About

Along with nurturing a love of reading, she works with her Learning Commons team to help faculty integrate technology and information literacy skills in the context of classroom curriculum. A strong believer in promoting a teacher-as-researcher culture, each year Laura also supports a cross-divisional team of St. Christopher’s faculty members as they conduct action research projects. She has been involved with the International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC) since 2012 when she investigated how technology inspires creativity in boys. In 2014 she became an IBSC Action Research Advisor, and for the next six years, she coached teams of international teacher researchers. In 2020 Laura was named the IBSC Action Research Program Coordinator. Previously, Laura has worked as an instructional technologist in many Richmond-area independent schools and in the University of Richmond’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Mary Washington and will receive a Masters of Information degree from Rutgers University in May ‘21. Laura was the 2017 recipient of the Norma Alley Faculty Prize.

Dr. Derek S. Porter earned an Ed.D. in Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership in ’21 from the College of William & Mary. Dr. Porter began his time at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond as a middle school Global Thinking teacher. He designed the sixth-grade social studies course, Global Thinking, and has made an impact on how current events are taught in the middle school. The hallmark of his career has been empowering students to become responsible global citizens who think critically. Over the last decade, he has built upon his work with students by serving as a faculty research coordinator with the Center for the Study of Boys in Richmond, VA. Through these experiences, he discovered a passion for professional learning models, making it the focus of his dissertation and subsequent conference presentations. Prior to teaching, Dr. Porter earned an M.A. from Yale University, where he partnered with Bridgeport Public Schools’ MAAX Program. He received his B.A. in Social Studies Secondary Education with a concentration in Political Science from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Dr. Porter is an award-winning educator, a published thought leader, and a poet seeking to tell the new stories of our educational landscape through research.