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NOMINATE.Have a colleague doing inspiring work? Fill out the quick form linked below to nominate them to share their inspired learning experience on our blog. You fill out the form and we do the rest! We will reach out to your colleague via email, assist them in writing and editing their blog post, and get them published.
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Meet the Inspired Learning Team
Feel free to reach out to us individually or to all of us at inspiredlearningteam@gmail.com.
JOHN CLEMENTS
John Clements is Co-Principal of Nipmuc Regional High School. He began his career at Nipmuc twenty-one years ago as an English teacher. He spent seven years as an assistant principal and is currently in his ninth year as principal. Mr. Clements is passionate about evolving education to meet the needs of the modern world. He is the recipient of the 2017 Massachusetts Principal of the Year Award.
Mr. Clements is a believer in the power of professional sharing as a source of professional growth and development. He is a founder of The Inspired Learning Project, a past moderator of the Twitter chat #thinktankED, and - along with Mrs. Moran - the co-creator of the Launching Modern Learning course in order to guide other educators in building schools that inspire. He and Mrs. Moran shared their efforts to reimagine school in the Modern Learners podcast, “Creating a New Story of Learning”. He regularly shares his work and the learning practices of Nipmuc Regional with educators across Massachusetts, New England, and the country.
Mr. Clements is a proponent of the accreditation process as a way to promote a culture of continuous improvement in our schools. He has worked closely with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), including chairing NEASC’s committee to design the 2020 Standards for Accreditation, serving six years Commissioner, and chairing accreditation visiting teams. He is the recipient of NEASC’s 2016 Jacob Ludes III Leadership Award. He is a past president of the Blackstone Valley Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports innovative educational programming to assist students’ development of 21st-century skills by connecting classrooms with industry. You can follow John on Twitter @JohnKClements or reach him directly via email at jclements@mursd.org.
Mr. Clements is a believer in the power of professional sharing as a source of professional growth and development. He is a founder of The Inspired Learning Project, a past moderator of the Twitter chat #thinktankED, and - along with Mrs. Moran - the co-creator of the Launching Modern Learning course in order to guide other educators in building schools that inspire. He and Mrs. Moran shared their efforts to reimagine school in the Modern Learners podcast, “Creating a New Story of Learning”. He regularly shares his work and the learning practices of Nipmuc Regional with educators across Massachusetts, New England, and the country.
Mr. Clements is a proponent of the accreditation process as a way to promote a culture of continuous improvement in our schools. He has worked closely with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), including chairing NEASC’s committee to design the 2020 Standards for Accreditation, serving six years Commissioner, and chairing accreditation visiting teams. He is the recipient of NEASC’s 2016 Jacob Ludes III Leadership Award. He is a past president of the Blackstone Valley Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports innovative educational programming to assist students’ development of 21st-century skills by connecting classrooms with industry. You can follow John on Twitter @JohnKClements or reach him directly via email at jclements@mursd.org.
MAUREEN COHEN
Maureen Cohen is the Assistant Superintendent in the Mendon-Upton Regional School District located in Mendon, Massachusetts. With twenty years experience in education, Dr. Cohen has worked across urban and suburban school settings as a high school teacher, school building administrator and district leader. In 2012, Dr. Cohen was the MSSAA Massachusetts Assistant Principal of the Year and was selected as one of the 3 national finalists for NASSP Assistant Principal of the Year. With undergraduate and graduate degrees from Bowdoin College and Northeastern University in government and international relations, followed by a doctorate in educational leadership, her educational background has focused on the impact of leadership in national, global, and educational institutions. Dr. Cohen is passionate about creating educational environments built on positive relationships that unlock students’ potential, empower student agency, and provide opportunities for relevant learning experiences that are authentic, innovative, and collaborative.
Dr. Cohen also believes in the importance of building cross-district networks focused on collaboration and continuous improvement. As a result, she has built cross-district mentoring programs, leadership roundtables, and collaborative projects with regional districts. A frequent presenter, she has presented at MASS, MSAA, MassCUE, EduCon, and numerous MA PD days (Nashoba, Ashland, Hopedale, Mashpee). Her presentations have been on various topics such as: Leadership (Transformative, Mindful, Instructional, Change, Technological), Project Based Learning, Curriculum Design, Student Engagement, Mentoring, Growth Mindset, and Social-Emotional Learning. In addition to presentations, she has led district strategic committees on equity, later start times, and strategic planning in Ashland, Grafton, and Sutton respectively. Additionally, she served as a member of the Grafton School Committee and Co-Chair of the Blackstone Valley Curriculum Consortium. You can follow her on her district website: mursdcurriculum.weebly.com, on Twitter at @maureenmcohen, or via email at mcohen@mursd.org.
Dr. Cohen also believes in the importance of building cross-district networks focused on collaboration and continuous improvement. As a result, she has built cross-district mentoring programs, leadership roundtables, and collaborative projects with regional districts. A frequent presenter, she has presented at MASS, MSAA, MassCUE, EduCon, and numerous MA PD days (Nashoba, Ashland, Hopedale, Mashpee). Her presentations have been on various topics such as: Leadership (Transformative, Mindful, Instructional, Change, Technological), Project Based Learning, Curriculum Design, Student Engagement, Mentoring, Growth Mindset, and Social-Emotional Learning. In addition to presentations, she has led district strategic committees on equity, later start times, and strategic planning in Ashland, Grafton, and Sutton respectively. Additionally, she served as a member of the Grafton School Committee and Co-Chair of the Blackstone Valley Curriculum Consortium. You can follow her on her district website: mursdcurriculum.weebly.com, on Twitter at @maureenmcohen, or via email at mcohen@mursd.org.
MARY ANNE MORAN
Mary Anne Moran is Co-Principal of Nipmuc Regional High School in Upton, Massachusetts. She began her career as an elementary educator and quickly made her way up to the secondary level. She has been a member of the Nipmuc community for the last 17 years transitioning from the role of math educator and department chair to the role of assistant principal and now co-principal. Ms. Moran was named 2016 Massachusetts Assistant Principal of the Year.
With a passion for what it possible and an endless curiosity about our educational system, Ms. Moran spends much of her time reading, leading, and learning about reimagining and redesigning our schools for the modern world. With a focus on student voice and embracing the idea that we are all learners, she has worked to create and implement structures at Nipmuc to ensure that all members of the school community are a part of the journey to make school meaningful, relevant, and engaging.
As a leadership team for the last 9 years, Ms. Moran and Mr. Clements regularly share their passion for this work with educators throughout New England and from across the country through professional development sessions. Together, they co-authored an online course focused on actionable strategies to lead school communities through their first years of change (Launching Modern Learning). Their work around change in schools was also featured on the Modern Learners podcast, “Creating a New Story of Learning.” Finally, together with three of her colleagues, Ms. Moran created and regularly contributes as a member of the Inspired Learning Project - connecting educators, leaders, and school communities across the country to support them in journeys to reimagine school. Follow Nipmuc's journey at bit.ly/nipmucroadmap. You can follow Mary Anne on Twitter @Mary_Anne_Moran or reach her directly via email at mamoran@mursd.org.
With a passion for what it possible and an endless curiosity about our educational system, Ms. Moran spends much of her time reading, leading, and learning about reimagining and redesigning our schools for the modern world. With a focus on student voice and embracing the idea that we are all learners, she has worked to create and implement structures at Nipmuc to ensure that all members of the school community are a part of the journey to make school meaningful, relevant, and engaging.
As a leadership team for the last 9 years, Ms. Moran and Mr. Clements regularly share their passion for this work with educators throughout New England and from across the country through professional development sessions. Together, they co-authored an online course focused on actionable strategies to lead school communities through their first years of change (Launching Modern Learning). Their work around change in schools was also featured on the Modern Learners podcast, “Creating a New Story of Learning.” Finally, together with three of her colleagues, Ms. Moran created and regularly contributes as a member of the Inspired Learning Project - connecting educators, leaders, and school communities across the country to support them in journeys to reimagine school. Follow Nipmuc's journey at bit.ly/nipmucroadmap. You can follow Mary Anne on Twitter @Mary_Anne_Moran or reach her directly via email at mamoran@mursd.org.
DAVE QUINN
Dave Quinn is the Director of Technology Integration for the Mendon-Upton Regional School District where he heads the 1:1 Learning program and technology professional development. Dave began his career in 2010 as a middle school history teacher at King Philip Middle School in Norfolk, MA. While teaching, Quinn leveraged KPMS's technological infrastructure to enhance the student experience through digital inquiry and the creation of authentic products. Students designed museum exhibit proposals through WebQuests, built Wikispaces on early Greek cultures and developed their own "60 Minutes" style historical news shows, among other projects. His interest in technology in education led him to pursue a Ph.D. full-time under Dr. Julie Coiro at the University of Rhode Island.
From 2013-2016, Dave worked at University of Rhode Island as a Graduate Assistant and instructor teaching both freshman and masters students. In 2015, he was the coordinator of URI's Summer Institute in Digital Literacy, a week-long professional development program focused on collaborative inquiry and digital learning design. He is currently a doctoral candidate working on a dissertation focused on teachers who conduct Genius Hour student interest-driven inquiry projects with their students.
Dave has shared his work at a wide variety of local and national conferences including MassCUE, RIDE Innovation Powered by Technology Conference, the Literacy Research Association Conference, Digital Media and Learning Conference and the International Literacy Association Conference. An advocate of civic participation, he also served on the Attleboro School Committee and Seekonk School Committee. You can follow Dave on Twitter @EduQuinn or reach him directly via email at dquinn@mursd.org.
From 2013-2016, Dave worked at University of Rhode Island as a Graduate Assistant and instructor teaching both freshman and masters students. In 2015, he was the coordinator of URI's Summer Institute in Digital Literacy, a week-long professional development program focused on collaborative inquiry and digital learning design. He is currently a doctoral candidate working on a dissertation focused on teachers who conduct Genius Hour student interest-driven inquiry projects with their students.
Dave has shared his work at a wide variety of local and national conferences including MassCUE, RIDE Innovation Powered by Technology Conference, the Literacy Research Association Conference, Digital Media and Learning Conference and the International Literacy Association Conference. An advocate of civic participation, he also served on the Attleboro School Committee and Seekonk School Committee. You can follow Dave on Twitter @EduQuinn or reach him directly via email at dquinn@mursd.org.
