Steven R. Parr is a graduate of Brown University (BA) and UCLA (MA), and he holds a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principals' Training Center.

He was an administrator and sometimes also a teacher at one of the international schools in Tokyo for 19 years until he left the school in August, 2000. The inspiration and mission of New International School was developed out of that experience, combined with attendance at numerous workshops and conferences, which convinced him that a "New School" approach to education was imperative for the current and future generations of students.

He is a past Secretary and Vice-President of the Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS), Past-President of the Japan affiliate of the American-based Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (JapanASCD), and Past President of the Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP).