The Board of Education on Tuesday hired Alan Addley as the next Darien superintendent of schools.
Addley, a native of Northern Ireland has been superintendent of Granby Public Schools in Granby, Connecticut for 11 years and has held leadership positions in superintendent associations at the state and national level, an has received awards from other education associations honoring him as a superintendent.
Last update: 9 p.m., Tuesday
Photo from the Granby Public Schools website
Alan Addley, named superintendent of Darien Public Schools
He started out as a math teacher in Northern Ireland and has been an administrator there and in the United States.
“Dr. Addley is a highly respected and inclusive school leader, and the board looks forward to working closely with Dr. Addley to maintain the excellence and promote the continuous improvement of the Darien Public Schools,” the Board of Education said in an announcement Tuesday evening.
Interim Superintendent Elliott Landon’s contract was due to expire June 30. Past Darien superintendents have tended to start their employment on July 1.
Board of Education Announcement
Here’s the full text of the announcement:
The Darien Board of Education is delighted to announce that, after a comprehensive national search, it has appointed Dr. Alan Addley to serve as its next Superintendent of Schools, commencing this July.
Dr. Addley is currently completing his 11th year as superintendent of schools in Granby Connecticut. Alan is a Governing Board member for the national superintendents’ association (AASA) and a past president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) and the Hartford Area Superintendents’ Association.
Dr. Addley was the recipient of the 2017 UCONN NEAG School of Education Outstanding School Superintendent Award and is the 2019 CAPSS Connecticut Superintendent of the Year.
A native of Northern Ireland, Dr. Addley started his career as a mathematics teacher and professional soccer player. Alan has 33 years of administrative and teaching experience in private and public schools in the United States and Ireland.
Dr. Alan Addley earned his bachelor of science degree in education and mathematics from the University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland; a master of science degree in instructional management and curriculum from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, and his doctoral degree from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Addley is a highly respected and inclusive school leader, and the Board looks forward to working closely with Dr. Addley to maintain the excellence and promote the continuous improvement of the Darien Public Schools.
The Board also wishes to thank Dr. Elliott Landon for his very capable leadership as Interim Superintendent of Schools this year, which will continue through June.
UPDATES:
Videos:
9 p.m., Tuesday:
Short description of Addley
This video was published in 2017 after Addley was named School Superintendent of the Year by the Neag School of Education at UConn (where Addley is an alumnus):
Interview with Addley, March 2018 by Connecticut Valley Views
Forward to the 1:20 timestamp to avoid the commercial:
Connecticut Valley Views interview, March 2014
Forward to the 00:50 timestamp to avoid the commercial:
More About Addley’s Career
8:45 p.m., Tuesday: When the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents named Addley the superintendent of the year for 2019, it published this description of his career, with more detail than the Board of Education description just above.
Not only was he a professional soccer player at one point, but he also was “director of studies for Rumsey Hall Soccer School in Washington, Connecticut overseeing academic life starting in 1988.”
His more recent career has included a lot of involvement in developing “professional learning communities,” which involves small-group collaboration for professional development in education.
Here’s an excerpt from the CAPSS announcement:
Addley’s prior professional work experience includes working as the director of studies for Rumsey Hall Soccer School in Washington, Connecticut overseeing academic life starting in 1988.
In 1993, Addley served as the Math Department chair at the Gunnery School in Washington, Connecticut and, in 1994, became the acting Math Department chair at Wamogo Regional High School in Litchfield.
He became vice-principal of Watertown High School in 1996 and assistant principal in 1997 at Hazelwood Integrated College in Northern Ireland. In 1998, Addley returned to Connecticut and began working as assistant principal of Granby Memorial High School.
Addley became principal of Granby Memorial High in 2001, where he implemented a professional learning community model for school improvement that has resulted in a significant increase in student achievement and increased program opportunities for all students. He has served as superintendent of Granby Public Schools since 2008.
During his tenure, the high school was the first public high school in the state of Connecticut recognized by the Connecticut State Department of Education as a Connecticut Vanguard High Performing School, the middle school was recognized as a Connecticut Middle School of the Year, and the intermediate school was recognized as a Federal Blue Ribbon School.
As a Solution Tree associate consultant for professional development, he has presented at national conferences and has worked with school districts across the country on professional learning communities, leadership, and school improvement.