Staff Bio
Staff Bio
Laura Sherwood
Professional Development Specialist
EBRI, ABE, ESL Math, Digital Literacy, Math Content Standards
224-366-8622
Current Work
Laura provides training and technical assistance for teachers and adult education program administrators primarily in the areas of Evidence-Based Reading Instruction (EBRI), ESL Math Standards, and digital literacy. She has developed online professional development courses in the areas of reading, math, and digital literacy for the IL Professional Development Network through the ALRC. She is currently working towards becoming a certified CASAS trainer.
Laura oversees the Illinois Adult Learning Hotline, a free referral service for students seeking literacy, math, English as a Second Language, and citizenship classes or tutoring, as well as prospective program volunteers.
Past Projects
Laura has been a state trainer for OCTAE’s Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) project since November, 2012. She has presented workshops in reading and math at the state and national level. She authored Designing Effective Math Lessons for the ESL Classroom, an article written for the Adult Numeracy Network’s The Math Practitioner. She is a former board member for IACEA, the state adult education association for Illinois.
Experience
Laura holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Professional Educator’s License for the state of Illinois with endorsements in Math, Computer Science, and ESL. She worked as a literacy coordinator and instructional transitions manager for an Illinois community college for 9 years and has taught ABE and ESL.