K-12 Literacy Experts

Smekens Education Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of staff development and professional resources to K-12 schools in Indiana, Illinois, and the Midwest. Specializing in the areas of reading and writing, our training team is best known for showing teachers how to apply research-based literacy strategies in ways that are practical and effective.

Our online bookstore, The Literacy Store, features thousands of titles, including professional books, children's books, classroom decorations, games, and more.

Contact Solutions Director Brady Smekens to find out how Smekens Education can customize solutions for your school or district.

Training team			Support Team
	KRISTINA SMEKENS; Lead Consultant Kristina is a highly sought after speaker and author who works with K-12 teachers sharing practical strategies for teaching writing, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development. She is a certified 6-Traits trainer and author of several books, including Launching the Writer's Workshop, The Trait Mate; 6-Traits Starter Lessons, and the Writing Parent Pack. Her fast-paced, enthusiastic presentations have helped to motivate and encourage teachers for more than 10 years.   LEARN MORE ABOUT KRISTINA | E-MAIL KRISTINA			BRADY SMEKENS; Solutions Director Brady brings more than a decade of experience as a teacher and administrator to his role as Solutions Director for Smekens Education. In addition to coordinating teacher workshops and TheLiteracyStore.com, he also manages the on-site consulting leg of the company. In this role, Brady works with administrators to develop customized on-site staff development featuring consultants from Smekens Education. E-MAIL BRADY
	COURTNEY GORDON; Literacy Consultant Courtney taps into her own classroom experience as a middle school language arts teacher as she guides K-12 teachers toward effective instruction in reading and writing. She has presented to schools and districts throughout the Midwest and Canada where she has helped teachers apply research-based strategies in the classroom. LEARN MORE ABOUT COURTNEY | E-MAIL COURTNEY			LIZ SHOCKEY; Literacy Specialist A diverse background in teaching, training and publishing has given Liz Shockey a toolbox full of strategies to share with teachers as the Literacy Specialist for Smekens Education. With 14 years of experience training teachers in the area of writing, Liz specializes in the 6-Traits of writing, and more specifically the writer's workshop, the writing process, and assessment. E-MAIL LIZ
	KRISTI McCULLOUGH ; Literacy Consultant Kristi wore many hats in public schools for 13 years before joining Smekens Education full time. Her training as a Reading Recovery® teacher and Literacy Coordinator allows Kristi to offer classroom teachers practical ideas that are rooted in research. Kristi is passionate about helping teachers implement a balanced literacy approach focused on real-life, purposeful literacy activities that result in improved student achievement. LEARN MORE ABOUT KRISTI | E-MAIL KRISTI			LISA LEAS; Workshop Registration Coordinator If you call Smekens Education, chances are you'll talk to Lisa. She's on the front lines helping customers with workshop registration, Purdue graduate credit, LitStore Rewards, and more. E-MAIL LISA
				COURTNEY MINNIEAR; The Literacy Store Coordinator When it comes to books and other classroom resources, Courtney is your go-to gal. Aside from managing the online bookstore, she also assists customers with custom title searches, specialized school quotes, and more. E-MAIL COURTNEY