Laureen Adams is a mother of 3, educator, dancer, and scholar with a deep commitment to liberatory education. She has taught grades 6-12, and has served as an instructional coach and administrator for curriculum and instruction in communities who have been historically underserved.

Laureen has taught in Compton, Oakland, and Pomona, CA. Her teaching career really began  as a New York City Teaching Fellow where she worked at a South Bronx middle school teaching 7-8 English and Social Studies. By her third year teaching, she became a founding teacher in a small school.  It was there that she learned about Project Based Learning and began working with the leadership team to develop PBL curriculum for the English department. After several years in New York, she moved back to Oakland, CA and started working as a high school English teacher with Envision Schools. Laureen taught English (9-12) and served as a Lead Teacher. 

Working with underserved students of color in communities that experienced high rates of trauma deeply influenced Laureen’s decision to pursue a Ph.D and conduct research on urban teacher preparation and resilience, teacher student relationships, and the role of love in social justice education. While working on her doctoral degree, Laureen served as faculty for Claremont Graduate University’s Teacher Education Program and as an instructional coach and Assistant Principal at a PBL 6-12 school for the arts.  Most recently, Laureen has worked as adjunct faculty with CGU, a curriculum and professional development creator and as an independent consultant.

Laureen received B.A.s in African/African American Studies and English from the Universtiy of California Davis. She earned a M.S. in English Education from Lehman College (CUNY). She also earned a Master of Arts in Education and a Ph.D in Education with an emphasis on Teaching, Learning, and Culture and an Africana Studies Certificate from Claremont Graduate University.