Bridge Conference 2011

Danette Parsley is the director of the Center for School and District Improvement at Education Northwest. Her expertise covers many areas of systemic school and district improvement, including afterschool teaching and learning practices. Before joining Education Northwest, Parsley served as a Senior Director of School and System Improvement at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), where she led the organization’s development and field work in system improvement and out-of-school-time (OST). In her career, she has led several projects focused on OST programs and currently serves as Co-PI for a research project funded by the Institute of Education sciences to iteratively design and evaluate a summer science learning program, Cosmic Chemistry, for high school students. She also serves as a Co-PI for an NSF-funded project to develop and evaluate NanoExperiences, an academic OST program supported by research-based instructional and program practices to prepare students for postsecondary learning and credentials leading to participation in the STEM workforce. She has extensive experience providing professional development and technical assistance at the local, state, and regional levels; and developing products and tools to assist schools and districts engage in continuous improvement. Parsley served on the expert panel that developed the IES Practice Guide, Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement. She has also served as a classroom teacher and adolescent counselor. Parsley received her doctorate degree in organization change at Pepperdine University.