Major demographic and economic shifts. New education models and types of schools. Brain research that provides new insight into how children learn. Emerging technologies that offer new paths to knowledge.
The world of education is growing in complexity. How can educators adapt to best prepare students for the future? How can they ensure that their schools will thrive in the years ahead?
There are three traps that often inhibit organizational evolution and innovation, according to Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble, authors of The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge (Harvard Business Review):
- Physical trap — Past investments in old systems prevent the pursuit of fresher, more relevant investments.
- Psychological trap — Leaders fixate on what made their organization successful in the past and fail to notice when something new is displacing it.
- Strategic trap — An organization focuses purely on the marketplace of today and fails to anticipate the future.
I learned about these traps firsthand when I served on an independent school board. The board was very data-driven and generative in its approach. By most measures, the school itself was successful. We knew our mission, had a strong vision for the future, and used our resources wisely to propel our vision-driven goals. Yet we were so sure we understood our market that we failed to see that a significant shift was occurring in the students applying to the school. Over a few years, the number of students with diagnosed learning disabilities applying to the school quadrupled, with high admittance rates as well. When we began looking at parent satisfaction data through the lens of learning differences, we discovered that these were the least satisfied parents at the school. If we hadn’t examined these data, we wouldn’t have known that school services had failed to adapt to our expanding market.
This growth in the number of children with diagnosed learning differences is but one of the myriad changes in recent years. Many independent schools have seen enrollments dwindle, while costs continue to soar. Rising tuitions have priced many schools out of a good portion of their markets, and in various regions of the country, low-priced competitors are offering alternatives that are compelling to some families. Technology has made it possible for more families to consider homeschooling, and virtual schools are eliminating geographic and, in some cases, time boundaries.
The rules of the game have changed. At the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), we believe that the rapidly changing landscape calls for a different approach to how we serve member schools. We want to offer solutions to the most vexing challenges schools face, and we want to help identify the greatest opportunities. Our board and staff have been engaged in generative conversations about the future, identifying the questions that need to be at the forefront of our service:
- Given current and forecasted demographics, as well as the prospect of continued economic volatility, what are alternative business models that will ensure schools thrive? How can schools align these models with market realities? Are there opportunities to educate many more students in independent schools?
- Given the changing nature of the workforce, particularly the differing attitudes of those entering the teaching workforce today, how do schools approach talent management and growth to ensure success? How do they devise succession plans to ensure strong administrators and faculty in perpetuity? How can they build school communities that are truly diverse and inclusive?
- With new opportunities through emerging technologies, can schools employ alternative educational models to better serve students and to increase efficiency while still meeting their missions? Do advances in brain research give us insight into how schools can approach teaching and learning differently? What can they do to turn around the rise in depression and anxiety among students?
At NAIS, we see the opportunity to use these questions as a guide for how we can best support our members. To that end, we will be launching initiatives around three major goals over the next few years.
Talent
A school’s workforce is its soul. Independent schools need to attract top talent, nurture it in the various school roles, provide growth and development experiences, and ensure continued effective leadership through succession planning. To do this well, schools must create effective processes that touch all aspects of the talent cycle: talent strategy and planning, performance management, learning and development, succession planning, leadership development, and compensation. NAIS is creating tools, products, and services to be rolled out over a three-year time span to assist with all aspects of the talent cycle.
Effective governance also is a key part of the equation. While many independent school boards are high-functioning bodies that provide generative leadership for the future, some boards interfere with effective functioning of the school by being too involved in day-to-day operations. Further, new research points out that diversity drives innovation, yet independent school boards are not nearly as diverse as they could be. NAIS is designing a suite of services for trustees to provide new ways to approach all aspects of their operations, from how boards are built, to how they best function, to how they educate and assess themselves.
Mission
How can schools today respect their core traditions while fulfilling their missions in the 21st century? School leaders are probing that question, understanding that the balance between market and mission can be a delicate one. Independent schools are continually innovating around teaching and learning, but new data, research, information, and technologies are coming at us with such frequency that it is hard to find time to separate the wheat from the chaff. NAIS feels that it can support and lead schools by serving as a curator of this mission-related landscape. From testing and evaluating assessment tools, to highlighting new frameworks, to serving as the clearinghouse for new ideas and approaches, we hope to save schools time and to light pathways for new initiatives.
Growth
Although some aspects of market change are applicable to every school, increasingly it is important to understand a school’s particular situation and to make sense of those circumstances in light of market changes. NAIS is seeking to expand both its data and research programs to give schools deeper and broader insight into their specific market challenges. We are also expanding both face-to-face and online professional development offerings to provide opportunities for schools to learn together and seek solutions in professional learning communities.
NAIS is here to represent you and to help you plan for your school’s best future, but the vibrancy of our community comes from you, your ideas, and the work that you do every day. We want to ensure that we put our resources to work in ways that help you the most, so please tell us how we are doing. Write to us at [email protected] to provide feedback and ideas. You, our members, are the heart and soul of the organization.
