In addition to founding BAA, Dr. Nathan was instrumental in starting Boston’s first performing-arts middle school, and was a driving force behind the creation of Fenway High School, recognized nationally for its innovative educational strategies and school-to-work programs. She is also a co-founder and board member of the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston, a nonprofit education reform organization dedicated to creating more equitable and democratic schools. Dr. Nathan serves on the Board of the Coalition of Essential Schools, and has also served on the National Academy of Science’s Commission on the Science of Learning and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s Task Force On Assessment. She was also a consultant to Grupo Cruz del Sur, helping to develop arts-infused schools in Argentinean public schools.
Recently, Dr. Nathan was honored with the 2011 Women’s Venture Fund Highest Leaf award, given annually to women who are leaders in their fields and who demonstrate innovative strategies and creative ideas. She received the Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Morton R. Godine Medal for Service to the Community at the college’s commencement ceremony in May 2009. In 2007, she was named a Barr Foundation Fellow, and spent June 2007 in South Africa and Zimbabwe as part of this fellowship. She was also the recipient of the first Fidelity Inspire the Future Award, given to community leaders who excel in encouraging the next generation of artists and arts advocates, in 2006. In 2003, Dr. Nathan received the Nadia Boulanger Educator’s Award from the Longy School of Music for her work in arts education.
Dr. Nathan’s 2009 book, The Hardest Questions Aren’t on the Test: Lessons from an Innovative Urban School, shares stories of BAA teachers and administrators who are not afraid to ask hard questions and tackle difficult issues, and of students who work hard to pursue their artistic dreams and overcome obstacles to learning. The book is inspiring educators from across the country and around the world to re-think public schools. Dr. Nathan’s numerous articles on teaching and leadership in urban schools have appeared in Phi Delta Kappan, Horace, Educational Leadership, Principal Leadership, and many other publications.
Currently, Dr. Nathan holds the title of Executive Director of the Center for Arts in Education, the professional development and outreach arm of Boston Arts Academy. She is also a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she teaches a course titled “Building Democratic Schools.”
She earned a Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, a Master’s degree in education administration at Antioch University, a Master’s of performing arts at Emerson College, and a Doctorate in education at Harvard University. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Linda Nathan may be contacted at linda@lindanathan.com
