Expert educators. Compassionate advocates.
Founded by Kristen McShane—a seasoned educator with dual Master's Degrees in Special Education and Instructional Leadership and a dually Certified Dyslexia Practitioner—The Learning Specialist offers specialized educational support for K-12 students with and without learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and more.
We cultivate an individualized approach for each student’s success using targeted, 1:1 specialized tutoring; we provide structured literacy or Dyslexia intervention using Wilson Reading System or Orton-Gillingham methods, specialized reading, writing or math intervention and executive functioning coaching.
We also help our parents navigate complex schooling situations, like with obtaining IEPs and 504 plans, ensuring their child’s needs, rights, strengths, and opportunities are clearly understood and supported.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about our 1:1 sessions, six-week summer intensive, or hourly consultation/advocacy services.
Our Process
Step 1: We schedule an intake call and assessment to identify the student’s specific academic needs.
Step 2: We determine the priority learning goals needed to target the root of the learning gap.
Step 3: We match your student with a learning specialist who will consistently work on focus-driven outcomes while building trust and confidence. The pair will work together for a full trimester, during which we’ll carefully monitor and report detailed progress.
Our Methods
We provide 1:1 and small group intervention. For literacy, we practice structured literacy interventions, such as Wilson Reading System, Just Words, Orton-Gillingham for specific word reading, spelling and reading fluency gaps and Visualizing and Verbalizing for reading comprehension weaknesses. We also have team members who provide academic executive functioning coaching, explicit math and writing instruction or regular content tutoring. Our case managers provide added reassurance of goal alignment, progress and an extra touch point for parents. We customize every learning plan to drive measurable academic outcomes that strengthen your child’s skills, while providing you an outlet to discuss concerns and be reassured your child continues to develop their skills and confidence.
Meet Kristen
Kristen McShane is the Founder and Owner of The Learning Specialist. She holds dual Master's Degrees in Special Education and Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she is dual-certified to teach individuals with Dyslexia to read.
With over fifteen years of teaching experience in suburban, urban, higher education, and private settings, Kristen is exceptionally adept at helping parents navigate complex schooling situations. She is passionate about helping families understand their child’s learning profile and finding ways to maximize support at home and at school.
Kristen is proud to work alongside a curated team of caring, professional learning specialists who share their expertise through The Learning Specialist.