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Carden West School names Mark Neal as its new principal
Castro Valley school administrator has 14 years' experience in education posts

by Jeb Bing

Mark E. Neal has been named principal of Carden West School, a private, nonprofit toddler-middle school in Pleasanton.

Neal received his bachelor of science degree in Elementary Education from Florida International University and a master's degree in Educational Leadership from UC Berkeley's Principal's Leadership Institute. While teaching fourth grade, he was an administrator in training in Union City and San Francisco from 1996-2003. Most recently, he was summer school principal for the Castro Valley Unified School District and associate principal at Creekside Middle School in Castro Valley from 2003 until his selection as principal at Carden West.

Neal designed the program training teachers to integrate technology into their language arts curricula as a technology instructor for the Alameda County Office of Education in 1999. Since 2007, he has served the Association of California School Administrators as charter president for Castro Valley, as well as the region's representative on the organization's Equity, Achievement and Diversity for Success Committee.

"Upon researching Carden West, I was first very impressed with the curriculum throughout all grades and, particularly, with the exceptionally strong foundation the preschool provides to pre-kindergartners," Neal said. "As we know, a strong correlation exists between how well prepared children are when they come to kindergarten and how successful they become throughout their school years. Carden West can say with conviction that its students leave preschool 'kindergarten ready.'"

Carden West, located at 4576 Willow Road in Pleasanton's Hacienda Business Park, is a private nonprofit, nonsectarian school that offers preschool-eighth grade education as well as extended care and summer camps for all age groups.