Biography

Dr. Richard P. West is Chief Executive Officer of Tetra Analytix, LLC.  He is also Emeritus Professor at Utah State University where he has served for 35 years.  He founded the University’s Center for the School of the Future and served as its executive director for 14 years, where he and his staff focused on the development and promotion of best practices in education.  He is the Past President of the Utah Family Partnership Network, and sits on the advisory boards of two public charter schools.  He currently directs a variety of research and demonstration projects funded by state and federal grants.  A focus of his recent research has been systematic school improvement through the identification and enhancement of critical conditions for learning and behavioral support.  He has directed $35 million in research, training, and demonstration projects throughout his career.  Prior to his appointment at Utah State University, Dr. West was a school administrator in a large metropolitan school district.
 
Dr. West has devoted his career to researching models of behavior support, effective instruction and developing tools for behavioral, instructional and programmatic decision-making.  In collaboration with his associates at the Center for the School of the Future and more recently at TetraAnalytix, Dr. West developed school-based assessment tools used in more than 3000 schools.  He has developed video-based instructional tools, and computer software for gathering data from instructional and behavioral programs, and determining appropriate modifications to those programs based upon a systematic analysis.
 
Dr. West earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology with emphasis in behavior analysis from the University of Utah, an M.S. in special education (emphasis in behavior disorders) and a B.A. in psychology also from the University of Utah.
 
Dr. West has served as guest or consulting editor of seven national journals and has authored six books, 14 book chapters, more than 70 articles in national refereed journals, more than 50 additional articles and instructional products including video-based training programs and computer software, and more than 200 papers presented at national and international conferences.