Member Voices

Arvind Grover, head of school at the Meadowbrook School (MA) shares how his school strives for inclusivity in a polarized world. He stresses the importance of actively assessing your school’s progress, putting support structures in place, and stopping to ask “is there an opportunity here?”. We also discuss staff retention strategies - like the importance of creating opportunities for faculty growth and making new hires feel like they’re ahead of the curve. Finally, Arvind shares how being a head has given him perspective, and why, despite everything, he still jumps out of bed every morning.

You can find some related NAIS resources from this episode by visiting nais.org/membervoices.

Ariane Baer-Harper, head of school at Austin International School (TX) speaks with Jacques Weber, head of the Dallas International School (TX) who was the outgoing head at Austin International when she started. The two were able to work together for the last three months of the 2022–2023 school year, and their collaboration has continued to this day. Here, Baer-Harper and Weber discuss their successful head transition, the keys to its success, and a roadmap for other heads to consider. This conversation was published in the Winter 2024 issue of Independent School magazine.

You can find some related NAIS resources from this episode by visiting nais.org/membervoices.

Two colleagues at St. Mary’s Episcopal School (TN) - Head of School Albert Throckmorton and Director of Communications Jennifer Parris – talk about what they’ve learned about community and a school’s purpose following a tragedy. This conversation was published in the Fall 2023 issue of Independent School magazine.

You can find some related NAIS resources from this episode by visiting nais.org/membervoices.

Jennifer Dirga, School Counselor at The Chestnut Hill School (MA) speaks to the importance of fostering connections inside and outside the classroom to decrease stress and anxiety in students. In this conversation with Jackie Wolking, she shares examples for how to build community and how to create safe and affirming spaces. Jennifer takes an active role in the classroom and advocates for mental health supports for staff. She’s a proponent of going slow, pausing, and reflecting more throughout life.

You can find some related NAIS resources from this episode by visiting nais.org/membervoices.

Fran Bisselle, head of school at Hathway Brown School (OH) discusses trends in teacher attrition, and how independent schools can bolster teacher retention by understanding the current workforce landscape and leveraging teacher-focused policies in their schools. Fran unpacks the effect of the pandemic on teacher burn-out and how Hathway Brown had to adapt to ensure teacher retention. She also describes how the hiring and on-boarding process in her school had to become more teacher-focused.

You can find some related NAIS resources from this episode by visiting nais.org/membervoices.

Denise Spirou, head of school at The Greene School (FL) describes how she looks for teachers that are joyful, and that are problem solvers – not problem starters. She shares how she helps her school stand out to potential job candidates, and how she prioritizes the mental health of her team by encouraging them to take days off and participate in walking meetings. Finally, Denise discusses the importance of servant leadership, not taking things personally, and being able to “fess up when you mess up”.

You can find some related NAIS resources from this episode by visiting nais.org/membervoices.

Aliya Pitts, Chief Advancement Officer at The Prarie School (WI) talks about the importance of group innovation, careful communication, and making data driven decisions when undertaking a tuition redesign.

Federal and state antitrust laws are designed to protect competition. NAIS complies with antitrust laws and supports competition through its commitment to the independence, innovation, and diversity of schools. NAIS members are each expected to make independent decisions as to the policies and practices that govern their individual organizations. In order to avoid even the appearance of improper coordination between competitors, please comply with the following: Do not discuss the details of institution-specific, competitively sensitive information (such as prospective rates/dollar amounts, increases/decreases, or calculations regarding tuition, financial aid, or staff compensation/benefits) with other institutions. Do not attempt to reach an agreement (whether express or implied) with other institutions about whether, where and how you will compete to attract students, teachers and staff.

Nancy Lang, head of school at the New School (AR) shares how she addressed an erosion of trust in her market, adjusted to thinking about tuition strategically long term, and made sure everyone was on the same page throughout the process.

Here's another episode from our sister NAIS podcast, New View EDU. This episode from Season 4 of New View EDU features host Tim Fish and educational innovators Christina Lewellen, of ATLIS, and Paul Turnbull, Head of School at Mid-Pacific Institute. Tim, Christina, and Paul take on a deep discussion about the rapid evolution of artificial Intelligence, and the impact ChatGPT and other AI innovations will have on the future of schools. Season 5 of New View EDU premieres later this Fall.

In this episode of Member Voices: The Conversation we are featuring a dialogue between a head of school and her board chair, published in the Summer 2023 issue of Independent School magazine.

Ashley Harper, head of school, and Eileen Quenell, board chair at Wakefield School (VA), discuss the shared leadership model that grew from their almost instant chemistry and mutual respect, and what shared leadership looks like at their school.