Laura Vance is a 2024-2025 Teach Plus Colorado Senior Policy Fellow. She is a 1st grade teacher and mentor for new teachers at Stratton Meadows Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Laura is on the “Thrive” Team that uses strategies from Capturing Kids Hearts, Love and Logic, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). She has been an National Education Association (NEA) representative since 2014 and served on committees in her home school and district. Laura was named MacArthur Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year (2019-2020) in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Stratton Meadows Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year (2022-2023). She earned a BSEd in elementary education from New Mexico State University, with courses from Oregon State University. Laura also has a minor in music and an MA in educational diversity and reading, both from New Mexico State University.
