Each year, the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year program honors a licensed preK–12 Massachusetts public school teacher who exemplifies excellent teaching in the Commonwealth. The Teacher of the Year program recognizes and celebrates educators who make a positive impact on student learning and well-being; use student-centered, innovative approaches to teaching and learning; and demonstrate leadership within and beyond the classroom.
For more information on the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year program, please click on the following links.
The Teacher of the Year is an exemplary educator who will serve as a liaison to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), act as an ambassador to other teachers in the state, and have the opportunity to connect with teachers from other states. The Teacher of the Year program is an opportunity for teachers to be celebrated and share their voice on policies and practices that impact educators and students across the Commonwealth.
The Teacher of the Year is a teacher who:
Creates an affirming environment where students engage in deeper learning and are held to high expectations with targeted support
Builds strong relationships with students, families, and the larger school and district community
Has ideas about great teaching, feels strongly about what it looks like to provide high-quality instruction, and is eager to work with and learn from a diverse group of stakeholders to make our education system better
Opportunities for the Teacher of the Year:
The Teacher of the Year will have the opportunity to serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession, a role that will include public speaking and writing opportunities. This is a chance for the teacher to share ideas and to learn from others. It is not the expectation that the Teacher of the Year speaks on behalf of all teachers. Rather, the selected educator should be willing to share their individual experiences and perspectives while also acknowledging the variety of viewpoints that exist among educators. The Teacher of the Year maintains full-time teaching responsibilities.
The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year becomes the state's candidate for National Teacher of the Year. The National Teacher of the Year spends a year out of the classroom traveling across the country and internationally.
Contingent upon the national program and funding, the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year attends a four-day conference; travels to Washington, D.C. for a week to participate in numerous recognition activities and potentially meet the President; spends a week at Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.; and attends a virtual "Next Steps," all with other states' teachers of the year.
Luisa Sparrow Fifth and Sixth Grade Special Education Teacher Oliver Hazard Perry School Boston Public Schools
If you would like to contact Luisa, please email her at lsparrow2@bostonpublicschools.org .
Luisa Sparrow teaches fifth and sixth graders with intellectual disabilities in a multi-grade, self-contained special education setting at the Oliver Hazard Perry School in Boston, Mass. She serves on her school's inclusion planning team and designed her school's inclusive Cooking Club to create accessible environments where everyone feels a sense of belonging. She is passionate about developing her students' literacy skills across content areas and fostering a classroom community where all students can learn, grow, and be embraced exactly as they are. Sparrow began her teaching career in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas as a 2005 Teach For America corps member and then worked as an educator in Costa Rica, Delaware, and Philadelphia before moving to Massachusetts. She mentors Boston teachers who are pursuing National Board Certification through the Boston Public Schools/Boston Teachers Union National Board Program and serves as a Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow. She is an inaugural member of the Education Week Magazine Teacher Advisory Panel. Sparrow holds a Bachelor of Science in human development from Cornell University, a Master of Education with a focus in language and literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and National Board Certification as an exceptional needs specialist. Outside of school, she spends her time hiking, taking road trips with family and friends, supporting youth who are experiencing state custody through the foster care system, working with elders to document their life stories, and reading and having dance parties with her two amazing toddler daughters.
If you have questions about the Teacher of the Year Program, please email the Educator Recognition mailbox at educatorrecognition@doe.mass.edu .
Previous Massachusetts Teachers of the Year
Last Updated: December 5, 2024
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
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