William H. Parrett

William H. Parrett

William H. Parrett, PhD, is director of the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies and a professor of education at Boise State University. His work with small schools and alternative education is internationally recognized, and he has made a profound, positive impact on the lives of countless youth at risk. Dr. Parrett has served as visiting faculty at numerous universities in North America, Japan, and China. He has also consulted for state departments, boards of education, school districts, and state and regional service providers in 39 states and 10 nations.

Throughout his career, Dr. Parrett has advocated innovative practices for improving schools at the classroom level and beyond. He has extensive experience as a public school teacher and principal, a university professor and curriculum designer, and a writer and researcher. Dr. Parrett has served on the faculties of Indiana University and the University of Alaska.

As director of the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies, he coordinates funded projects and reform initiatives that annually exceed $1 million. His world-renowned research has focused on reducing achievement gaps and implementing effective education practices to teach youth at risk and improve low-performing schools. Similar work in Japan has resulted in university research agreements, graduate field-study programs, and the nation’s first collaborative K–12 student teacher exchange project between Japan and the United States.

Dr. Parrett is coauthor of Hope at Last for At-Risk Youth, Inventive Teaching, and The Inventive Mind. He has also authored numerous national educational publications.

Dr. Parrett’s documentary Heart of the Country tells the story of an extraordinary elementary school principal in Hokkaido, Japan, and the collective passion of the community to educate the heart and mind. The production was nominated for the Pare Lorentz Award at the 1999 International Documentary Awards in Los Angeles and received the Award of Commendation from the American Anthropological Association, the Gold Apple from the National Educational Media Network, the National CINE Golden Eagle, and a judges’ award at the 24th Northwest Film & Video Festival in Portland, Oregon. Critically acclaimed for its cinematography and insight, Heart of the Country was screened at the Cinéma du réel Festival in Paris and the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival in New York City.

Dr. Parrett earned a doctorate in secondary education from Indiana University.

Presentations by William H. Parrett

• The Kids Left Behind: Catching Up the Underachieving Children of Poverty
• Successful Interventions for Underachieving Students
• The Greatest Challenges of Teaching the Kids Left Behind
• Reversing Trends of Underachievement in High-Poverty Schools and Districts
• How to Become a High-Performing High-Poverty School