Education Director Laura Miceli came to Ivy Street School in March with 20 years of experiences in public schools as a principal, district administrator, state-level specialist, and teacher.

A native of Quincy, MA, Miceli earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from UMass Boston and two Master of Education degrees from Boston University in Reading and in Policy, Planning, and Administration. Laura is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at Northeastern University for Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership.

 

From a young age, Miceli always knew she would go into education.

 

"My dad was a teacher," she says. "He had a very strong influence on my career path."

 

Miceli's career began in special education, at Cardinal Cushing Center and later Brockton High School, where she was initially a Special Education Teacher.

 

"I love having the opportunity to learn how students think and process information to help them best learn the material," she says.

 

Most recently, Laura served as principal at both the Paul A. Dever Elementary School and the Edward Everett Schools in the Boston Public Schools. She has also held positions of teacher, Assistant Housemaster, Director of School Improvement and Title I, and Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development.

 

Part of what drew Miceli to Ivy Street School was the prospect of working in a smaller setting. This allows for strong individualized programming and the ability for her to get to know each student and family personally and build relationships, something she says is one of her favorite parts of the job.

Laura Miceli talks with a student about a project at the recent Ivy St. Science Fair

 

Some of Miceli's duties as Education Director include working with and overseeing staff in regards to educational programming, maintaining communication with supporting school districts and agencies, supporting clinical staff on PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports), and ensuring compliance for students' IEPs.

Miceli stresses the importance of including student and parent voices in each step of the process, and then working collaboratively with staff to support each student's vision to meet their goals.

 

Since her arrival at Ivy Street, Miceli has been impressed with the hard work and dedication of both the students and the staff, and in particular the ways in which the different teams collaborate to ensure the best possible outcomes for each student.

 

"The staff are incredibly committed and knowledgeable," she says. "They're a really dynamic group that all work together to serve the students, and that is really unique.

 

"Every person here gives their all every day - the staff and the students. It truly is an inviting environment."