Laurel J. Schmidt

Laurel J. Schmidt is an educator, administrator, and author with more than thirty years of experience in schools as a teacher, principal, curriculum development specialist, consultant, lecturer, and writer. She has served as Director of Pupil Services for the Santa Monica–Malibu School District and has taught as an adjunct professor at Antioch University. Schmidt holds a BA in art from Mount Saint Mary’s College and a master’s degree in art history from California State University, Northridge; she also pursued art history studies at Oxford University.

She is the author of Social Studies That Sticks: How to Bring Content and Concepts to Life, which presents a brain-compatible, learning-cycle approach to engaging students in social studies. Schmidt has also written several other influential education books, including Classroom Confidential: The 12 Secrets of Great Teachers, Gardening in the Minefield: A Survival Guide for School Administrators, and Seven Times Smarter: How to Develop the Seven Intelligences in Your Child.