Giving and Accepting Feedback Is a Professional Capacity That Can Be Improved 

Jennifer Abrams shares how giving and receiving feedback are learnable professional skills, not fixed traits, yet most school leaders never get trained in either. She breaks down four key moves: naming issues in professional language, saying less and sitting in silence, suspending certainty when receiving feedback, and treating reactions to feedback as a skill to build rather than a flaw to judge.

Additional Research & Resources:

The Responsibility of Setting the Tone

Ted Giovanis

Treasury and IRS Proposed Rules May Impact Tax-Exemption of Independent Schools

Venable

What "Healthy" Actually Means for a School

Cara Gallagher

Ask the Cognitive Scientist: Do Today's Kids Have Reduced Attention Spans?

Most educators believe digital technology has fundamentally "rewired" children's brains, leaving them less able to sustain attention than students a generation ago. Cognitive Scientist Daniel Willingham argues the more likely explanation is motivational. Kids may still be fully capable of paying attention, but less willing to do so because digital devices have raised their expectations for immediate reward and lowered their threshold for boredom.

Additional Research & Resources:

Are Schools Inadvertently Making Students More Stressed? 

EdSurge

K-12 Cybersecurity Foundations

CISA

The Next Hiring Season Starts Now: 5 Ways Independent Schools Can Strengthen Their School’s Hiring Process 

Carney Sandoe

The Evidence Base on AI in K-12: A 2026 Review

A recent Stanford review found only 20 rigorous studies among 800+ papers on AI in K-12 schools. Studies revealed that AI boosts student performance while in use, but gains often fade on unassisted tests, suggesting tool-dependence rather than real learning. Teachers benefit more consistently from AI adoption, saving planning time without quality loss. Noted concerns are the lack of U.S.-based studies, research skewed toward math, and student well-being effects that remain almost entirely unstudied.

Additional Research & Resources:

Taking a Gradual Release (GRR) Approach to Student Choice

Spencer Education

What Effective AI Professional Learning Should Look Like 

Tech & Learning

Why "Productive Struggle" Still Matters In the Age of AI

Forbes

Are Your Parent Communications Working for Parents? 

Thrive Hive demonstrates how schools should treat parent communications as a strategy. They encourage schools to clarify where parents should look for information (with a practical template), match messages to the right channel, coordinate across departments so families aren't flooded, and write with the parent's inbox experience in mind, asking schools to stop thinking about what they need to send and start thinking about what families need to receive.

Additional Research & Resources:

Personalization is the New Expectation

Enrollment Catalyst

Today’s AI Impact on the Role of Enrollment Director 

Linda Haitani

What To Do When A Great Prospect Goes Quiet

Campbell & Company

Annual Conference

October 4-6 | Chattanooga, TN



Join fellow independent school leaders at the 2026 SAIS Annual Conference for three days of learning, connection, and fresh perspective. Hear from keynote speakers Tessa Forshaw, Rebecca Winthrop, and Muriel Wilkins, then explore 32 breakout sessions across four learning journeys designed to help you navigate emerging challenges, strengthen your leadership, and bring new ideas back to your school.

Along the way, connect with peers, exchange ideas, and return to your school with insights you can put into action. Register by September 25 to take advantage of the current registration rate before pricing increases.

Upcoming Events

Leadership Discussion Group

Begins September 21, 3:00 PM Eastern

Head of School Discussion Group

Begins September 21, 4:15 PM Eastern

Designing Your School's Experience Strategy for Tomorrow's Families

September 22, 12:00 PM Eastern

Future-Ready Learning That Endures
October 15, 12:00 PM Eastern

Blueprint Sprint

October 26-27, Raleigh, NC

LEAD AI: Timely Challenge Conference

November 9, Atlanta, GA