Laura Kelly

Teaching

Laura teaches undergraduate courses in educational studies and master’s level courses for future teachers in the urban education program. 

Laura taught K-12 school for eight years. She taught in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee (including two years teaching kindergarten in Shelby County). She taught mostly elementary school, including teaching in a bilingual program, but she has also taught high school Spanish and community college ESL. Laura also taught future teachers at Arizona State University and at the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona.

Current Research

Her research addresses elementary literacy instruction and learning, bilingual and ESL education, and teacher preparation for teaching literacy to linguistically diverse students. She uses qualitative methods including discourse analysis, content analysis, case study, and thematic coding to understand classrooms, curricular materials, and policies. She also employs quantitative methods, specifically single case design, to study educational effectiveness. Her work takes an assets-based, sociocultural approach to support school literacy success for bilingual students.

In Memphis, most general teachers only speak English, so they need strategies that support at minimum English literacy, but ideally biliteracy though they themselves are not biliterate. She is interested in supporting teachers with curriculum materials, instructional practices, and family involvement.

Publications

Download Laura’s CV.