Allison Arth Named LEAD Public School’s First Teacher of the Year
At LEAD Public Schools, excellence in the classroom is both expected and celebrated. This year, LEAD celebrated that excellence by launching our first-ever, network-wide Teacher of the Year Award, where one teacher from each school was selected by their peers to serve as their campus representative. These educators demonstrate LEAD’s five pillars in who they are both inside and outside of the classroom. After six educators were chosen at the school level, Allison Arth of LEAD Southeast Middle School was named LEAD Public School’s first Teacher of the Year.
Now in her second year at LEAD, Arth didn’t necessarily plan on being back in the classroom. After previously working in a role supporting computer science programs across the country, she found herself losing passion for education. That changed when she joined the Pack at LEAD Southeast Middle School. What she found there was a culture grounded in belief’ belief in students, teachers, and what schools can be when at their best. That belief, she says, starts from the top and “bleeds into everything we do.”
That same belief in students defines Arth’s teaching philosophy. She challenges her students daily and continues to set the bar high, believing they will always rise to meet it. “When you don’t hold high expectations for kids, you aren’t showing them love, and when you hold them to an expectation, they will meet it. Even if you set it high, they will climb to get there. So that’s what we’re striving for here, never lowering the bar because kids deserve the best,” Arth said.
Arth’s belief in students and consistency in setting the bar high yields results that speak for themselves. Last year, 100% of Arth’s Algebra I students passed the state math assessment, and her current students are on track to meet that same benchmark. However, numbers alone don’t capture her full impact. Arth has become a model for her colleagues, with teachers regularly observing her classroom to strengthen their own practice. For LEAD Southeast Middle School’s Principal, Jonathan Brocco, who worked alongside Arth early in his own career, she continues to set the standard. He describes her as someone who embodies “passion, excellence, and equity,” consistently pushing both herself and those around her to improve.
Inside her classroom, students experience that impact every day. The structure is intentional, with fast-paced lessons, clear expectations, and consistent routines. At the start of the year, many students felt overwhelmed, especially during an intensive two-week “boot camp” designed to cover the entirety of their grade-level math class before starting the advanced Algebra I course. But while Arth’s academic data is strong, she’s most proud of the confidence her students gain over time. “I think at the beginning of the year a lot of them wanted to quit and take 8th-grade math because it was too hard,” Arth said. “But now, I know not a single one of them would tell you they would quit. Their confidence has built, they believe they are the smartest kids in the building, and I don’t know that they would have said that at the beginning of the year.”
That growth is evident in her students, including Mena Yousef, who shared, “I’m feeling pretty confident in how we’re going to do in our EOCs with all the work and practice Ms. Arth gives us in class.” Other students shared that while expectations are high, Arth creates an environment where success is both expected and supported.
For Arth, the recognition as Teacher of the Year is especially meaningful because it comes from those who see her work up close, every day. She describes being chosen by her colleagues as both surprising and deeply rewarding, knowing they recognize not just her results, but her commitment to students and to the craft of teaching.
Ultimately, Arth’s impact goes beyond test scores and lesson plans. It is seen in the confidence her students build, the growth they achieve, and the culture of excellence she helps sustain. In a school community that refuses to lower the bar, Allison Arth is helping students prove every day just how high they can climb.
