Laura Shafer, PhD, is a Senior Program Officer and Academy Instructor for the Knowles Teacher Initiative. She taught high school Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Integrated Science focusing on facilitating student engagement in the practices of science to develop disciplinary knowledge. She designed and implemented curriculum components for a graduate science education methods course for preservice teachers focused on supporting preservice teachers in developing and facilitating lessons in alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards. She provided supervision for pre-service teachers developing and implementing approaches for working individually and collaboratively with resident mentor teachers. She designed and facilitated professional development workshop series for K-12 educators, administrators and language resource personnel to support understanding and implementation of NGSS and integration of CCSS. She is a co-author of Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Secondary Science.