About Us
Our Story
Our consultants are teachers and school leaders who recognize that traditional elementary schooling practices are either ineffective or insufficient to meet rigorous student achievement goals in primarily low-income communities. Our team is comprised of front-line practitioners who understood the failures inherent in traditional schooling practices. Through trial and error, we have constructed systematic and practical school-based processes that address complex variables which undercut teacher effectiveness and student learning. Black Swan School Consultants do not evade difficult issues but provide practical, research-based solutions to create and sustain high-poverty, high-achieving elementary schools.
Larry Heath
LARRY HEATH is an award winning educator who spent more than 46 years working in elementary schools as a teacher, school principal, and district-level administrator. He was a two time runner-up for the National Distinguished Principal Award. Under his principalships, his schools received four California Distinguished School Awards, six Title One Academic Achievement Awards, and a National Blue Ribbon Award.
Tami Hall
TAMI HALL graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a minor in English as a Second Language. She eagerly began her teaching career in Newhall, CA in 1998. From 2005-2011, she taught fifth and sixth grade at Dr. J. Michael McGrath Elementary School and worked side-by-side with fellow educators to transform the school’s achievement. In the summer of 2011, she relocated to Eagle, ID and shifted into the world of professional development. Working as an education consultant for a worldwide educational publishing company, Tami guided teachers primarily in the area of technology integration. Concurrently, she continued her work in education by providing professional development to several elementary school districts located in Los Angeles County. This work centered around the integration of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts as well as assessment design, PLC practices, and Response to Intervention. She continues to reside in Idaho with her husband and two daughters and has spent the last several years contributing to the work on Black Swan Schools.
-0001.jpg/:/cr=t:9.68%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:80.65%25/rs=w:600,h:300,cg:true)
Brittany Rainey
BRITTANY RAINEY graduated from The University of California at Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Global Studies. She then earned her teaching certification from California State University at Long Beach. Early in her teaching career, Brittany worked in the primary grades teaching kindergarten, first, and third grade. She found her true passion at McGrath Elementary while working on the 6th grade team, initially as a Curriculum Specialist serving intervention students but then moving on to a regular 6th grade classroom teaching position. While working as a Teacher on Special Assignment, Brittany played an integral role in the implementation of a 1:1 iPad program at the 6th grade level as well as assisting to develop the highly-effective after school intervention program at McGrath School. In 2014, Brittany relocated to the northern California area with her husband where she continues to reside to this day. While raising two young children, Brittany continues to stay connected to the world of education through her contributions to Black Swan Schools and being an active member of the Preschool Commission at her son’s school.