Professional Background and Training

Kirstin Powers is a structured literacy educator with over twenty years of experience in education. Kirstin earned her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Arts in Teaching from the School for International Training. She has worked at schools in New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She has taught in public and private schools and worked with students in grades K-12 as well as higher education.

Kirstin is trained in Connections: OGin3D®, an Orton‑Gillingham–based approach grounded in research on how the brain learns to read. It is intended for use with small groups or individual students, including those with reading difficulties or dyslexia.

Kirstin is a Certified Dyslexia Therapist (CDT) through the Apple Group's comprehensive therapist training program and a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS) through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI). She earned these credentials after completing an intensive two-year course of study, more than 300 supervised clinical hours providing dyslexia intervention to students, and successfully passing the Knowledge and Practice Examination for Effective Reading Instruction (KPEERI)—a rigorous national certification exam that demonstrates expertise in the science of reading and structured literacy instruction.

Her training reflects a deep commitment to evidence-based practice and equips her to provide individualized, research-backed intervention for students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties..

A Thoughtful, Personal Approach to Reading Support

“My work in reading and dyslexia support began as a teacher, but deepened as a parent. When I first suspected that my son might be dyslexic, I wanted to better understand how reading develops and how I could help him in a meaningful, evidence‑based way. That search led me deeply into the science of reading and ultimately reshaped my professional path.

What started as a desire to support my own child grew into a commitment to helping other learners—and families—navigate reading challenges with clarity, compassion, and effective instruction.”