Hi, I’m Laura.
I’m a community-engaged educational researcher who explores how youth and teacher participation in liberatory, problem-posing education contributes to positive social change in classrooms and schools.
I’m currently on the tenure-track job market. I’m pursuing assistant professor positions in education departments that focus on equitable, anti-oppressive educational practices, especially for historically marginalized students.
My Research
Through centering the voices and experiences of youth, who have been marginalized in the study of classroom and school culture, my work:
Critiques current conceptions of Restorative Practices
Centers youth voices in research about school climate and classroom culture
Contributes methodologically-innovative approaches that bridge Youth Participatory Action Research and Design Based Intervention Research
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6 publications
peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters
published or in-review
and counting
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8 Years of K-12 Teaching Experience
In the most racially and linguistically diverse high school in Tennessee
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Founder and Leader
Restorative Student Leaders
Positionality as a data point in race research
Milner, H.R., Singer, J.N., Parks, L.F., Murray, I. & Lane-Bonds, D. (2024)
Qualitative Inquiry
Selected Publications
Diversity and opportunity gaps: Teaching for equity in today’s classrooms
Parks, L.F. (2024, in press)
Meltzer, L. & Dunstan-Brewer, J. (in preparation), Executive Function and Social-Emotional Learning: Creating Classrooms that Engage Students, Mitigate Stress, and Promote Academic Success.
Youth talk about culturally responsive teaching and learning in outside-of-school contexts
Parks, L.F. and Milner, H.R. (in review).
Curriculum Inquiry
Selected Student Comments
“Laura cultivated a really welcoming environment that allowed us to have really honest, vulnerable conversations that were super productive to our growth. Our discussions were really intentional and allowed us to unpack the content deeply, and these discussions were only possible because we felt comfortable talking with each other and asking questions. Laura also gave us freedom (within boundaries) to choose our readings to what would be most helpful to our practice, which helped us make those real connections between content and praxis.”
“This class was very much "practice what you preach." That was the most helpful part. We were learning about classroom ecology while having it be modeled for us.”
“The whole content of the class contributed to my learning, but also the way Laura taught the course was so much learning for me. I learn so much from the activities she planned, how she treat us during each session and her style. It was amazing!”
“The way that Laura crafted a classroom community made me invest in my learning in a way that I do not always do. I felt accountable for what I was learning through the readings and discussions. I wanted to support my peers and they wanted to support me. We took the abstract concepts from this class and made them real!”
Get in Touch!
Email me by clicking the link below
