"independent schools"

Heather Hoerle Named SSATB Executive Director

The Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB) has appointed Heather Hoerle to follow Regan Kenyon as the board’s executive director. Ms. Hoerle brings a full independent school background to SSATB having worked in independent schools and at independent school professional associations. Her professional stops include the George School, Westtown School, The Association of Boarding Schools, [...]

Read More

A Boarding School (Literally) on the Move: A Q&A with The MacDuffie School’s New Head

Continuing our coverage of International EC’s efforts to start a new boarding school in Granby, MA and their recent acquisition of The MacDuffie School‘s operations,  we had the opportunity to exchange e-mail with Brian Chatterley of International EC, who will serve as Head of the merged/ongoing MacDuffie School. Brian shared his thoughts on union of [...]

Read More

Back to the Future: Vermont Towns Revisit Academies Rather Than Public Schools

Local control, costs, and funding are pushing some Vermont towns to consider reverting to the old ‘academy model’ wherein local towns pay to tuition for their students to attend the local academy (VT boarding schools like St. Johnsbury Academy & Lyndon Institute) rather than join or consolidate their students into a regional school district. In Susan Keese’s [...]

Read More

Boarding 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 More

Five Years of Planing Culminates In New Future and Plan For SSATB

Working to focus and best serve particular mission areas of independent schools, SSAT announced the establishment of the Consortium for Independent Education (CIE). The CIE will create focused bodies to serve and reflect the increasingly complex missions and market demands of independent schools and their families. Five service groups will comprise the the CIE: The [...]

Read More

How is the Recession Affecting Family Decisions in Independent Schools?

From the perspective of educational advisors, the silver lining to this recession is that client families are making decisions regarding independent schools more thoughtfully than ever. Most parents who during prosperous times were committed to sending their children to independent schools remain convinced that the education offered by independent schools – day and boarding – [...]

Read More

Looking Beneath the Gloss of Your Prep School Visit

Much of what we’ve written over the years to help families approach the admission process focuses on stripping the gloss and making sure that school strengths fit well with student potential. We’ve covered reading between the lines and presentations, the lingo of school catalogs, evaluating your student, what questions to ask of schools and how [...]

Read More

Mindful of a Liberal Education

Editor’s Note: Every once in a while someone sends you a piece to read, out-of-blue, that makes you wonder how have we forgotten this, or, how did we drift away from our foundation. We’ve come across such a piece that we like so much that we’re publishing it in it’s entirely. Gordon E. Bondurant, Interim [...]

Read More

Selecting 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 More

Bassett Blog: Blogging Perspectives from NAIS’ President

Pat Bassett, President, National Association of Independent Schools shares his observations and thoughts on independent schools on his blog- Bassett Blog. A global picture, Bassett Blog provides some nice insights regarding consideration, admission and special opportunities in boarding schools. His latest post addresses may of the common myths associated with independent schools. It’s worth a [...]

Read More

Now Is the Time to Give

If you believe in a boarding or independent school and you can afford to make a financial contribution, give now. Independent schools- just as colleges and universities- are working through endowment decreases and pressure. With increased financial aid demand, creating an even greater strain on institutional savings and finances. If independent school is part of [...]

Read More