Educator. Innovator. Collaborator.

Leslie Pralle Osborn is a dedicated educator at CAL Elementary, where she teaches and co-teaches 5th and 6th grade. Before joining CAL, she served as an instructional collaborator for innovation and differentiation at Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School, where she also worked as a student advocate, primarily supporting English Learners.
Recognized as an ASCD Emerging Leader and one of the National School Board Association’s “20 to Watch,” Leslie brings a wealth of experience from her decade in education. She has taught Family & Consumer Science, led two teams to state culinary and restaurant management championships, consulted for physical education teachers, and co-taught sheltered classrooms for English Learners among numerous other leadership roles. Prior to returning to the classroom in 2021, she spent seven years on the Technology Innovation team, six years as a Social Studies consultant, and served as the Emerging Bilinguals consultant at Prairie Lakes AEA, supporting districts across northwest Iowa. She began her career teaching 6-12 grade Social Studies and 6-8 grade computer courses at Northeast Hamilton CSD.
Over time, Leslie’s work has evolved to focus on student engagement, relationship-building strategies, blended learning, project-based learning, and student voice. Her contributions to education have earned her several accolades, including being named a Bill of Rights Institute Fellow (2010) and C-SPAN Education Fellow (2011). She served as Vice President and Media Director of the Iowa Council for the Social Studies, which named her Teacher of the Year in 2012. In 2016, she was recognized as an ISTE Emerging Leader, and from 2021-2023, she served as Executive Director of IowaSLI, one of Iowa’s leading student voice organizations.
A frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences, Leslie focuses on designing for all learners, fostering relationships, and empowering students through global citizenship, creativity, and connected education.
Recognized as an ASCD Emerging Leader and one of the National School Board Association’s “20 to Watch,” Leslie brings a wealth of experience from her decade in education. She has taught Family & Consumer Science, led two teams to state culinary and restaurant management championships, consulted for physical education teachers, and co-taught sheltered classrooms for English Learners among numerous other leadership roles. Prior to returning to the classroom in 2021, she spent seven years on the Technology Innovation team, six years as a Social Studies consultant, and served as the Emerging Bilinguals consultant at Prairie Lakes AEA, supporting districts across northwest Iowa. She began her career teaching 6-12 grade Social Studies and 6-8 grade computer courses at Northeast Hamilton CSD.
Over time, Leslie’s work has evolved to focus on student engagement, relationship-building strategies, blended learning, project-based learning, and student voice. Her contributions to education have earned her several accolades, including being named a Bill of Rights Institute Fellow (2010) and C-SPAN Education Fellow (2011). She served as Vice President and Media Director of the Iowa Council for the Social Studies, which named her Teacher of the Year in 2012. In 2016, she was recognized as an ISTE Emerging Leader, and from 2021-2023, she served as Executive Director of IowaSLI, one of Iowa’s leading student voice organizations.
A frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences, Leslie focuses on designing for all learners, fostering relationships, and empowering students through global citizenship, creativity, and connected education.
What my Biracial Daughters Taught Me
The kids who are going to find the jobs and have the future that we want them to have are the ones who can see the beauty and the life and the design and the story in the world around them. We need to create well rounded, global students who can tie their liberal arts education into their science and math and engineering and creating. |
In order to leave a legacy, you must first live a legacy. When kids are the ones developing the questions and driving the instruction... is when they are truly engaged and learning really happens. |