Innovative writing program focuses on K-5th grade

WriteSteps is a common core writing program focused on K-5 students. It was founded in 2007 by Suzanne Klein, a former elementary school teacher who discovered she had a gift for teaching young children how to write -- and a gift for entrepreneurship.

The educational company provides a proven curriculum and training for teachers through its website http://writestepswriting.com/. Services that are available included daily lesson plans, online classroom demonstration videos, and coaching for teachers who want to become better at teaching writing.

Klein says the "game-changer" for WriteSteps came in 2010 when Common Core State Standards where introduced and provided students, teachers and parents with new benchmarks for what students were expected to learn. She says her business helps teachers solve some of the biggest pain points in teaching writing at the elementary level: time, materials and training. "When we ask elementary teachers what are the issues they face, they always say  'time'." Klein says the two other issues are quality materials (curriculum and lesson plans) and adequate training. "There are not any writing courses being taught."

Although the company was founded in Ann Arbor, it recently moved its headquarters to Grandville, MI and employs 20 team members, many of whom are teachers or former teachers. 

Klein says her business is in growth mode. She is working to create programming for students to directly access that would complement the teacher material. She does add that there are no plans, at least for now, to expand the writing instruction beyond K-5th grade, preferring to focus on what they do best, saying, "We are elementary school teachers."

To learn more about WriteSteps, you can visit their site here or follow them on Facebook here.

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor