President & Founder
The Stern Center for Language and Learning
Dr. Blanche Podhajski is president and founder of the Stern Center for Language and Learning. Established in 1983, the nonprofit Stern Center provides literacy services for children and adults, professional development opportunities for educators and medical professionals, and research on best literacy practices. Dr. Podhajski is also Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences.
Dr. Podhajski received her Bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing from Boston University, a Master's degree in Speech Pathology from the University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in Communication Disorders, specializing in Learning Disabilities, from Northwestern University. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Dr. Podhajski is the co-author of the Sounds Abound Program: Teaching Phonological Awareness in the Classroom, published by LinguiSystems. She created TIME for Teachers™, a professional development initiative to bring information about current research-proven reading interventions to classroom teachers. In collaboration with Marilyn Varricchio, Nancy Mather and Janice Sammons, Dr. Podhajski has extended TIME into Mastering the Alphabetic Principle: How we MAP speech to print for teaching reading and spelling, a robust course for primary educators, published by Paul H. Brookes for personnel preparation and professional development. She developed BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY®, a web-based early childhood literacy preparation program for use by parents and early care and education providers. She also has co-authored Identification of Reading Difficulties and Best Referral Practices: A Guide for Future Physicians, a CD-ROM course for medical students.
For over 35 years, Dr. Podhajski has been evaluating students with learning differences and developing intervention plans based on their learning profiles. She also has published and presented papers on the interrelationships between increases in teacher knowledge and children's literacy outcomes.
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Our Mission
Since our founding in 1977, NCLD has been guided by a passionate commitment to promote the success and dignity of individuals affected by learning disabilities. Learn more ›
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