Laney Sammons

Laney Sammons is the author of Guided Math: A Framework for Mathematics Instruction and Math Stretches: Building Conceptual Understanding. Her extensive work with children began as she directed Mercer University's Youth Services Program in 1980. In addition, she supported the needs of youth by serving on numerous board of community service organizations. From 1989 to 2002, Laney taught kindergarten, second grade, and sixth grade in a language arts magnet school and a social studies magnet school where she was Teacher of the Year for her school and school system. She also served as Instructional Coach at Samuel E. Hubbard Elementary School in Forsyth, Georgia until her recent retirement. Currently, she is a mathematics consultant and continues to write. During her years in the classroom, Laney developed the Guided Math instructional framework as a way of meeting the needs of all of her students--from the struggling learners to those who quickly mastered concepts and needed additional challenges. Because of the success of the Guided Math framework in her classroom, the entire Monroe County school system implemented it in their elementary schools. Laney has trained the entire staff at Hubbard Elementary School during the past year resulting in increases in math scores on the state tests, not only in the passage rate, but also in the percentage of students exceeding the standards. Her book Guided Math: A Framework for Mathematics Instruction was published by Shell Education in April 2009 and introduced at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference in Washington, D. C. Math Stretches: Building Conceptual Understanding K-2, her second book, was published in April 2010. Laney has presented her ideas concerning mathematics instruction locally and at national conferences. Laney and her husband split their time between Georgia and their home in Vermont.