RG175 Blog

As part of our ongoing effort to cultivate and support independent school leadership, RG175 consultants contribute monthly blog posts on topics ranging from governance and head transitions to strategic thinking and school management.

hiring, leadership, qualifications, attitude, references,
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Management
Make a Great Hire!

It is a pleasure to welcome our newest blogger, Coreen R. Hester, former head of school at The American School in London where she served for the last 10 years, and before that as the Head at The Hamlin School in California. Coreen recently joined RG175 as a consultant and is already playing an acti... read more

  • Coreen R. Hester
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Management
SCHOOL CRISIS MANAGEMENT: WHEN NOT TO LISTEN TO LEGAL COUNSEL

It is a pleasure to welcome guest blogger Jerrold I Katz, former head of school at The Park School for 20 years, and most recently as the head of a Reform Jewish independent school in New York City. Jerry has recently joined RG175 as a consultant and is already playing an active role in searches at... read more

  • Jerrold I. Katz
Strategic, thinking, independent, schools, enrollment, affordability, financial, aid, tuition, revenue, demonstrate, academics, SAT, AP, scores, public, extracurricular, programs, education, college, placement, boardsource, heads, boards
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Strategic Marketing And Enrollment
WIN BY FIVE TOUCHDOWNS

In previous blogs I argued that many strategic plans lack strategic thinking. They are too often imitations of plans from other schools and thus, devoid of serious consideration about real opportunities, specific to the school, that can kick-start a virtuous cycle. We independent school people value... read more

  • Thomas P. Olverson
Blunt, Alerts, New, Heads, School, Bob, Henderson, headship, fessenden, Tenacre, Country, Day, North, Yarmouth, Academy, Portland, Challenges, Trustees, institutional, expectations, behavior, success, development, relationships, experience
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Leadership Transition
BLUNT ALERTS FOR NEW HEADS OF SCHOOL

By Bob HendersonServing as a school head is a profound honor and joy, which many describe as the greatest job in the world. Those who seek the role are most often compelled by the desire to do good for a community, and have the ambition to create an environment that will produce people who make a si... read more

  • Robert P. Henderson, Jr.
Harvard, Business, Review, Meetings, leaders, Perlow, Mellon, Hill, Laker, Goddard, faculty, structure, trustees, management, head, independent, school, efficient, efficiency, organizational
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Management
WHY DO WE HAVE MEETINGS?

I continue to be fascinated with the concept of the architect-leader as described by Hill, Mellon, Laker and Goddard in “The One Type of Leader Who Can Turn Around a Failing School.” (Harvard Business Review) There are two compelling aspects to this kind of leadership. The first is intentionality; a... read more

  • Thomas P. Olverson
Architect, leader, action, head, search, headmaster, leadership, school, career, headships, independent, boards, influence, committees,
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Head of School Leadership
THE ARCHITECT-LEADER IN ACTION

In my May blog, “Turning Around An Underperforming School: Do You Have What It Takes?”, I wrote about the exciting research being done in England to uncover the leadership characteristics of headmasters that actually turn around underperforming schools. The authors (Alex Hill, Liz Mellon, Ben Laker... read more

  • Thomas P. Olverson