Laura’s area of specialty is English education, and her research complements her sixteen years of teaching experience. Laura taught high school English in urban, rural, and suburban districts in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Her Master of Education Degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago focused on teaching English as a second language.

In addition to her dissertation research, Laura also studies issues of social justice as they appear in teaching contexts. She is currently co-editing Narratives of Social Justice Teaching: How English Teachers Negotiate Theory and Practice between Preservice and Inservice Spaces to be published by Peter Lang in 2008. Her chapter in the text, co-authored by two beginning English/language arts teachers, discusses how shared personal narratives open a safe space to discuss difference.

Laura recently published an article in the Oklahoma English Journal entitled “Knowing Ourselves as Teachers: Diversity and Democracy in the Literature Classroom.” It discussed teachers’ roles during the discussion process, and the thesis stemmed from her long-standing interest in authors with diverse backgrounds. Laura especially appreciates the work of Toni Morrison and Chester Himes.

Laura is active in the National Council of Teachers of English and regularly presents at the council’s national conferences. Additionally, Laura serves on NCTE’s Commission on Social Justice and reviews scholarly articles for the journal English Education.