Adam Laats

Adam Laats is a Professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University. His research focuses on the history of American education, particularly cultural battles over schooling, conservative evangelical influences, and evolution of urban school reform from 1790-1860.

• Education:
  • MAT from Washington University in St. Louis
  • PhD in U.S. History from University of Wisconsin—Madison (2007)

Laats' work reveals how school children themselves shaped public education's development, challenging traditional adult-centric narratives. His scholarship spans creation/evolution debates, evangelical higher education, and conservative educational activism from 1920s-2000s.

Key Publications: Mr. Lancaster’s System (2024), Creationism USA (2020), Fundamentalist U (2018), Teaching Evolution in a Creation Nation (2016), and The Other School Reformers (2015).

Scientific Recognition: Recipient of the prestigious Friend of Darwin Award from Binghamton University for his contributions to evolution education discourse.