In March 2021, NAIS surveyed Heads of School (HOS) about their leadership experience and how the pandemic may have impacted the leadership pipeline. 622 HOS completed the survey. Two-thirds of those Heads completing the survey were in their first headship.

NAIS published "How Boards Can Support the HOS and Nurture School Leadership" which essentially are the Takeaways for Boards from this survey which is worth your time reviewing.

As I looked at the data published, what stood out to me was the Heads' need for greater work/life balance and how board chairs may help Heads be more disciplined in their scheduling of personal time and the protection of that time to eliminate work 'creep.'

Second, the areas that Heads feel least prepared to handle is the area of community polarization and handling legal issues. Chairs should have regular conversations with their HOS about their own professional development and potential for growth in areas that they feel less confident in handling.

If you are an NAIS member school, the full report of the 2021 NAIS State of Independent School Leadership Survey is available on their website as well. It contains more data than is captured in the summary report.

June 6, 2022

4-5 pm ET