Colleen Cooper, fifth-grade teacher at Hellgate Intermediate School in Missoula, has received international acclaim for her pioneering curriculum using the abacus. This program has led to dramatic improvements in achievement for both remedial and gifted students. She is director of the Montana Abacus Project and coordinates multi-district abacus tournaments. One of the first teachers in the nation to integrate technology into her instruction, Ms. Cooper was also one of the first teachers in the state to develop a classroom technology center. She has created an award-winning environmental science education program called "Eagle Site," in which students study a nearby river ecosystem, and developed a partnership with a local paper mill to teach students about forest management.
1981 Northern Michigan University, B.A.
