Laura Stewart

In my 30+-year career in education, I have been a teacher, administrator, consultant, and organizational leader. I present nationally and internationally, am a published author, and have written for numerous organizations and publications.The through-line of my work has been a passion for and commitment to early literacy, working with teachers and education leaders on school improvement initiatives across the U.S. I am most interested in exploring what is possible through meaningful conversations and collaborative, sustained professional development focused on evidence-based early reading instruction.

I believe strongly that access to quality reading instruction is a social justice issue; while it is abundantly clear that nearly all children are cognitively capable of learning to read, in the U.S. a large percentage of children actually don’t reach proficient levels of literacy. The connections between illiteracy or low literacy to academic failure and subsequent inability to lead a thriving productive life are profound and well-documented. This failure is preventable, and we can make it right.

My current role as the Chief Academic Officer of 95% Group suits me well, as my passion is empowering educators to positively impact ALL students and ultimately change the course of literacy achievement in this country.