RG175 Blog

I’d like to strike a blow for straight-talk. Too many educators avoid saying what we mean, preferring to couch our thoughts in euphemisms and niceties that aren’t helpful to somebody who would benefit from hearing the straight scoop. From our early days as classroom teachers writing pleasant but unh... read more

After 32 years as a Head of School at four different PK-12 schools, I have found building a great team of teachers and administrators to be the most important role you have as a school leader. After years of hiring and trusting my instincts, it wasn’t until I joined Avenues: The World School in New... read more

In times of leadership transition, Head of School Search Committees invariably express a desire to find a leader who will “take the school to the next level.” When asked to describe the “next level,” the picture gets fuzzy. A search team of a half dozen deeply-committed school community members fill... read more

In an interview for school headship by a search committee, it is an exercise in futility to walk a candidate through their resume if you are trying to understand whether someone is ready for leadership. It is easy to fall into this trap. The resume is readily at hand – it is simple and obvious to ut... read more

There are several reasons why so many heads of school are being dismissed early in their respective tenures—declining enrollments, undisciplined boards of trustees, entitled and entrenched faculty, a disconnect between leadership style and the culture of the school, a failure to properly calibrate t... read more

Superlative Country Day School is looking for a new Head of School. There at the end of the “God-on-a-good-day” list of wished-for traits for its new leader is “sense of humor.” Really? Indeed, Superlative’s earnest search committee is serious about this list of traits, and they’re deadly serious ab... read more