Created by Experts, Backed by Research

Renowned authors and leaders in literacy education, Pam Allyn and Dr. Ernest Morrell, created PALS Town™ by combining the power of stories with the Science of Reading.

Pam Allyn

Pam Allyn is the author of many books, including the bestselling Every Child a Super Reader, co-authored with Dr. Morrell; Your Child’s Writing Life (winner of the Mom’s Choice Award); and What to Read When. Pam is a renowned public speaker, and the creator of programs that achieve exceptional results in academics and wellbeing, pre-k through grade 12, including LitCamp. Pam is the founder of World Read Aloud Day, celebrated in more than 60 countries each year. She was selected for the Laura Bush Fellowship for Women Leaders and Mentors and the Kellogg Foundation Fellowship for Racial Equity and Healing. Pam has received honors for her work, including the James Patterson Page Turner Award, the Children’s Village Legacy of Service Award, Scholastic’s Reading Champion Award, the Kent Williamson NCTE Award, and the Columbia University Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. Ernest Morrell

Dr. Ernest Morrell is a nationally recognized, award-winning scholar, author, public speaker, researcher and practitioner. He is the Coyle Professor, a member of the faculty in the English, and Africana Studies Departments and Director of the Center for Literacy Education at the University of Notre Dame. He was most recently elected to the National Academy of Education, a prestigious, highly selected organization that advances high-quality research that improves education quality and practice. Ernest is also the recipient of the NCTE Distinguished Service Award, the Kent Williamson Leadership Award from the Conference on English Leadership, and the Divergent Award for Excellence in 21st Century Literacies. Ernest has authored 90 articles, research briefs, and book chapters and ten scholarly monographs.

Allyn & Morrell’s deep engagement with the confluence of research and best practices in the field have led them to create this groundbreaking framework for the teaching of writing, the 4 Keys.