Lisa Cooley brings real education change to the school board table. Her position on progressive education and opposition to high-stakes testing and standardization bring the wider world of school transformation to a rural New England school district. She brings her ideas on meaningful student learning to every aspect of school board activity, from the budget, to curriculum decisions, to student expulsion hearings.

Cooley says, “Every once in awhile, a school board should stop what they’re doing and talk about education, Even if it means we go home a little later.” She says, “Everyone says they are student-centered,” but she asks, “‘What does that look like in the day-to-day running of our schools?” She challenges folks to embrace respect for children’s energy and curiosity.

Cooley’s focus is to bring real learning that matters to all students in the district. Cooley knows the walls between school and the outside world are still thick and rarely breached for out-of-school learning experiences. To help combat this, she proposed and succeeded in adding to the budget a Volunteer Coordinator/Internship Development position that will be expanded. Most recently, she has worked to bring the district’s attention to Big Picture Learning (http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2012/05/simple-ed-reform-solution-connect.html) in hopes of brining their brand of passion-driven learning to Maine.

Her goals are to bring students’ interests, passions, enjoyments and curiosities to their everyday work at school are why she should receive this recognition.