As a consulting archivist, the author always thinking about the "backstory" of a place, how an institution's legacy is cultivated and preserved, and how all of the stuff a school collects over time can reveal the culture of the place. School archives are by far a favorite "genre" of archive for the author, primarily because she…

The humanities are thriving at Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire), and not just in the classroom. Though Exeter teachers need not publish or perish, publish many do, in the departments of History, Religion, and most of all English. An array of published poets at Phillips Exeter Academy present excerpts of their work in this article: (1)…

This article describes a concept called the "blue ocean thinking strategy," developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, professors at INSEAD, an international graduate school of business in France. The "blue ocean" thinking strategy considers opportunities to create new markets for services, rather than focusing solely on…

When identifying their main responsibilities, most independent school trustees recite familiar priorities, such as preserving the school's mission, providing financial oversight, and strategic planning. "Supporting the head" typically falls somewhere toward the end of the list. Given that the heads of school either treasure the support…

Almost seven years removed, the Great Recession still looms large in the minds of independent school trustees and administrators. While not producing many positives in the lives of our schools and the nation's economy, it did instigate important and long overdue questions and discussions about the long-term sustainability of the so-called…

The Waterside School began in the mind of hedge fund manager Chip Kruger. While playing golf at the Innis Arden Golf Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, he noticed that the seventh green bordered Stamford's impoverished and crime-ridden South End. As Kruger considered his own opportunities and the prestigious schools his children attended, including…

The false dichotomy that suggests schools must choose between STEM (or STEAM) and the humanities would not merit the time it takes to write an article if not for a dangerous crescendo of backlash clouding the senses of boards and administrations around the independent school world. In this article, the author, an upper school principal of Taipei…

The mythology about the "business world" is something independent school leaders are exposed to almost daily. In that imagined world, mediocre employees are never retained year to year, decisions are uniformly hard-nosed and courageous, work teams operate with flawless efficiency, and change is embraced for the wonderful possibilities it…

Andrea Avery teaches at a secular independent day school in Arizona. Annual tuition at the secondary school is comparable to the out-of-state rate at state universities, though a nearly $2 million annual financial aid budget allows the school to provide more than 20 percent of the students with financial aid. The fenced, suburban 40-acre campus is…

The chances of lightning striking twice are infinitesimal, at best. What are the odds, in middle age, of being struck with a jarring bolt of figurative lightning, then a few months later being an eyewitness as the same sizzle in the sky jolts a group of students--those decision-makers of tomorrow? The author describes two experiences that proved…

This article provides a list of low and no tuition independent schools. Profile information is accurate as of May 2016. Profiles contain student body information, how the school works, the school mission, and contact information. [Online Feature]

Teaching is more than a career. In many ways, it is an identity. Teachers who choose independent schools value independent thinking, a focus on the individual, and recognition of context and complexity. But when teachers who deeply value autonomy and question hierarchical control become teacher leaders--as department chairs, grade level team…

What motivates families to consider an independent private school education and ultimately make the commitment to enroll their children? The Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB) surveyed 2,300 parents of private school-bound students in 2014 to answer this question. Based on the results of the survey, this brief article highlights five of…

In the fall of 2015, Jonathan Howland interviewed about a dozen independent school heads to inquire about novel programs and developments in their schools that, if they take root and flourish, could be "game changing"; about their vision of independent schools 40 years hence, in mid-21st-century America; and about impediments to reaching…

Given how pervasively political, cultural, educational, and religious institutions are built on a foundation of stereotypes and binary assumptions, it is easy to understand why people find the current reassessment of all things gender disquieting and disruptive. The consequences of this upheaval can be found in all corners of pre-K-12 schooling,…