People > Notable Norkans > Dr. William Spady
Dr. William Spady
Dr. William (Bill) Spady is the son of William G. Spady and Edith Spady (née Deines). The Spady and Ludwig Deines families emigrated from Norka, Russia, to the United States, where they settled in Portland, Oregon.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Bill received his high school education in a Portland suburb called Milwaukie. As a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, he first honed his skills as a classical trumpeter and nurtured a life-long passion for classical music. He entered the University of Chicago as an undergraduate in 1957. He received degrees in Humanities (1962), Education (1964), and a Ph.D. in the Sociology of Education (1967) under the mentorship of the eminent Charles E. Bidwell. During those years, he had the rare privilege of studying with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s two lead trumpeters, Adolph Herseth and Rudolph Nashan.
Bill’s first academic positions included appointments on the Graduate faculties at Harvard University (1967-69) and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Toronto (1969-73). In 1973, he became a Senior Research Sociologist at the National Institute of Education in Washington, D.C., where he served six years. During that period, he was elected vice president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and became an adjunct scholar with the American College Testing program.
In 1979, Dr. Spady joined the staff of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) as the Director of its National Center for the Improvement of Learning. While in that role, he co-founded the Network for Outcome-Based Schools, served as its Executive Director for five years, and founded and edited its quarterly publication, Outcomes, for six years. Between 1983 and 1986, he served as Director of the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development in San Francisco. In 1986, Bill formed the High Success Network. This cutting-edge consulting group fostered future-focused Outcome-Based restructuring, curriculum design, and school change in over forty U.S. States and Canadian Provinces for nearly a decade.
Known as a dynamic and compelling presenter, Bill has been a featured speaker on the national programs of most major educational organizations in the U.S. and was honored as “Distinguished Lecturer” at AASA’s national convention six times. Between 1997 and 2007, he consulted and lectured widely in Australia and South Africa, where, in 2003, he was named a Senior Fellow of the Novalis Institute in Cape Town and Chief Consultant to the Matthew Goniwe Institute of Leadership and Governance in Johannesburg. He founded the HeartLight Education Trust in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He served as a Senior Fellow of the Beautiful School International initiative, operating widely in Russia, Georgia, and South Africa.
Dr. Spady feels particularly honored to have his life and work be the subject of John Hader’s 2011 doctoral dissertation at Loyola University in Chicago and the 2013 doctoral dissertation of Yasmina Thomas at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Dr. Spady has published and lectured worldwide on organizational leadership, systemic change, transformational learning systems, instructional management, Outcome-Based Education, school restructuring, strategic planning, curriculum design, and paradigm change. His pioneering work on future-driven strategic planning, systemic change, instructional design, and leadership development is reflected in a host of articles and seven widely acclaimed books, five commissioned and published by AASA.
Bill’s first academic positions included appointments on the Graduate faculties at Harvard University (1967-69) and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Toronto (1969-73). In 1973, he became a Senior Research Sociologist at the National Institute of Education in Washington, D.C., where he served six years. During that period, he was elected vice president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and became an adjunct scholar with the American College Testing program.
In 1979, Dr. Spady joined the staff of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) as the Director of its National Center for the Improvement of Learning. While in that role, he co-founded the Network for Outcome-Based Schools, served as its Executive Director for five years, and founded and edited its quarterly publication, Outcomes, for six years. Between 1983 and 1986, he served as Director of the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development in San Francisco. In 1986, Bill formed the High Success Network. This cutting-edge consulting group fostered future-focused Outcome-Based restructuring, curriculum design, and school change in over forty U.S. States and Canadian Provinces for nearly a decade.
Known as a dynamic and compelling presenter, Bill has been a featured speaker on the national programs of most major educational organizations in the U.S. and was honored as “Distinguished Lecturer” at AASA’s national convention six times. Between 1997 and 2007, he consulted and lectured widely in Australia and South Africa, where, in 2003, he was named a Senior Fellow of the Novalis Institute in Cape Town and Chief Consultant to the Matthew Goniwe Institute of Leadership and Governance in Johannesburg. He founded the HeartLight Education Trust in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He served as a Senior Fellow of the Beautiful School International initiative, operating widely in Russia, Georgia, and South Africa.
Dr. Spady feels particularly honored to have his life and work be the subject of John Hader’s 2011 doctoral dissertation at Loyola University in Chicago and the 2013 doctoral dissertation of Yasmina Thomas at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Dr. Spady has published and lectured worldwide on organizational leadership, systemic change, transformational learning systems, instructional management, Outcome-Based Education, school restructuring, strategic planning, curriculum design, and paradigm change. His pioneering work on future-driven strategic planning, systemic change, instructional design, and leadership development is reflected in a host of articles and seven widely acclaimed books, five commissioned and published by AASA.
Sources
"The Life Story of Edith D. Spady," Michael Mitchell, 2000.
the 5th paradigm website (January 2015)
Wikipedia.com
the 5th paradigm website (January 2015)
Wikipedia.com
Last updated December 10, 2023