If you really want to see how innovative a school is, inquire about its thinking and practices regarding assessment. For the students, does the mere thought of assessment trigger stress? Do the teachers rely heavily on high-stakes, multiple-choice, Bell Curve-generating tests? Or do the students seem relaxed and engaged as teachers experiment with…

Independent schools--and their teachers and administrators--are, as the name suggests, fiercely independent. So when the Common Core State Standards hit the national stage in March 2010 and became the center of the national conversation on education, it was no surprise that the majority of independent schools dismissed the standards as another…

Having addressed variations of the question--How can a school's success be "measured"?--with mixed results across a collective five decades of service to boards, John Gulla and Olaf Jorgenson endeavored to develop a more helpful answer. To this end, they queried 200-plus leaders of California Association of Independent Schools…

When it comes to diversity work in independent schools--especially regarding race--the research makes it clear that there is one very large and rather noisy elephant in most independent schools. If not acknowledged and addressed, it will keep schools from fulfilling not only their diversity missions but also their overall missions--especially…

A recent National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) survey of more than 1,200 individuals who filed financial aid forms underscores the central role financial aid plays in their ability to pursue a private education for their children. This article highlights the survey findings, demonstrating why school leaders need to thoroughly analyze…

Given that independent schools have started to face competition from charter schools, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) commissioned a study with current and prospective charter school parents to determine their perceptions of charter vs. independent schools, assess the relative impact of the variables that affect their school…

In this article Richard Barbieri asserts that the biggest danger to our own safety and well-being, and that of our children, comes not from adult predators, environmental hazards, or the class bully, but from traits common to us all. The enemy is us, and not least because we too often jump to such strategies as clobbering. Writers from such varied…

On the morning of December 16, 1965, in Des Moines, Iowa, a 13-year-old junior high school student named Beth Tinker got dressed and went to school. She wore a black armband to protest the war in Vietnam. The school promptly suspended her for wearing a symbol of political dissent. So began one of the nation's most celebrated cases involving…

In the Winter 2013 issue of "Independent School," Richard Barbieri considered some of the distressing news about humanity being discovered by various physical and social scientists. Barbieri asserts in this issue that there are countervailing views and discoveries about our minds and our mores, enough for us to hope for the frequent, if…

The term "experiential education" can be--and has been--applied to a wide range of educational programming. Malcolm McKenzie's working definition of experiential education is this: it promotes learning through direct experience, often outside the classroom, at times not directly related to academic courses, frequently not graded,…

This author contends that there are four key ingredients to a growth mindset in schools: observation, dialog, feedback, and investment. In addition, teachers and supervisors need to be jointly invested in the growth mindset of the school. The author suggests that if a school is considering a new faculty evaluation system, it is crucial that…

This author states her belief that there must be an answer to devising an effective and credible way to link compensation to professional development and improved teaching. Such a model would need to be transparent, equitable, and financially manageable for the school. It would need to marry objectivity with the art of teaching, and have buy-in…

Every year, the families of more than half a million students in America choose independent schools (private, nonprofit schools that are governed by boards of trustees). There are more than 1,200 independent schools in the US that belong to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and each is unique in terms of its mission and…

This report highlights findings from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), a study funded by the U.S. Department of Education that charted the life experiences of nearly 25,000 students from public and private schools from the time they were eighth graders through their mid-20s. "Values Added: The Lifelong Benefits of an Independent…

Recognizing and celebrating diversity while building an inclusive sense of classroom or school community is a challenging endeavor. A successful model encompasses four basic principles: cultural validation and acceptance are inseparable; each school needs its own plan; sophisticated skills are essential; and curriculum sources and communication…