Gail Saunders-Smith is a former classroom teacher, Reading Recovery® Teacher Leader and served as Reading/ Language Arts K-12 Supervisor and Coordinator of State and Federal Programs for the Summit County ESC. Currently, Gail is an assistant professor in the Beeghly College of Education at Youngstown State University. She is also an independent staff developer, writer, and editor. She has presented across the United States and Canada and written several books and articles on all aspects of literacy development. Gail holds a BS and MA in Early Childhood Education from Kent State University and a MS in Administration and Supervision from Youngstown State University. She completed post-graduate work at The Ohio State University and earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from The University of Akron.

Gail has written fifty-five books for children, has written widely on literacy instruction, and serves as consulting editor at Red Brick Learning. Her professional books, "The Ultimate Guided Reading How-To Book," and, "The Ultimate Small Group Reading How-To Book," are available from Corwin Press. A third book will be published in the spring of 2009.  Gail has visited schools in Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia. She is a reader, writer, student, and teacher.