Laura Benson

Laura Benson is a Professional Development Associate for The Leadership and Learning Center.  Laura brings over twenty-eight years of teaching to her work as a teacher educator and literacy consultant.  Her work in professional development began during the first years of her teaching career when she was asked to develop a writers’ workshop lab classroom for colleagues.  Laura’s demonstrations of writing instruction and evaluation grew into staff development efforts devoted to reading instruction and integrating literacy instruction and content area learning.

From those early years, her career expanded to include diverse roles.  Laura has served as a long-time elementary classroom teacher; middle school language arts teacher; elementary and middle school reading specialist; private tutor for children and adult learners; literacy curriculum coordinator; social studies curriculum coordinator; on-staff literacy coach; K – 12 staff developer; and independent consultant.  Additionally, she led several district level literacy and staff development efforts in the positions of K – 12 Reading Coordinator, Literacy Coach, and Director of Staff Development.  For many years, she also worked as a trainer, writer, and lab classroom teacher for the Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC).  She was a literacy consultant for Rigby Education and Staff Development for Educators.  She has assisted several state department initiatives across the country, most recently focusing on Reading First trainings.  A trained Cognitive Coach and Critical Friends Group Facilitator, Laura helped University of Colorado scholar Dr. Stevi Quate launch a Colorado Critical Friends Group consortium.

Laura studied for her undergraduate degrees in education and psychology at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and continued her studies at the University of Denver, earning a Masters Degree in Literacy Education.  A voracious learner, she has deepened her education at Columbia University’s Teachers College; Harvard University; University of Colorado at Denver; The Western Australian Department of Education; as a member of IRA, NCTE, National Staff Development Council, and the National Reading Conference; and in writing courses with Natalie Goldberg, Donald Murray, Georgia Heard, and Julia Cameron.

Laura’s most precious mentors are her son, Tim, a high school senior who revels in his band, singing choirs, science, math, and creative writing and her husband Dave, a high school social studies and ESL teacher.  Over the years, the Benson family has shared their literacy-as-thinking and child and adult/K-12 perspectives at many conferences, workshops, and parenting classes.

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