Shauna Stephanchick is the founder of STEP UP Consulting Services, a Missouri-based educational consultancy, and Learning First, a national brand dedicated to providing high-clarity curriculum and assessment tools to educators across the country. With over two decades of experience transforming education from the classroom to the state level, Shauna's career spans roles as an elementary teacher, instructional coach, principal, district leader, and Regional Professional Development Center consultant.

As a consultant for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Shauna served as a PLC consultant and ELA content specialist, helping five schools earn recognition as PLC Exemplar Schools of Missouri — a gold-standard designation for sustainable, learning-focused systems built on the PLC at Work® framework.

Post-pandemic, Shauna identified critical systemic barriers preventing schools from maintaining focus on student achievement. In response, she developed the Missouri Assessment and Teaching Tools (MATT), a suite of curriculum clarity frameworks and proficiency scales designed to guarantee rigor while providing scaffolded instructional support. Today, one-third of all Missouri schools utilize MATTs to elevate educational quality.

Recognizing the universal need for these systems, Shauna launched Learning First in 2025 to bring national standard versions of these tools to educators nationally. Learning First is currently expanding to state principal associations across Kansas and Oklahoma, with products actively reaching districts in all fifty states. The Learning First product line — including K Clarity books, vertical progressions, and digital curriculum tools — debuted nationally at the 2026 summer conference season, with a full digital platform and AI-assisted curriculum tools in development for 2027. Shauna is simultaneously building the national speaking and thought leadership presence that positions this book as the anchor text for a rapidly growing practitioner community.

Shauna is a frequent contributor to the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) magazine and a sought-after speaker at MAESP, Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA), Missouri Association of Secondary School Personnel (MoASSP), and Missouri Association of Rural Educators (MARE). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Drury University, a Master's in Teacher Leadership from Mid-America Nazarene University, and a Specialist in Education Administration from the University of Central Missouritools and frameworks her team developed — and through Learning First, that work is going national.

Check out a conversation with Shauna Stephanchick on Voyage KC online!