Laura Docter

Laura Docter is an adjunct faculty member teaching Church History II. Her academic research has centered on the relationship between women teachers, Christian faith, and the teaching of history. Her specialties are the history of education in the United States, innovative methods of teaching subject matter to diverse learners, and the role of reflection and inquiry in teaching practice. Her dissertation, "Faithful Labor: The Lifework of Julia Anne King, 1838–1919," is a biography. For 40 years, Docter has taught in urban, rural, and suburban, public and private, K–12 schools and universities, all across the country. She has focused on identity and inclusion, poverty and inequality, Native American education, and English learners.

Docter first became interested in the history of the church and its relationship to cultural, social, and political environments when she studied the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. She has been involved in a wide range of Protestant denominations, and she is particularly interested in how art, movement, and nature influence belief. She especially values her experience as a member of the Verse Speaking Choir at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, Princeton, New Jersey.

Always curious about the intertwining of the personal, professional, and political, Docter is devoted to her family and advocates for girls' education, queer youth, mental wellness, and metabolic health. Her coaching business is called As Yourself, because she believes, in order to love your neighbor, you must first love yourself.

• Ph.D., teaching, curriculum, and social policy, Michigan State University, 2004
• M.A., education, Stanford University, 1986
• B.A., history, Stanford University, 1985

• Teacher, various public and independent schools throughout the U.S., 1985–1990, 1998–2025
• Lecturer, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2001
• Assistant professor, School of Education, University of Puget Sound, 1995–1997
• Teaching assistant, College of Education, Michigan State University, 1991–1995
• Research assistant, National Center for Research on Teacher Learning, 1992–1993
• Research assistant, Institute for Research on Teaching, Michigan State University, 1991–1992

• Docter, Laura, and Christine Ogren. "Normal Schools." In Historical Dictionary of American Education, edited by Richard Altenbaugh. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Also contributed entries for "John Pierce" and "Isaac Crary."
• Review of Teachers Talk Teaching 1915–1995: Early Childhood, Schools, and Teachers' Colleges, by Middleton and May. History of Education Quarterly 38, no. 2 (1998): 222–223.
• Review of Changing Schools: Progressive Education Theory and Practice, 1930–1960, by Arthur Zilversmit. Journal of Curriculum Studies 27, no. 3 (1995): 332–335.

• Board of Directors, Afghan Education Student Outreach Project, 2025–present
• Advisory Board, Stout Heart, Inc., 2018–present
• Reunion Leadership Committee, Stanford University, 2025
• Distinguished Classroom Teaching Award, 2019
• Outstanding Educational Scholar Award, Michigan State University, 1990
• Predoctoral Fellowship, Michigan Partnership for New Education, 1990