Since I’ve started my new role as Associate Head of School, one thing has become increasingly clear. Nailing the basics (of communication, of how we treat one another, of what schools are for) is still a very worthy goal. Here’s an article by Deborah Offner that focuses our attention on what we can do to support our faculties.

Like our students, faculty and staff thrive on trust, reality-acknowledgment, inclusion, transparency, protection, advocacy, listening, empathy, flexibility … and an occasional homework-free weekend.

A reminder that the basics can be strategic, too:

Yes, independent schools need to find differentiators, but they first need to get the essentials right: academic excellence, outstanding faculty, positive school culture, strong outcomes. Regardless of school, these attributes are invariably at the top when we ask parents what made them choose it.

Source: Mike Vachow