Nora Whalen is one of the founding teachers of Avalon School—hired in the Spring of 2001 to open a democratic, teacher-led, project-based charter school located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Over 15 years she has served as as a high school advisor and program coordinator to lead Avalon’s marketing opportunities in the community. Nora also worked closely with EdVision Cooperative as a board member and later as a technical consultant, helping new schools open in California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

In addition to her work at Avalon, she collaborates with Avalon colleagues through a grant with Prospect Creek and consults with other charter schools to further develop personalized learning for students. She is a technical assistant with Project Foundry, an online tool that allows students and teachers to design project-based learning experiences. She also works with Innovative Quality Schools charter school authorizer to assess quality charter school programs in Minnesota.

Nora was awarded 2010 and 2011 WEM Foundation Outstanding Educator Award by MN Center for Academic Excellence. In 2006, she earned her MA in Educational Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Previous to Avalon School, she earned her degree from the Saint Olaf College’s Paracollege, much like Avalon’s project-based learning, where she took advantage of extensive travel learning programs to study in the Middle East and India. She also taught middle school for three years in large suburban dIstricts.