Dr. Prarthana Franklin-Luther is a scholar and researcher with over 20 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of parenting, child health, and developmental outcomes. She received her Ph.D. in Child and Youth Studies from Brock University and then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at McMaster University, where she researched cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes of preterm-born children. Dr. Franklin-Luther has presented her research findings at various conferences and has been cited in media outlets like CBC.ca. Clinically, she has worked as a psychometrist and psycho-educational evaluator for several years, applying her academic insights in a practical context.
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When Dr. Franklin-Luther isn't busy transforming the world of education and children’s development, she can be spotted exploring nature trails, accompanied by her husband and their beloved dog, Layla.

Patrick Heenan is a twenty-year educator. He holds an MS in Elementary Education with a K - 6 certification. Patrick is also certified in Reading Recovery, Empower Phonics / Empower Comprehension, and received training in Orton-Gillingham and Wilson. 

Patrick has twelve years of experience as a classroom teacher; having taught 1st - 4th grade. Patrick worked for five years as an Intervention Specialist within New Haven Public Schools. This grant-funded position was part of a collaboration with Yale University’s New Haven Lexinome Project. During this time he was immersed in Structured Literacy and Evidence-Based reading practices. Patrick spent his final two years in public school working as a Literacy Instructional Coach.

Patrick trained under Dr. Michael Bend in the ABeCeDarian Reading Program then joined Sharpen full-time to focus all his attention on identification and remediation of reading difficulties.

When Patrick isn't busy transforming the world of education,  you can find him at the beach with his family, or building furniture in his garage woodworking shop.

Dr. Michael Bend's passion for education has led him to create the research-based, explicit, comprehensive, and multi-sensory decoding and word study program that is the foundation for Sharpen Reading.
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Dr. Bend earned his doctorate from the University of Delaware. He has worked with struggling readers for over 40 years in a variety of settings, including as a classroom teacher and as the director of education programs at several non-profits. He has also tutored hundreds of children and coached many parents and teachers. 

He has received training in the Lindamood curriculum as well as Phono-Graphix and has studied many other reading programs, including Reading Mastery and Orton-based programs, and has been greatly influenced by the work of David Kilpatrick. 

When Dr. Bend isn't busy transforming the world of education, you can find him mentoring aspiring educators and continuously exploring innovative ways to make learning accessible and engaging for all.