Dedra Stafford

Dedra Stafford is a passionate educator with a belief in the power of positive purposeful teaching. Her goal is to play a small part in helping educators find (and keep) their joy for education while gaining new skills. Stafford combines audience interaction and her personal story of her educational journey to create an entertaining and inspirational experience, leaving audiences with a newfound determination to do “whatever it takes” to reach all students.

As a former classroom teacher, professional development specialist, and current school board member with over 20 years in education, she understands the need for professional development that can be implemented immediately into the classroom.

Known as the "Queen of Practical," her easy to use implementation ideas help teachers put proven practices into place to impact engagement, instruction and student achievement. Stafford's toolbox includes social and emotional learning, growth mindset, rigorous instructional strategies, differentiated instruction, technology integration, formative assessment, restorative practices and teacher/student motivation. Having such a vast skill base has made her a popular presenter and coach working with local, state, and national organizations in over 40-states nationwide and 3 international schools.

Much of Stafford’s time is spent supporting high-risk schools in an embedded capacity. She has the ability and versatility to come into a school and work with the leadership team to develop a professional development plan that is responsive to the students’ needs and teachers’ needs in that specific school. Stafford has worked with multiple “School Improvement Grant-SIG” schools, developing embedded PD plans that combine PLC Training, model teaching, co-teaching, and classroom observations.

Stafford is the author and co-author of 4 educational books including, the best-selling book "Teaching Kids to Thrive: The Other Essential Skills for Success" with Dr. Debbie Silver and newly released in 2018, Summarization in Any Subject with Rick Wormeli. She stays connected to teachers and the classroom through the Teaching Kids to Thrive website (full of free resources for teachers) and her teachers' social media resource, Teachtiviites: From Pencils to iPads.