"Boarding School Rankings"
Skepticism Over College Rankings Applies Equally to Private School Rankings
Over on the Independent Educational Consulting Blog, Dodge Johnson, IECA president, offers his preemptive salvo on the coming U.S. News annual college rankings. Suffice to say, he’s skeptical; not a fan; and his piece can serve a foundation on why it’s important to approach many types of rankings with a healthy dose of skepticism. Dodge’s [...]
Read MoreTop 10 Boarding School Blog Posts from 2010!
As 2011 begins, we’d like to share the ten most read stories of 2010 (the inspiration from this post came from Bill Stites’ latest – Top 10 in 2010 – on edSocialMedia) on our Boarding School Blog. We expanded to feature new voices and perspectives during 2010 and we’re pleased that many new contributors made [...]
Read MoreBoarding Schools: Don’t Rank Them, Understand Them
The fall admission season has opened and admission directors everywhere are facing the same questions – the most enduring of which is the “Where is your school ranked?” We all respond with the same mantra: There is no such thing as official rankings of U.S. independent schools, boarding or day. Our schools have not participated [...]
Read MoreWhat you do when you’re there matters more than where you go
I’m responding to a recent Forbes article “America’s Best Prep Schools” (Raquel Laneri). The advice in an accompanying piece “What Parents Need To Know About Boarding Schools” (Tim Hillman), although brief, is good. But, Laneri’s perspective seems myopic and makes me wonder about her personal and professional exposure to a larger world. As my native [...]
Read MoreSelecting a Private School: It’s not easy nor should it be
After fielding questions from a caller inquiring about our school (The Webb Schools), it is inevitable that I get: “So, where can I find your ranking among other boarding schools?” Happens all the time. Much to their dismay, I have to tell them that there is no such thing and happily so. Yes, there have [...]
Read MoreBoarding School Podcast Sustainablity Series
In light of the economic downturn, school sustainability and adaptive strategies have been hot topics for a number of months. No one is spared from the realities of a shrinking economy- schools, families, students- we’re all impacted. To encourage a conversation about the options available to families and schools, AQ’s Boarding School Podcast hosted a [...]
Read MoreKents Hill Students Push International Awareness and Change
Pushed by students and student members of Amesty International, the Kents Hill School board worked to recognize and understand investments connected to the Sudanese government and, indirectly, its genocidal policies. Running into investing complexities, students and the board negotiated a compromise upon understanding that withdrawal/divestment would be a slow process. The compromise: the school would [...]
Read MoreBoarding School Rankings: Ignore Them!
In simplest terms, boarding school ranking is too complicated and inaccurate. Be glad there isn’t one. A number of boarding schools place high numbers of students in competitive colleges and benefit from large endowments. However, the idea of ranking independent schools top-bottom/best to worst misses the point. Just as there is a college for everyone, [...]
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