Master Class

Pre-registration is required for the Master Class, and there is an additional fee to attend.

Coping with Parents Who Bully the School

Friday, February 28, 1:30–2:45 PM CT

Cost (pre-registration required): Early-bird rates are $100 for members and $135 for non-members; Standard rates are $150 for members and $185 for non-members.

Presenters: Rob Evans (right) and Michael Thompson, psychologists, authors, and longtime school consultants

Michael Thompson and Rob Evans

Many independent schools are reporting more frequent and severe problems with a small minority of parents who are habitually demanding and disrespectful, repeatedly violate the school’s behavioral norms, and engage in personal attacks on teachers and administrators. Drawing on the new edition of their book Hopes and Fears: Strengthening the Relationship with Today’s Independent School Parents, psychologists Rob Evans and Michael Thompson outline concrete, practical steps to resolve conflict, build the skills and confidence to cope constructively, and sustain morale.

Evans and Thompson are both psychologists, former teachers, former child and family therapists, and longtime school consultants. Between them they’ve worked in more than 2,000 schools, including more than 700 independent schools. Thompson has authored nine other books, including Raising Cain, and Evans has written three others, including Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader.