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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.
Tara Goodhue Science Teacher Lowell High School Lowell Public Schools
If you would like to contact Tara, please email her at tgoodhue@lowell.k12.ma.us .
Tara Goodhue teaches science and is head of the science department at Lowell High School. She shows her students that nature is all around them, even in an urban setting, and involves them in scientific work through Harvard Forest, Mass Audubon, the National Park Service, and other entities. Goodhue is an adjunct faculty member at University of Massachusetts Lowell, a curriculum design and science communication consultant with Fort Hill Consulting in New Hampshire, and a mentor teacher with the Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology program. She is also a member of the Lowell "Nature Everywhere" Team with the Children and Nature Network.
Before coming to Lowell High, Goodhue worked at Greater Lowell Technical High School in Tyngsboro for 14 years. Goodhue holds a Doctor of Education in leadership in schools with a STEM concentration from UMass Lowell; a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction in secondary education, also from UMass Lowell; and a Bachelor of Arts in biology with a minor in music performance from Clark University in Worcester. In 2020, the National Association of Biology Teachers named her Environmental Educator of the Year. When Goodhue isn't teaching science, you might find her hiking or knitting.
Previous Massachusetts Teachers of the Year
Last Updated: December 2, 2025