E: hello@innovationequity.org
Allyson Cook is an educational leader with over 15 years of experience dedicated to enhancing equity and access in the American education system. As the National Program Team leader at Generation Citizen, she oversees the scaling of an innovative, equity-centered curriculum, teacher training, and coaching supports. Her career is marked by a commitment to empowering scholars, developing 21st-century skills, and providing access to high-quality educational and professional opportunities.
Prior to her current role, Allyson spent seven years at CollegeSpring, where she developed a coaching and teacher training program focused on college and career readiness. Throughout her tenure, she utilized programmatic data to drive impact and remained responsive to the needs of teachers and team members.
As a former classroom teacher, Allyson recognizes the critical need for comprehensive training and coaching to maximize impact in the classroom. Allyson views herself as an integrated change agent, dedicated to creating diverse, engaging learning opportunities for students. She emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships with students and strives to guide youth to their full potential. Her approach extends beyond the classroom, as she actively works to engage families and community members in youth academic success.
A thriving democracy in the United States, particular in my local community is having students and teachers engaging in courageous conversations around identify and how that shows up for them; it means having discussions about what happened in the community and how it impacts us all differently; it means students bringing the projects and topics to the teacher sand the teacher having the confidence to support a classroom discussion around action in the community. Teachers will invite students to facilitate strategies such as consensus building, progressive stacking, or democratic decision-making. At Generation Citizen, making sure our democracy flourishes happens by continuing to engage schools and communities in the problem of practice around these important issues and by demystifying what community-based civics means for student learning. Allyson is dedicated to leading GC to build content to support teachers working to make sure that students develop comprehensive knowledge of the current and historical inequities and systems of power surrounding Focus Issues that matter to young people.
Allyson resides in Verona, New Jersey, with her partner and two young boys. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys dancing, high-intensity workouts, and spending time outdoors with her family, appreciating the changing seasons.
