Shawn K. Smith

Described as an “education futurist,” Dr. Shawn K. Smith is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and rare book collector. Before joining Graduation Alliance, Shawn served as the Chief Innovation Officer for McGraw Hill and a national leader on issues surrounding digital education and pedagogy. Shawn has authored four books on education and was a teacher, principal, and Chief of Schools for 15 years in school districts in Illinois and California. He also served as CEO and co-founder of Modern Teacher for 9 years.

Shawn has made appearances on both the Discovery and Learning channels as well as various radio, web, and podcast programs. Shawn has degrees from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin (bachelor’s degree, elementary education), the California State University, San Bernardino (master’s degree, middle school education), and the University of Southern California (doctorate degree, urban education policy and leadership).