Pledger M. Fedora, Ph.D.

Dr. Pledger Fedora is the founder of the Dyslexia Institute for Literacy & Learning and provides training in the Orton-Gillingham approach to educators, along with tutoring services and parent workshops.  She is a Fellow of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) and an independent vendor for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), providing training and coaching for schools in New York.

Previously, Dr. Fedora was the Professor/Director of The Rose Institute for Learning and Literacy at Manhattanville College, where she taught multi-sensory learning methodologies to graduate and undergraduate students. Prior to her work as the Director of the Rose Institute, Dr. Fedora was in the Educational Studies Department at Seton Hall University.

An educator for more than three decades, she was a classroom teacher and resource teacher at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels in both public and private schools.

Dr. Fedora’s research interests include early intervention, structured literacy instruction, and interventions for students at risk for reading difficulty. She has presented at many state, national, and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

• B.A. Art History | University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1970
• Ed. Reading and Language Arts | University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1979
• Ph.D. Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation  University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2008

• Fellow | Issued by Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators 2013
• Spalding Certified Teacher Instructor (SCTI) | Issued by Spalding Education International 2014

Legal Services NYC Learning Center - The Basics of Orton-Gillingham and Securing Reading Services (2014) | Chadbourn Elementary School - Using the TRI to prepare for End of Grade Testing/Assessment, Green Level Work, Blue Level Work (2007), Targeted Reading Intervention Review, Re-reading for Fluency, Targeted Reading Intervention (2006), Kindergarten Interventions for Struggling Learners (2005) | Louisburg Elementary School - Targeted Reading Intervention
(2006) | The Hill Center - Multisensory Methodology for Written Language (2002) | American Professional Partnership for Lithuanian Education—Summer Institute, Klaipeda, Lithuania - Elementary Education/Remedial Reading (2010) | APPLE, Summer Institute, Lazdajai, Lithuania - Elementary Education/Remedial Reading (2005) | APPLE, Summer Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania -  Elementary Education/Remedial Reading (2004)(2005)

• International Dyslexia Association | Member [1997- Present]
• Orton-Gillingham Academy (formerly Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) | Member (served as a committee member for six years) [2013 - Present]

Faculty | Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, USA | 2008 – January 2014

• Faculty – Elementary/Special Education Department/ Taught Introduction to Special Education; Learning Disabilities, Assessment

Professor/Director |  Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York, USA | January 2014 – June 2018

• Professor/Director of the Rose Institute for Learning and Literacy/ Taught Multisensory reading methodologies for undergrad and graduate students. Three-year partnership with the New York City Board of Education Special Education Department to train teachers in multisensory reading methodologies and provide year-long mentoring for all teachers enrolled in the summer training courses.

Service to Profession

• International Dyslexia Association Proposal Review Committee—2016—Present
• Reviewer, Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, 2014—Present

• Academy of Orton-Gillingham Educators and Practitioners (AOGPE) Certifying Committee—2013—2018

• Reviewer, Journal of Literacy Research, 2012—Present

• Fedora, P. (2016). Single and double deficits in early readers in rural low-wealth communities. Reading & Writing Quarterly: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32(2), 101-126.
• Fedora, P. (2015).  Teacher judgment of early reading difficulty. The Educational Forum, 79(3), 280-292.
• Fedora, P. (2015). Integrating technology tools for students struggling with written language. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 51(1), 31-35.
• Fedora, P. (2014). What all reading teachers should know and be able to do. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 50(1), 24-30.
• Farmer, T. W., Murray, R. M., Fedora, F. P., & Hutchens, B. (under review). Supporting students in low resource, rural schools: The Intervention Specialist Program. Manuscript submitted for publication.
• Fedora, P. (2013). Integrating technology into course content to facilitate improved instructional techniques for preservice teachers. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 2013 Proceedings Book.
• Fedora, P. (2012). Integrating technology into course content to prepare preservice teachers to work with students struggling with written expression. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 2012 Proceedings Book.
• Farmer, T., Rodkin, P., Van Acker, R., Pearl, R., Thompson, J., & Fedora, P. (2006). Who do students with mild disabilities nominate as cool in inclusive general education classrooms? Journal of School Psychology, 44, 67-84.

Peer Reviewed International/National

• Fedora, P. (2016, April). Teacher Training Model at The Rose Institute for Learning and Literacy. Invited speaker at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Fedora, P. (2016, April). Testing to teaching: Linking assessment to instruction. The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Fedora, P. (2015, April). Testing to teaching: Linking assessment to instruction. Invited speaker at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Fedora, P. (2014, November). Fostering Pre-Service Teachers Awareness of Ed-Tech Tools for Students Struggling with Written Language. 65th International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Fedora, P. (2014, March). Testing to teaching: Linking assessment to instruction. Invited speaker at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Winston-Salem, NC.
• Fedora, P. (2013, November). Integrating technology into course content to facilitate improved instructional techniques for preservice teachers. 64th International Dyslexia Association Conference, New Orleans, LA.
• Fedora, P. (2013, March). Testing to teaching: Linking assessment to instruction. Invited speaker at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Providence, RI.
• Fedora, P. (2013, March). Integrating technology into course content to facilitate improved instructional techniques for preservice teachers. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 24th International Conference, New Orleans, LA.
• Fedora, P. (2012, October). Using technology to prepare preservice teacher to work with students struggling with writing. 63rd International Dyslexia Association Conference, Baltimore, MD.
• Fedora, P. (2012, March). Story Line. Invited presenter at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
• Fedora, P. (2012, March). Integrating Technology into Course Content to Prepare Preservice Teachers to Work with Students Struggling with Written Expression. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 23rd International Conference, Austin, TX.
• Fedora, P. (2011, November). Preparing Competent, Preservice Teachers to Provide Informed Reading Instruction for At-Risk Students. 62nd International Dyslexia Association Conference, Chicago, IL.
• Fedora, P. (2011, March). Multisensory Strategies for Enhancing Reading and Writing. Invited presenter at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) Conference, Charleston, SC.
• Fedora, P. (2010, October). Early Reading Difficulty of Children in Low-Wealth Rural Communities. Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) 32nd International Conference, Dallas, TX.
• Fedora, P. (2010, October). Targeted reading intervention: Classroom intervention for rural kindergarten and first grade teachers. In P. Brady-Amoon, chair, School-based Behavioral Research:Opportunities and Challenges. Panel presentation to the 22nd Annual New York Conference on Behavioral Research, New York, NY.
• Fedora, P. (2010, October). Early Reading Achievement in Rural Low-Wealth Communities: Contributions of Single and Double Deficits. International Dyslexia Association (IDA) 61st Annual Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
• Fedora, P. (2009, October). Teacher Judgment of Reading Difficulty. Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) 31st International Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC.
• Fedora, P. (2009, October). Teacher Judgment of Early Reading Difficulty. International Dyslexia Association (IDA) 60th Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Sylvester, P., Fedora, P. & Sylvester, S., (2007, April). Selecting Developmentally Appropriate Books for Shared Reading. North Carolina Association of Teaching Assistants Conference, Greensboro, NC.
• Fedora, P., Mayer, K., & Amendum, S. (2007, March). Targeted Reading Intervention: Classroom intervention for rural kindergarten and first grade teachers. Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Conference, Greensboro, NC.
• Sylvester, P., Fedora, P. & Sylvester, S., (2006, November). Shared Storybook Reading. National Association for the Advancement of Young Children (NAEYC) Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Gallagher, K. C., Mayer, K., Sylvester, P., Bundy, M. P., Fedora, P. Boyd, L. & Livengood, M.(2006, June). Observations of teacher-child interactions in the context of 1:1 story reading. Head Start Research Conference, Washington, D.C.
• Gallagher, K., Bundy, M., Sylvester, P., Fedora, P., & Mayer, K. (2006, April). Storytime in PreKindergarten. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference. San Francisco, CA.

Peer Reviewed State/Local

• Sylvester, P., Fedora, P. & Sylvester, S., (2006, April). Shared Storybook Reading. North Carolina Association of Teaching Assistants Conference. Greensboro, NC.
• Fedora, P., & Ginsberg, M. (2006, March). Using the NC K-2 Literacy Assessment to Drive Personalized Literacy Instruction. Closing the Gap Conference. Greensboro, NC.
• Ginsberg, M., & Fedora, P. (2006, March). Targeting K-1 Struggling Learners Through an Ongoing, Collaborative Professional Development Model in Literacy. North Carolina Reading Conference, Winston-Salem, NC.
• Fedora, P. (2003, March) Case Study “Comparison School Equivalence: Reality or Myth?”presented at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Association for Research in Education.

• Ginsberg, M. C., Amendum, S., Mayer, K., & Fedora, P. (2006). Targeted reading intervention (TRI) reference tool. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina, National Research Center for Rural Education Support.
• Ginsberg, M. C., Amendum, S., Mayer, K., Fedora, P. & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2006). Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) Professional Development Guide. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina, National Research Center for Rural Education Support.
• Boudah, D. J. with Fedora, P. (2004). Instructional strategies: Teaching for results. Online curriculum created for e-Learning Creations and distributed by Sophris West, Longmont, CO.