Shelley L. Leland is a Certified Reading Specialist with a masters degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Reading K-12, and she has a bachelors of science from Southern Illinois University in Elementary Education K-9.  She has presented at the Illinois Reading Association and The Young Adult Literature Conference, won multiple Rochelle Lee grants, and is certified in leading research-based decoding, comprehension, auditory processing, reader and writer workshop programs.

Shelley currently has her private practice based out of Downers Grove, Illinois and services families and school districts throughout the western suburbs of Chicago. Her knowledge, expertise, and skills are central to her student's success.  Meeting students individual needs, motivating them to be life long learners, and instilling strategies for success throughout their education is her passion.  She conducts workshops and seminars for educators on best practice reading instruction for ALL learners.  Her philosophy is that every student can read, has the ability to lead, and will succeed in education.

Identifying students reading needs through Informal Reading Assessments is critical in determining the approach to success.  Shelley's diagnostic approach to discover individual strengths and weaknesses provides an accurate picture of the child's needs. 

After struggling to teach children to read the traditional way in education, Shelley chose to get her Masters in developmental reading in order to attain expert knowledge necessary to reach every student she encounters.  Now, she does hundreds of assessments each year, focusing primarily on solving reading problems among elementary readers, middle school readers who lack explicit strategy-based instruction, and high school students who've lost their motivation, confidence, or grapple with academic anxiety.  She also works with accelerated students who strive to challenge their highest level of thinking and college students who are navigating substantial volumes of reading and writing expectations.

Additionally, Shelley specializes in helping teens get organized, study effectively, and 

stop stressing about school.