A former Boston College practicum instructor and Army National Guard veteran who led the "about-face" at Deerfield Elementary School in Westwood, Massachusetts, Principal Dr. Allan Cameron is a clear-cut winner. With growth and achievement at the top of his list, failure— for students or for staff—is never an option. “A rare educator for whom theory and practice are seamlessly integrated” is just one of many comments on his professionalism.
Discipline problems are no longer an issue at Deerfield, which has turned around since Cameron came on board. He greets every student each morning, knows their academic strengths and weaknesses, visits classrooms regularly and even teaches lessons. He also established a successful professional learning community focused on common planning time and support. Fastidious in his pursuit of continuous improvement, Cameron distributes an anonymous feedback survey to assess his performance. And in a weekly staff newsletter, he shares examples of best practices that he has observed among his talented staff.
Students are the ultimate beneficiaries of this school-wide culture of excellence. For three years in a row, Deerfield student achievement scores have been tops in Massachusetts in most categories for grades 3 and 5. Among his many other leadership activities, Cameron led the district's kindergarten committee in expanding the program to a full day, and is the Mentor Program leader, teaming up veteran teachers with those new to the profession.
Since his 2012 Milken Educator Award win, Allan has been featured by the MA Department of Education in their "aMAzing Educators" video series:
2008 Ph.D. from Boston College
1999 MA from Fairfield University
1995 BA from the University of Connecticut
1999
