PUSD Names Executive Director, Secondary Instruction

Making good on his promise to focus resources on middle and high school academics, Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Jon R. Gundry announced the appointment of Fal Asrani, Ed.D., as Executive Director of Secondary Instruction and Curriculum, pending board approval.

Among Dr. Asrani’s responsibilities will include supervising the district’s middle and high schools, managing professional development, integrating the new Common Core Standards, implementing 21st century learning skills, and overseeing PUSD’s Linked Learning initiatives.

“Dr. Asrani will provide leadership to increase the success of middle and high school students and narrow the gap in student achievement,” said Gundry. “Her leadership, vision, and experience in developing effective and strategic instructional programs will help increase opportunities for classroom linkages with college and post-secondary learning.”

An innovative instructional leader with two decades of experience, Dr. Asrani’s area of focus is secondary education with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction, school redesign, and leadership development.

“Thank you for the opportunity to become part of the PUSD family and the traditions of a diverse and vibrant community,” said Asrani. “This is also an exciting time in education- we are being challenged to embrace innovation and creativity and have been given the opportunity to design new ways of teaching and learning in preparation for the State Assessments in 2014. I look forward to partnering with all of you on this journey.”

Asrani began her career as a Special Education Teacher in the Victor Valley Unified School District. She later served as Coordinator of Strategic Planning for the same district, where she built collaborative interagency teams to develop a six-year strategic plan. She was Assistant Principal of Los Altos High School and Principal of La Mirada High School and Corona del Mar High School.

In 2009, Asrani was named District Administrator of Secondary Reform for the Antioch Unified School District where she supervised secondary curriculum, professional development, site administration evaluations and student assessments. At Antioch, she implemented that district’s strategic plan through initiatives, partnerships and programs that increased articulation between high schools and local colleges and expanded opportunities for high school students to advance their academic careers by earning college-level class credits.

As Assistant Superintendent of Education Services of Campbell Union High School District in 2011, Asrani managed professional development, student services and categorical programs. She supervised school site personnel and worked with the Superintendent’s cabinet to implement the strategic plan. Most recently, Dr. Asrani served as a consultant for Total School Solutions where she worked with school principals and district administrators to effectively introduce and design professional development that aligns the talents within a school district to address its specific needs. She used her experience in designing International Baccalaureate Schools, introducing Pathways programs and restructuring high schools to assist schools in meeting Program Improvement mandates and creating organizational coherence.

Asrani holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Loma Linda University, a master’s degree in special education from Chapman University and a doctorate in education leadership from USC.