2017 SAIS Annual Conference | October 22-24 | Atlanta
Register Now for the SAIS Annual Conference!
We look forward to seeing you at the 2017 SAIS Annual Conference on October 22-24 in Atlanta . Last year’s attendees said the speakers “challenged and expanded my thinking” and “addressed pressing issues we all face.”
Eyes Wide Shut: Equity and Inclusion in Leadership
As independent school educators, we are acutely aware that the most recent statistics from NAIS tell us that women continue to be underrepresented in headship positions. According to national data, the percentage of women serving in the head of school role has increased by only one percent since 1999. Yet, more than two-thirds of our teaching staff are women. In the corporate world, the disproportionate number of women occupying the C-suite is often explained as a pipeline issue. There are not enough qualified women in the pipeline for corporate America’s leadership to represent gender equity, but in independent schools, the data indicates no problem with our pipeline. 
Letter from the SAIS President
The start of the school year is traditionally a hopeful time: new programs are unveiled; new faculty and staff are introduced; new students are welcomed. The halls once again resonate.

As this school year began, none of our schools would have anticipated dealing with torrential rains, hurricane force winds, extensive flooding, and displaced families. None of them would have anticipated the challenge of helping students grapple with yet another mass killing.

Though none anticipated these events, all of our schools have now been touched by grief, and school leaders are once again called to guide and to console. While few school leaders are typically trained in pastoral care, the times increasingly require it. Our communities rely on your strength as they rebuild their lives. Your schools are the safe harbor.  
Coming to the 2017 SAIS Annual Conference? Be sure to Like our Facebook page and your name will go into a drawing for a $50 gift card!
Unmapped Potential
By Julie Hasson and Missy Lennard
Reviewed by Dr. Mary McPherson, Elementary School Principal, St. Martin's Episcopal School, Atlanta
With 20 years in the field of education both public and private, I am always in search of resources to improve my practice as an educator and principal. I end each school year looking toward a rejuvenating summer in hopes of creating a new road map for the coming school year that will reinvigorate and renew students, teachers, and me. Unmapped Potential by Julie Hasson and Missy Lennard provided that roadmap as I entered this school year.
Profile: Carney, Sandoe & Associates
As the face of the potential independent school employee continues to change, schools also are adapting the process by which they search to fill open positions. More than ever, schools seek female leaders and people of color to be their next head, division head, or director to serve their communities. Schools often turn to Carney, Sandoe & Associates to help them fill those important roles. 
Annual Conference Preview: Leading from the Middle
The frenzied pace of the academic year often requires school leaders to develop their leadership style on the fly, without an opportunity to reflect on their approach. This is often the case for division heads and other mid-level administrators who face the challenge of “leading from the middle” as they serve both faculty and students as well as the head of school. This session will offer an interactive opportunity to consider important questions such as: What particular superpowers do I bring to the table and how can I use those in my work? How do teams best form, interact, and collaborate? How can I best navigate the subtle (and not-so-subtle) challenges of “leading from the middle” in my specific school? Participants will emerge with concrete skills and new perspectives they can apply immediately in their work.

The session will be led by Erin Cohn , senior partner with Leadership+Design, an organization that works with schools to transform teaching, learning, and leadership through human-centered design. Erin’s work has primarily focused on developing thoughtful, healthy, and intentional faculty cultures of professional growth, helping schools to clarify and articulate core values, and assisting schools with dreaming up innovative programs using collaborative design-inspired processes. Her session will be held on Sunday, October 22, 1:30 PM at the 2017 SAIS Annual Conference in Atlanta . 
SAIS Featured School: New Garden Friends School
At New Garden Friends School in Greensboro, NC, values matter. Preschool through 12th grade students are part of a community built on Quaker principles of equality, inclusivity, peace, simplicity, and social justice. Students learn these values in everyday practice through a purposeful social curriculum aimed at teaching children the importance of cooperating with others, responsibility, self-control, self-advocacy, empathy, and understanding that every voice matters.
How Would You Spend $5,000??
SAIS is accepting applications for The Stephen P. Robinson Collaboration Grants from now through December 31, 2017. Five member schools each will receive a $5,000 grant. Those applying must demonstrate a vision and capacity to pursue and carry out meaningful collaborations. Successful examples have demonstrated efforts that benefit the greater community or region in unique ways. The Robinson Collaboration Grants were created to encourage independent schools to form new partnerships with other schools or institutions of higher education, with preference given to collaborations with other schools serving students in any grades from K through 12th. Schools selected for grants will share their results with the SAIS community. Submissions are due by December 31, 2017. www.sais.org/grants  
Top Tweets
Outdoor fun, fall activities, chapel buddies, and more.
Blog of the Week
Getting Students Off to a Great Start at School
Montgomery School in Chesterton, PA, offers some great tips for parents and students. 
SAIS is now accepting proposals for breakout sessions at the 2018 SAIS Athletic Directors Conference, January 16-17, in Charlotte, NC. Registration is OPEN! sais.org/ADC
SAIS is now accepting proposals for breakout sessions at the 2018 SAIS Finance Institute, January 16-17, in Charlotte, NC. Registration is OPEN!
SAIS Launches Biannual Magazine
The inaugural issue of the SAIS Magazine recently was mailed to heads of school, division heads, and other colleagues in education. Articles include interviews with the keynote speakers for the upcoming SAIS Annual Conference, trends in teaching and learning, happenings from some of our member schools, and a guest column from one of our school heads. You may also view it online . Contact christina@sais.org with any comments or to be added to the mailing list.
DASL - Data & Analysis for School Leadership

Data entry is now open for the National Association of Independent School's (NAIS)  Data and Analysis for School Leadership  (DASL). Your school does not need to be an NAIS member to take advantage of this incredibly powerful software. Data entry has never been this simple - questions are tailored specifically to your school and there are numerous webinars and office hours available if you need additional help. Data entry must be completed by October 11 . Data will be available for reporting on November 8.
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