Katie McKnight

Katie McKnight is a nationally recognized literacy and education expert, bestselling author, and sought-after speaker who has spent her career helping educators transform the way they teach reading, writing, and critical thinking. Her practical, research-based strategies have been implemented in schools and districts across the country.

A Leader in Literacy and Educational Innovation

Dr. McKnight has authored multiple books on literacy instruction, differentiated learning, and educational technology, establishing herself as one of the leading voices in K-12 education reform. Her work focuses on giving teachers practical tools they can use immediately to engage students, improve comprehension, and develop critical thinking skills across all content areas. She has served as a consultant to school districts, state departments of education, and educational organizations nationwide.

Empowering Educators to Transform Student Learning

McKnight’s keynotes and professional development workshops are known for their energy, practicality, and immediate applicability. She speaks at national education conferences, district professional development days, and leadership summits on topics including literacy across the curriculum, differentiated instruction, educational technology integration, and building cultures of reading. Her presentations equip educators with the strategies and confidence to make meaningful, lasting improvements in how their students learn and think.

Science of Reading

The term Science of Reading is everywhere! But what does it really mean and how can educators best leverage the research findings? Let Dr. McKnight help you answer the important questions: What key instructional practices build better readers, writers, and thinkers? How do we bridge the gap between state and district policy and our classrooms? Go beyond K-5 with foundational literacy for all students, even the “big kids” in middle school and high school.

Reading and Writing for the Big Kids

So often, adolescent readers can decode text but as soon as teachers ask them to dig more deeply, we find that they are unable to do so. Understanding the author’s message, the main idea, or theme is oftentimes challenging. In this presentation, Dr. McKnight introduces educators to classroom-ready strategies that all content area/discipline area teachers can use to build student comprehension.

Standards- and Skills-Based Grading

Attendees, both teachers and administrators, discover the value of examining their school’s existing proficiency scales, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and creating customized proficiency scales as needed. Teachers are given tips for recognizing the goals of the standards and instructional methods that align with those goals. Administrators learn the importance of streamlining content and aligning it with clarified goals, and they explore a few best practices that will position teaching staff to dramatically increase their teaching effectiveness.