Ryan Smith, Ed.S., Csml Email & Phone Number

Experienced educator and elementary school principal. I believe in restorative minded, trauma informed education and care while creating an equitable system where all students can learn and grow. Equity work is a passion of mine as I believe that every single student that enters our buildings must be recognized as an individual and made to feel welcomed, safe, and comfortable. Every single child deseveres the opportunity to develop as an individual.I have led my staff in restorative practices training, trauma informed care, Cultures of Thinking, and cutting edge formative assessment and facilitation techniques all through an equity minded lens. Focusing on student status and formative assessment as a staff, we have shifted to creating a culture focused on the students and their social-emotional learning with an emphasis in literacy development. We have developed a new behavior matrix based on restorative practices and trauma informed care to heal the harm and help students grow.In working with my school MTSS team in developing an action plan to improve our literacy instruction and curriculum. Focusing on deepening our knowledge in the Science of Reading and educating staff on best practices are essential first steps. I am beginning the Lexia LETRS for Admin program this summer and look forward to bringing my knowledge to improve the outcomes for our students. I attained a Literacy Certification from the Harvard professional learning program in Learning to Talk by Talking: A Development Approach to Maximizing Language and Literacy Skills in 2021. This certification course focused on improving literacy through a language based approach to close the 30 million word gap in children.I spent many years working with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee spending time developing professional development for staff, hosting book studies with administration, and working to connect the district with resources.I was named to the Oakland County, MI, Oakland Together 40 Under 40 Class of 2022. I was chosen for this honor because of my leadership and work within my role as an educator and as a community member of Oakland County. I was named the Outstanding Elementary School Teacher of the Year for the Novi Community School District in 2021 based on my DEI and CAL leadership during the pandemic and incorporation of Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness concepts daily to help our students grow.

Listed skills include Leadership, Coaching, Sports, Teaching, and 16 others.