Background

Alan Sparrow began his 40-year career in education as a teacher and a coach. He also directed school plays and ran an outdoor education program for both students and faculty. After eight years of teaching, Alan spent 12 years as a division head of a middle school and then a high school. Alan ended his career with a 28-year tenure as head of a large K-12 independent day school. Alan worked at three different schools, one each in the East, the Midwest, and the Northwest.

As a head of school, Alan was very involved in the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) where he served on the board for 13 years including a six-year stint on the executive committee and two years as board chair. Alan chaired ten accreditation teams and presented numerous times at NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) and NWAIS meetings on topics including governance, evaluation, sustainability, and school culture.

His school raised over $60 million dollars in capital campaign funds during his tenure and built a new campus. The school was consistently named as one of the best places to work in the state. The school won numerous awards for its sustainability initiatives and its community outreach programs. Total enrollment increased significantly as did the enrollment of students of color during his tenure.

Though Alan has been mentoring leaders throughout his career as a head of school, he has been formally coaching educational leaders since 2018 after finishing his executive coaching training program. He has been offering workshops on board governance for twenty years as well as workshops on head and staff evaluation systems. After retiring as head of school, Alan has focused his energy on coaching educators and working with boards to help them become the most effective they can be.

For more information, please contact Alan for a full resume.