Trent McLaurin, Ph.D.

Before joining La Salle, Dr. McLaurin was a special education practitioner in a variety of K-12 school settings. He has experience as an ABA therapist at a private school, special education teacher and behavioral specialist in a public-school district, and as a special education administrator for a k-12 charter school network. These experiences have shaped his passion for education equality for students identified for special education as well as teacher/administrator preparation to meet the needs of all students.

Dr. McLaurin earned a Ph.D. in Education with specialization in Special Education and a secondary emphasis in Counseling from George Mason University. His research area of focus is centered around critical studies and special education. More specifically, the intersection of race and disability status, trauma-informed pedagogy as well as the impact of systems on outcomes of students with disabilities.

Areas of Expertise

• Special Education
• Teaching students with emotional and behavioral disabilities
• Classroom and Behavioral Management
• Trauma-Informed Pedagogy

Education

• Ph.D., George Mason University, 2016
• M.A., George Washington University, 2008
• B.A, George Mason University, 2006

Publications

Lewinski, K., McLaurin, T. & Scott, I. (2024/11/19). Inspiration from outside of the classroom: An afterschool program that motivates students to write. Literacy Now. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog%2fliteracy-now%2f2024%2f11%2f20%2finspiration-from-outside-of-the-classroom-an-afterschool-program-that-motivates-students-to-write

McLaurin, T. (2024). History beyond the textbook: Utilizing hip hop to add new narratives to social studies. Annals of Social Studies Research for Teachers, 6(2), 12-23https://doi.org/10.29173/assert67

Peterson-Ansari, R. & McLaurin, T. (2024). Preparing culturally relevant and sustaining educators: Connecting theory to practice in a teacher education program. Pennsylvania Teacher Educator 23(1) 56-65.

McLaurin, T. & Lewinski, K. (2023) Bringing hip hop culture into the classroom: Hip hop lyrics as mentor text. Language Arts,101 (1), 53-57. https://doi.org/10.58680/la202332601.

McLaurin, T. & Lewinski, K. E. (2022). Empowering literacy educators through trauma-informed practices. In Bromer, B. L. & Crawford, C. M. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Learner-Centered Approaches to Teaching in an Age of Transformational Change (p.122-144). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-4240-1

Lewinski, K., McLaurin, T., Vogel, R. (2021). Society Unmasked: Voices of Teachers and Students in Unprecedented Times. Writers Matter, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

Presentations

Lewinski, L. & McLaurin, T. (2024). Professional Development that ACTUALLY works: Supporting teachers through collaboration that celebrates their voice. [Roundtable session]. The Association of Teacher Educators, Anaheim, CA, United States.

Byrne, L. & McLaurin, T. (2023). Advancing pedagogy and equity in early childhood: Developing specialized content by integrating trauma-informed principles with early childhood education best practices. [Conference session] National Association for Educating Young Children Annual Conference, Nashville, TN, United States.

McLaurin, T. & Taylor, J. (2023). Power to the People: When You See Me See You [Conference Session] The Afro-Latin/American Research Association, Camden, NJ, United States

Byrne, L. & McLaurin, T. (2023). The Dovetailing of Our Professional Journeys: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Providing Standard-Aligned and Competency-Based Coursework for Professional Preparation and Ongoing Professional Development for the Early Childhood Workforce [Conference session]. The Association of Teacher Educators, Jacksonville, FL, United States.

McLaurin, T (2022). Stories of Trauma and Resilience Told Through the Narratives of Hip Hop [Conference session]. Beyond the Textbook: Equity, Engagement, and Primary Sources in the Classroom, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

McLaurin, T. (2021). Trauma Informed Educators [Conference session]. Making Stories Visible: A Celebration of Writing and Literacy, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

Lewinski, K., Jackson, C., Coughlin, K., Steward, A., & McLaurin, T. (2021) Culturally Competent Instruction: Action Planning for Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education, [Conference Session]. Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium Summit, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

McLaurin, T. & Hawkins, D. (2021). Building school capacity to work with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, [Convention workshop]. Council for Exceptional Children, Baltimore, MD, United States.

McLaurin, T. (2020). Recruitment, retention, and equity during challenging times: Through a trauma informed lens [Conference Session]. Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Philadelphia Institutions of Higher Education Educator Diversity Consortium’s Aspiring to Educate (A2E) Working Group Presents: A Virtual Summit to Address Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.