. "March News for You: A Global Summit to Launch the HerStory Campaign". LitWorld. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  36. "Every Girl Has a Story: The HerStory Summit". Global G.L.O.W. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  37. "UN Women, Global G.L.O.W., and LitWorld Co-Host Twitter Chat on Aug 25". LitWorld. 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  38. "Pam Allyn on making this the best school year ever". Scholastic. 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  39. "A Global Movement Powered by the Mighty Read-Aloud". Scholastic. 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  40. "LITERACY EXPERT AND ADVOCATE PAM ALLYN JOINS SCHOLASTIC EDUCATION AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INNOVATION & DEVELOPMENT". Scholastic. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  41. "Allyn Core Ready Series" (PDF). Pearson. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  42. "Dewey". Dewey. 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  43. "Dewey". app.deweycommunity.com. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  44. "Dewey MathCamp". Dewey. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  45. "Mike Flynn". Teaching Systems Lab - MIT. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  46. "Open Door Program". The Children’s Village. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  47. "Pam Allyn". Pam Allyn. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  48. "Points of Light Awardees". Points of Light. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  49. "LitWorld". LitWorld. October 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  50. "Honoring Alumni Who Educate for Social Justice". Brock Institute. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  51. "Honoring Alumni Who Educate for Social Justice". Columbia University. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  52. "CEL Kent Williamson Exemplary Leader Award". National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  53. "Female Entrepreneur of the Year". TITAN Women in Business Awards. Retrieved June 10, 2024.

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