Our Team

Frank LaBanca, EdD, Executive Director

Dr. Frank LaBanca is a teacher, educational researcher, and change agent. He is the Executive Director of the National Center for Inquiry Learning and the founding Principal of Danbury’s Westside Middle School Academy magnet. His responsibilities include: shaping a vision of academic success for all students, creating a climate that promotes education, cultivating leadership in others, continuous school improvement, partnerships with the community, parents, business, and industry, and promoting innovation that improves student achievement and engagement. Formerly he was the Director of the Center for 21st Century Skills at EDUCATION CONNECTION, where he directed and managed the implementation of innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math programs in 50+ middle and high schools across Connecticut. During his 16-year career in the classroom, Dr. LaBanca taught Biology and Applied Science Research at Stamford, Newtown, and Oxford High Schools. He has been recognized as a National Education Association Innovation Teacher; a GTE GIFT (Growth Initiatives For Teachers) Fellow; a RadioShack National Teacher for Excellence in Science, Math, and Technology; and the Teachers’ Insurance Plan Teacher of the Year. He was also recognized by Discovery as the National Outstanding Classroom Blogger for his blog Applied Science Research and was a global finalist in the best teacher blog category of the 2011 Edublog Awards. Dr. LaBanca adjuncts at Western Connecticut State University and the University of Bridgeport teaching Science Methods, Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis for Educational Research, and supervises dissertation research. Dr. LaBanca holds a BS in Biology, an MS in Science Education, and an EdD in Instructional Leadership.