Boston teacher Luisa Sparrow receives state’s top educator award

BOSTON — Boston teacher Luisa Sparrow has been named as the 2025 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.

Sparrow, a Wilmington resident who works as a special education teacher for fifth- and sixth-grade students at the Oliver Hazard Perry School in South Boston, received the honor during an assembly on Wednesday.

“Ms. Sparrow is an example of the exceptional educators we have in Massachusetts who go above and beyond to support all of their students and foster an inclusive learning environment,” state Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said. “It’s a pleasure to celebrate with her, her dedicated team, students and school community today.”

Sparrow, who officials said has worked with colleagues to create inclusive opportunities for her students and the rest of the school, is the eighth Massachusetts Teacher of the Year to come from the Boston Public Schools.

She is the 63rd recipient of the annual award, which launches her as the candidate for Massachusetts for the National Teacher of the Year program.

“My students, just like all others with significant disabilities, deserve the opportunity to learn alongside their neurotypical peers not because they are able do many of the same tasks, but simply because everyone deserves a chance to belong,” Sparrow said.

In addition to Sparrow, the finalists for 2025 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year were Jennifer Ferrari, a visual arts teacher at Lane Elementary School in Bedford, and Kristen Magas, an engineering teacher at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin.

The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year program is the state’s top award for educators and annually recognizes excellence in teaching across Massachusetts. Over the coming year, Sparrow will have speaking opportunities within Massachusetts and will travel to California and Washington, D.C. to meet with teachers of the year from the rest of the nation.

Sparrow has been teaching for 16 years, eight of those at the Perry School, where she works with other educators in a self-contained classroom for students with intellectual disabilities, according to biographical information provided by the state.

She serves on her school’s inclusion planning team and worked with other teachers to create the school’s inclusive Cooking Club, where groups from the school’s special education and general education classes meet every other week to cook and learn together.

Sparrow also supports Boston teachers who are pursuing National Board Certification as an on-call reader through the Boston Public Schools/Boston Teachers Union National Board Program and serves as a Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow.

Outside of school, Sparrow supports youth who are experiencing state custody through the foster care system and works with elders to document their life stories.

Sparrow holds a bachelor’s degree in human development from Cornell University, a master’s degree in education with a focus in language and literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and National Board Certification as an exceptional needs specialist.

Her goal as a teacher is “to design spaces where students can all learn what they need to learn together.”

The selection process for the 2025 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year began in early 2024 with a call for nominations from administrators, teachers, students, parents and others.

An initial review of each application led to the selection of eight semifinalists, who then submitted additional supporting material.

Three finalists were selected and interviewed by a panel that included prior Massachusetts Teachers of the Year. That panel then recommended two names to Elementary and Secondary Education Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston, who made the final decision.

“Ms. Sparrow empowers her students, values the work of her colleagues and builds bridges across the school,” Johnston said. “Congratulations to her and to our finalists, Ms. Ferrari and Ms. Magas!”

For the first time this year, the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year will be sponsored by Wellpoint, a health benefits company based in Woburn. Wellpoint is giving a $10,000 grant to Sparrow’s school and will also be honoring the two finalists.

The semifinalists for this year’s award were:

• Samantha Breen, an English language arts teacher at Hopkinton High School, part of the Hopkinton Public Schools;
• Michael Haddad, a world languages teacher at Lynn English High School, part of the Lynn Public Schools;
• Heather Lang, a special education teacher at Lynn English High School;
• Ashley O’Neil, a special education teacher at Birchland Park Middle School, part of the East Longmeadow Public Schools; and
• Susannah Remillard, an adventure education teacher at Nauset Regional Middle School, part of the Nauset Public Schools.

To nominate a public school educator to be the 2026 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, email educatorrecognition@doe.mass.edu.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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