Spring is contract season, which makes burnout, intent to stay/leave, and faculty morale especially urgent. This session translates current work-psychology into practical strategies leaders can use immediately: spotting early warning signals of disengagement, introducing restoration practices, and modeling communication that honors dignity while holding boundaries. We’ll connect each practice to Episcopal identity—care of persons, community, and justice—so that retention efforts reinforce mission as well as organizational health.
Spring in schools often carries a particular kind of tension. Contracts are issued. Conversations begin. Quiet discernment happens in hallways and at kitchen tables. Leaders wonder who will stay. Teachers wonder whether they can. In Episcopal schools, where the mission calls us to honor the dignity of every human being, burnout is not simply an HR problem; it is a community concern. If we believe in the inherent worth of each person, then we must ask: Are we structuring our schools in ways that truly respect the human?
Board governance is a powerful opportunity to align institutional leadership with the Gospel’s call to equity and justice. Yet for many trustees of color, board service can feel like tokenism or come with a silent burden. This webinar introduces Culturally Affirming Independent School Board Governance (CAISBG), a framework developed through a national study of trustees of color. Participants will explore insights from trustees, reflect on the theological dimensions of leadership, and apply the CAISBG framework to board recruitment and culture. This webinar is for school leaders who want their boards to reflect Episcopal values of inclusion, justice, and belonging.
Episcopal schools are navigating an increasingly complex legal landscape with rapidly evolving issues impacting admissions, employment, governance, and daily operations. Join independent school attorney Kristin Smith of Fisher Phillips for an essential update on current legal topics affecting Episcopal schools. This session will demystify key legal developments, provide practical guidance for compliance, and equip heads of school, CFOs, and other school leaders and trustees with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions and mitigate risk.
Teachers often teach how they were taught, yet the past three decades of research on how people learn requires rethinking our pedagogical foundations. At Breck, we had the question, “How should teachers teach?” and that seemingly simple question resulted in the design of our Instructional Framework, an artifact that is now intended to guide schoolwide instruction, professional learning, and teacher evaluation.
As Episcopal schools, we are committed to creating communities that welcome, affirm, and sustain students and families from diverse backgrounds. As schools discern their paths forward, this resource offers guidance to heads of school, trustees, and other leaders in making thoughtful, mission-driven decisions. The article also includes a sample board agenda and a simple breakdown of key opportunities and challenges.
Episcopal churches and schools have a unique opportunity to strengthen one another through intentional partnership. This webinar explores how a strong, collaborative relationship between churches and schools can deepen Episcopal identity, enrich the formation of children and families, and align the school and church around a shared calling.
Leaders want their school to be rooted in mission-driven, data-informed decision making, yet many schools struggle to create strategic plans that are not only aspirational but actionable. Join Mission & Data’s Jason Kern and Mike Cobb along with NAES Heads of School as they walk through research-based processes to develop an actionable strategic plan and effective methods for communicating progress to your community. Participants will receive strategies on how to develop a strategic plan that incorporates feedback from multiple constituencies across the school community and builds buy-in for implementation by considering the school’s organizational, programmatic and adaptive capacities. Learn how to align success metrics to strategic goals and how to build dashboards to keep school leaders and the board apprised of progress toward success.
As a faculty or staff member, you likely find yourself at the forefront of supporting adolescents with increasingly complex, challenging psychosocial needs. Moreover, students are more likely to seek out a trusted teacher, advisor, or coach for support than to confide directly in a parent or even a school counselor. Drawing from her recent book, Deborah Offner, an adolescent psychologist, will provide a backdrop to Generation Z's concerns and challenges, a quick primer on "normal" adolescent development, and—most importantly—tips and strategies that teachers, deans, coaches, nurses, counselors, and other professionals can put into immediate use with students in distress. We will also consider how you can understand today's parents—and talk to them in a way they can hear—and how you can collaborate with colleagues to best support students and families.
The chaplaincy plays a vital role in Episcopal schools, and a clear understanding of this role is essential for chaplains to thrive. Drawing on insights from the 2024 NAES Chaplaincy Survey Report, this webinar will explore key aspects of chaplaincy and the impactful work of chaplains. Designed for heads of school, administrators, rectors, bishops, and chaplains, this session will provide valuable perspectives to support and strengthen chaplaincy in Episcopal schools.
