Ashlie Crosson · 2025 National Teacher of the Year
When we practice what we teach.
Ashlie Crosson is a high school English teacher from central Pennsylvania. Her experiences in the classroom and around the nation have shown her that when we nurture the voices and visions of young people, we equip them to become community stewards and global citizens capable of building a better world.
Ashlie Crosson, 2025 National Teacher of the Year
Joyful learning. Authentic instruction. Professional passion.
Welcome, visitors.
Ashlie’s pathway to our profession was paved by dozens of everyday teachers who nurtured, inspired, and championed her potential throughout adolescence and into adulthood. As the great-granddaughter of a cafeteria worker, the granddaughter of a school secretary and custodian, the daughter of a paraprofessional, and a student forever transformed by exceptional educators, she recognizes that the success of our children isn’t found in the classroom– it’s found in the community.
Through her learning and her lineage, Ashlie is the proud product of our public school systems, and as a first-generation college graduate, her enthusiasm for advocacy is rooted in gratitude and enthusiastically centered on championing those who champion our young people.
On this site, you can learn more about her teaching journey, submit an event request, catch up with her blog, and explore recaps of previous events and engagements.
About Ashlie
A human-centered approach to education
Central to Ashlie’s philosophy is the conviction that belonging and rigor are inseparable. She champions a human-centered approach to education that nurtures consistent growth and high achievement by prioritizing empathy, process over perfection, and the wellbeing of both students and teachers.
Now in her sixteenth year in the classroom, she teaches at Mifflin County High School, where she guides students through rigorous coursework, international travel, and courses like Survival Stories, an elective examining global humanitarian crises from a youth perspective.
Watch
Meet Ashlie
What guides the work
The tenets of my teaching
01
Elevating student voice
Every young person has the potential to become a force for change in the world they dream of building. To help students design the futures they deserve, Ashlie brings the world to her classroom and her classroom to the world, guiding learners through rigorous coursework, international travel, and courses like Survival Stories, an elective examining global humanitarian crises from a youth perspective.
02
Centering community stories
Through her keynotes, advocacy work, and field experiences, Ashlie works to empower educators and students to find joy and meaning in their own backyards by getting involved in local coalitions, celebrating their communities, fostering local connections.
03
Cultivating global citizenship
A Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow, Ashlie advocates for “glocal learning.” Students can build dynamic skillsets when educators weave global competencies, hometown values, and experiential learning into every content area.
04
Process over product
Ashlie’s classroom is heavily influenced by project-based learning. However, she has adapted this approach to more accurately reflect the real value of PBL. Process-based learning enables Ashlie’s students to develop content-based knowledge and real-world skills through risk-taking, project management, multidisciplinary connections, and collaborative processes.
Themes in the work
What Ashlie talks about
Joyful learning
Authentic instruction
Professional passion
Holistic learning
Global competencies
Experiential learning
Educational advocacy and policy
Process-based learning
Elevating student voice
Centering community stories
Cultivating global citizenship
The heart of it
To build resilient, inspiring learning communities, we must practice what we teach.
Giving ourselves the same grace, authenticity, and room to grow that we offer our students as we cultivate the next generation of compassionate world citizens.
Invite Ashlie
Whether you’re planning a keynote, panel discussion, workshop, or Q&A
Through her year of service, Ashlie witnessed first-hand the power of building community beyond our classrooms. She believes the spaces where we gather — both in-person and online — are sacred opportunities for transformational fellowship and genuine lifelong learning.
Ashlie is honored for the opportunity to contribute to meaningful conversations across the country and around the world.
