Laura Tota
Director of Professional Learning
As Senior Program Manager for Power of Place Learning Communities, Laura’s primary responsibilities are the oversight of district-based coaching and the creation and implementation of the Annual Learning Agenda. Prior to joining Power of Place Learning Communities fulltime, Laura consulted with the Essex County Learning Community as a Cohort 1 district coach and a facilitator for the R.I.S.E. (Race, Identity, and Systems Exploration) Series and the Teacher Leadership Council, through her role as a Senior Design Associate at the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE).
In her role as Senior Design Associate in District and School Design with the CCE, Laura coached schools through the visioning, design, and implementation processes of a variety of pursuits including personalized (student-centered) learning, professional learning communities, performance assessment, internships, and vision of the graduate/whole school (re)design. Previously, Laura worked with the Harvard Family Research Project where she supported schools in strengthening partnerships with families and communities, and with the Worcester Youth Opportunities Office where she bridged connections between schools and community organizations to create meaningful out-of-school learning opportunities for students.
Laura entered the field of education with a background in sociology where she developed a passion around the intersections between schools and other social institutions. Laura believes that schools and educators have the power to positively impact social change, and that they thrive in doing so when they have a partner who encourages their internal capacity and connects them to the necessary resources. Laura holds a Master of Education in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is a trained facilitator through the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project and School Reform Initiative.
