April has been busy for ISANNE with events for Academic Leaders, Student Life, IT and Heads. Also, many of our members are serving on NEASC accreditation teams with several meeting in April and May throughout New England. The experience is a tremendous professional development opportunity.  I have served on several teams and I was fortunate to join a team this week. We were fourteen people from various schools and regions with little knowledge of each other. We arrived on Sunday afternoon having read the school's self study and we organized our group for the challenge ahead of us. We were charged with helping the school examine how they are meeting their mission and suggesting ways they can improve relative to 15 standards. By Wednesday noon, through observations and conversations with school members, we produced a draft report with commendations and recommendations. During our time together, we challenged our findings in different ways and arrived at conclusions meant to serve the school in their effort to continuously improve.  The process is positively intense and enlightening and I encourage our members to join a team. 

 

This month's guest blogger is Melissa Lawlor, Director of Equity and Inclusion at Brewster Academy. We are excited to have Melissa speak with our Head's at their conference next week with colleague Jini Rae Sparkman, Director of Office for Equity and Inclusion at Holderness. They will talk about NISE, Network for Independent School Equity.  NISE, sponsored by Brewster Academy and Holderness School, is a new organization working to create a network of support, mentorship, and opportunities for professional development for faculty of color, international faculty, and LGBTQ+ faculty in ISANNE. We will announce upcoming NISE activities in our Newsletter and through the listserves. 

 

As we engage in this busy and exciting term, sometimes we wonder how everything will come together. When we bring our best every day and connect with others, the magic happens.