She earned her Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction (Bilingual Education), at the University of Houston, Houston, Texas. Dr. Laras publications appear in journals such as Teacher Education and Practice, The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, Academic Exchange. In addition to classroom teaching, her academic work includes the development of Curriculum guides in collaboration with Project U.S.A. (Urban Scientists in Action), the Houston Zoological Association and Texas Southern University. Dr. Lara is the Director of the Post Baccalaureate Alternative Route to Certification, and a university supervisor for candidates in clinical practice.