Dr. Shonta Smith

Dr. Shonta Smith is the “Essence of Education”. She has defied the odds. From the slums of inner city St. Louis, she knew early on that there was something more. Dr. Smith knew that life in and of itself was great. She knew that greatness was upon her and that it was her responsibility to be true to herself and do great things. Dr. Smith was blessed early on as she had the opportunity to participate in the voluntary desegregation program from 7th thru 12th grade. This experience allowed her to interact with various cultural groups and develop an appreciation for everyone’s cultural uniqueness. This opportunity set the foundation for Dr. Smith’s passion on culturally responsive teaching and resulted in the creation of Dr. Shonta Smith International LLC.

The company provides services to professionals and institutions in the education field. The company’s mission is to help schools and institutions provide the highest quality education possible to youth and to help teachers, principals and other education professionals excel in their careers. The company offers a number of services including professional development seminars, student seminars, teacher mentoring programs, principal mentoring programs, career services, and consulting services. Dr. Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education at Southeast Missouri State University. She has over 22 years of experience in education. Of those 22 years, 17 years have been at the elementary, middle and high school levels. She has been a teacher, team leader, department head, coach, administrative intern and principal with the St. Louis Public Schools, Normandy School District and the Ferguson-Florissant School District. The other 5 years have been at the collegiate level as an Adjunct Professor with Lindenwood University and Assistant Professor with Southeast Missouri State University. Her research interests are African Centered Rites of Passage Programs, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Instructional Leadership. Dr. Smith received her Ed. D. Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University, M.Ed. Master of Education in Counseling from the University of Missouri St. Louis and B. S. Bachelor of Science in Education from Harris Stowe State University. She is passionate about educating communities. Her motto is “One Team – One Goal - One Band - One Sound”.