Laura Straus specializes in literacy education, with an emphasis on reading engagement and motivation to read. Straus is active in several state and national level literacy education professional organizations. She has presented at a wide range of literacy research conferences. Straus is a member of the UMW leadership team for the Montana CEEDAR initiative (Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform). She has been a leader in three unique collaborative professional development projects conducted with regional school partners.
Her interest in authentic assessment, experiential learning, and accreditation has been the focus of much of her service and leadership work on the campus of Montana Western. She loves to read and write, and teaching students about children’s and young adult literature is one of her favorite pursuits.