Articles
I write about the everyday work of leading a school. These pieces are for teachers thinking about leadership, new division heads and Heads of School, and anyone who cares about how schools grow.
If you’re new here, the six-part series below is a good place to start. You can also browse every article by date.
Start here
Six short pieces on how I think about renewing a school. Read them in order, or start with the one that speaks to you.
An Approach to Renewing Schools
How a school can move from reactive and fragmented to calm, coherent, and mission driven.Before You Change Anything, Listen
Why I spent my first months as Head listening for patterns before changing anything.Rebuilding Culture by Design
How a small, optional culture committee helped rebuild trust and shared purpose.Focusing on the Customer Experience
Seeing the school through families’ eyes, and why predictability builds trust.Operational Excellence
Using ideas from Dan Heath’s Upstream to solve problems before they become crises.From Listening to Lasting Change
What actually changed, and how it happened through many small decisions over time.
By topic
Strategy and planning
Strategy as Stewardship
Strategic planning as a way to honor a school’s past and take responsibility for its future.
A Plan Is Not a Strategy
Why real strategy means choosing what a school will do, and what it won’t.
Strategic Planning as Clarity
How a strategic plan can guide daily decisions instead of sitting on a shelf.
Renewing a School’s Mission
Leading a collaborative mission renewal during accreditation and strategic planning.
Learning the Financial Side of School Leadership
What changes when you become a Head and the school’s finances become your job.
Rethinking Expertise: What Fractional Services Have Taught Me About Leading an Independent School
How fractional partnerships helped Oak Hill build capacity without adding full-time roles.
Enrollment, marketing, and fundraising
Leading Enrollment With Intention
Why enrollment became one of the most energizing parts of being a Head of School.
Marketing Works Best When Strategy Comes First
Why marketing only works when it follows a clear strategy.
Retaining Students, Nurturing Success: The Impact of a Retention Committee in Independent Schools
How a retention committee can help families stay and students thrive.
The Power of a Marketing Video for Independent Schools
What we learned from creating an anthem video at Davidson Day.
Fundraising Goes Beyond Asking for Money
Fundraising as building a culture of philanthropy rather than asking for money.
Donors as Investors
Thinking of donors as investors in a school’s mission and future.
Leading people and change
Exploring the Dynamics of Change in Education: The Human Side of School Change
Rob Evans on why people, not plans, decide whether school change lasts.
Navigating the Complexities of Independent School Parenting: Insights from "Hopes and Fears"
What Rob Evans and Michael Thompson teach us about partnering with today’s parents.
Difficult Conversations
Finding the courage to have hard conversations, with help from a classic book.
From Feeling Overwhelmed to Feeling Inspired: My NWAIS Fall Conference Presentation
Five practical strategies from my NWAIS workshop on stress, energy, and purpose.
Gamestorming in Schools
Using game-based techniques to make meetings more creative and worthwhile.
Design Thinking
What Nueva taught me about innovation and design thinking in schools.
A Passion for Podcasting
How a love of listening led to the Davidson Day Community Podcast.
Habits and personal effectiveness
School Administrators: Getting Things Done
How David Allen’s system helps busy school leaders stay organized.
Inbox Zero
Simple steps for managing email so it calms you down instead of stressing you out.
The Importance of Managing Energy
Why managing your energy matters more than managing your time.
Atomic Habits
How small habits, repeated often, add up to remarkable change.
The Power of a Personal Mission
Why writing a personal mission statement can guide your life and your work.
Living Purposefully
Letting clear values guide how we spend our time with the people we love.
The Upside of Stress
Seeing stress as a sign that we care, with ideas from Kelly McGonigal.
Social and emotional learning
What Is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?
An introduction to social and emotional learning and why it matters.
Eight Steps for Implementing an SEL Program at Your School
The eight steps we took over two years to launch an SEL program.
Managing Emotions
Why emotional intelligence matters for children and adults alike.
Recognizing
Slowing down to notice our emotions and the everyday moments around us.
Self-Advocacy
Helping children find their voices in challenging conversations.
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Why mindfulness has become an essential skill for children and adults.
Balancing Rigor and Nurture
Why schools don’t have to choose between academic challenge and care.
The Power of Progressive Education
What Nueva taught me about learning by doing and educating the whole child.
Raising resilient children
The Gift of Failure
Why letting children fail, and bounce back, is one of the best gifts we can give.
Preparing Our Children for the Unknown
Preparing children for paths we can’t predict.
Balancing Gratitude and Resilience
Raising grateful children who are also ready to face life’s obstacles.
Parenting When Your Child Needs You Most
What CAIS families taught me about parenting through hard times.
Unstructured Free Play
A student’s speech on treasuring childhood and the value of free play.
Empowering Children to Navigate the Pandemic with "Ordinary Magic"
Ann Masten’s research on how children build resilience in hard times.
Let’s talk
I’m always glad to connect with fellow educators and school leaders. The best way to reach me is by email.