COVID: How Various Heads of Schools Are Planning

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Rapid Fire Roundtable on COVID: How Various Heads of Schools are Planning led by David Seibel, Katharine Savage, Travis Koch, and Peter Baur.

Josh Dyson

Josh Dyson is Head of School at Classical School of Wichita in Wichita, Kansas. Before his transition into school administration, he had served as a full-time teacher, school chaplain, and children’s/youth minister. Currently, he also serves as a staff writer for The Classical Thistle and on the Board of Academic Advisors for the Classic Learning Test. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Languages and Christianity from Houston Baptist University. Additionally, he has done graduate work at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Houston Baptist University, and will complete the Master of Arts in Christian and Classical Studies from Knox Theological Seminary in August. Josh and his wife (Julie) have four children — Deacon, Noelle, Daisy and Lucy. They are members of Incarnation Anglican Church in Wichita.

Travis Koch

Travis Koch earned his B.A. in History from Stanford University and his M.A. in History from Yale University. Mr. Koch has developed curriculum and taught history, literature, rhetoric, theology, and biology for over 12 years before coming to St. Stephen’s Academy as the Dean of Academics. He began serving as Headmaster in 2018.

David Nees

David Nees is husband to Kate and father of four. For the past 6 years, he has served as Head of School at Heritage Classical Academy in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Headshot: attached.

Katharine Savage

Katharine Savage is the founder and Head of Philadelphia Classical School and is grateful to have worked alongside colleagues in the classical Christian school movement for almost ten years. She leads the ACCS Northeast regional cohort of schools and has written for the Classical Difference magazine. Prior to founding PCS, she was the energetic "starter" - starting other community based endeavors, leading parenting seminars, writing church curriculum, and being a wife and mom to three children. She and her husband Brian have been serving in the city of Philadelphia, PA for twenty years. She loves rereading old books and watching ballet performances.

David Seibel

Dave is the father of five, the husband of Brooke and a rider of bikes. When he's not working on his doctorate from Southern on Organizational Leadership, he is playing baseball with his sons or chasing kids at recess. He is the Head of School at Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, IN. Carmel is one of the top places to raise a family in the country.

A Testimony: Implementing Classical Christian Education Internationally

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This panel is reserved for leaders in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to make regional plans and discuss DFW issues in Classical Christian Education.

Eric Cook

Eric Cook is from Lexington, Kentucky, but worked in schools in Ohio and Virginia before joining Covenant Classical School in 2009. Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Transylvania University, and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. He has taught history, political science, psychology and philosophy in public schools, and served as an assistant principal for several years. In 2006, Eric felt called to join the classical Christian school movement and became the Middle and Upper School Head at Faith Christian School in Roanoke, Virginia. In addition to his leadership roles, Eric taught apologetics, theology, philosophy of religion, and served as thesis director.

Jeff Hendricks

Jeff Hendricks is the Head of School at Providence Christian School. He joined Providence in 2005, first teaching algebra, and then middle school English and history before being appointed head of middle school in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Gordon College and a master’s degree from the University of Dallas. His wife Jessica is also an educator. The couple has three children, the oldest of which currently attends Providence.

Robert Littlejohn

Dr. Robert Littlejohn has served as Head of School at The Covenant School in Dallas Texas since April of 2018. Previously he served as Head of School at Trinity Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA and as Director of Distance Learning for a consortium of Private and State Colleges and Universities in Minnesota. As a Ph.D. Biologist (Washington State University), he has authored two College Biology Laboratory texts and has published 26 reports of original research in refereed journals in the fields of Ecology, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry, and Science Educational Theory. He is coauthor with Charles T. Evans of Wisdom and Eloquence: a Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, published by Crossway Books. He was founding Headmaster for New Covenant Schools in Virginia, founding Executive Director for the Society for Classical Learning, and a founding board member for the American School of Lyon, France. He is a Certified Facilitator of Appreciative Inquiry™, a former Accreditation Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and Advance_Ed, and a consultant to colleges and schools across the nation.

What Every Board Must Do

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A critical factor in a healthy school is a board understanding how to invest in its Head of School. Eric Cook will cover principles and practices of Head of School care to maximize his or her ability to perform in the Head of School role.

Eric Cook

Eric Cook is from Lexington, Kentucky, but worked in schools in Ohio and Virginia before joining Covenant Classical School in 2009. Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Transylvania University, and a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. He has taught history, political science, psychology and philosophy in public schools, and served as an assistant principal for several years. In 2006, Eric felt called to join the classical Christian school movement and became the Middle and Upper School Head at Faith Christian School in Roanoke, Virginia. In addition to his leadership roles, Eric taught apologetics, theology, philosophy of religion, and served as thesis director.

Top 3 Things the Board Can Do To Strengthen or Weaken the Board-Head Relationships

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“The average tenure of school heads is about 5.5 years and the average length of trustee service is 3.5 years. Due to these patterns, there needs to be more ‘touchstones’ of approved and understood tools to retain mission integrety and protect the school from crisis. The strategic plan helps to ensure this. Simultaneously, we must improve governance practices to define boundaries of authority and to extend the tenure for heads, board chairs and board members.” John C. Littleford. Senior Partner, Littleford Associates. Originally a panel discussion, this session will engage attendees in sharing wisdom on board/head relationships. Specifics about clear expectations, effective communication, mutual trust , and collaborative long-term and strategic planning will be foremost among the topics covered.

Robert Littlejohn

Dr. Littlejohn is Head of School at Trinity Academy of Raleigh, North Carolina. As a Ph.D Biologist, he has authored two college biology laboratory texts and has published 26 reports of original research in the fields of Ecology, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Science Educational Theory. In 2006, he coauthored Wisdom and Eloquence: a Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, published by Crossway Books, Chicago. His career spans 26 years in K-12 and higher education, during which he has served in a variety of teaching and administrative capacities, including Academic Vice President for a liberal arts college and Director for a consortium of ten colleges and universities. He was founding headmaster for New Covenant Schools in Virginia, founding executive director for the society for Classical Learning and a founding board member for the American School of Lyon, France. He is a certified facilitator for Appreciative Inquiry, an AQIP reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and a Consultant to Colleges and schools across the nation.

Tools for Teacher Evaluation

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Performance evaluation is usually an uncomfortable experience for educators. But, when educators help design a process that drives improvement and leads to better learning, everyone benefits. This session describes such a process, and provides examples of survey instruments and data summaries that form the basis for positive formative assessment of teaching and learning.

Robert Littlejohn

Dr. Littlejohn is Head of School at Trinity Academy of Raleigh, North Carolina. As a Ph.D Biologist, he has authored two college biology laboratory texts and has published 26 reports of original research in the fields of Ecology, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Science Educational Theory. In 2006, he coauthored Wisdom and Eloquence: a Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, published by Crossway Books, Chicago. His career spans 26 years in K-12 and higher education, during which he has served in a variety of teaching and administrative capacities, including Academic Vice President for a liberal arts college and Director for a consortium of ten colleges and universities. He was founding headmaster for New Covenant Schools in Virginia, founding executive director for the society for Classical Learning and a founding board member for the American School of Lyon, France. He is a certified facilitator for Appreciative Inquiry, an AQIP reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and a Consultant to Colleges and schools across the nation.

Curricular Planning From the Top Down

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This session will address the need for curriculum planning to “begin with the end in view.” What outcomes do we want for our graduates? what knowledge, skills and virtues are essential for a graduate to reap the full benefits of the education that our mission claims to offer? We will explore a process that ensures that each grade level prepares students for the next level in a program that delivers these benefits to every student.

Robert Littlejohn

Dr. Littlejohn is Head of School at Trinity Academy of Raleigh, North Carolina. As a Ph.D Biologist, he has authored two college biology laboratory texts and has published 26 reports of original research in the fields of Ecology, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Science Educational Theory. In 2006, he coauthored Wisdom and Eloquence: a Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, published by Crossway Books, Chicago. His career spans 26 years in K-12 and higher education, during which he has served in a variety of teaching and administrative capacities, including Academic Vice President for a liberal arts college and Director for a consortium of ten colleges and universities. He was founding headmaster for New Covenant Schools in Virginia, founding executive director for the society for Classical Learning and a founding board member for the American School of Lyon, France. He is a certified facilitator for Appreciative Inquiry, an AQIP reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and a Consultant to Colleges and schools across the nation.

Boards Behaving Badly

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If one were to conduct a nation-wide poll of private school leaders asking them to identify the greatest threat to the health, stability, and future of their schools, undoubtedly there would be a myriad of opinions. Negative influences such as a toxic youth culture, dysfunctional families, unreasonable parent demands, rising tuition rates, a shortage of qualified teachers, and the emergence of charter schools and home-schooling would certainly make the top ten list of concerns for most school administrators. Indeed, these trends and issues have been the subjects of articles published in leading educational journals for years.

Yet, as difficult and perplexing as these challenges are, they are not the greatest menace to our schools. The most serious threat to our schools may be their own governing boards. A lack of knowledge, understanding, and application of sound governing principles, what the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) calls “Principles of Good Practice,” pose the greatest danger to private school health and stability.

When boards behave badly, when they are guilty of unethical practices, when personal agendas emerge, and when shortsighted decision- making is the norm, a trust is broken and the entire school community suffers. It is time for regional accrediting associations and professional membership organizations to do more than publish another article urging school boards to invest in their own development.

Serious threats call for serious measures.

The non-public school board, whether self- perpetuating, elected by parents, appointed by a religious body, or some combination thereof, is a peculiar institution in American society. The qualifications for membership are not always stringent and the process of selection is o en casual. To be elected or appointed to a school board often depends less on merit, more on familiarity or popularity. Few boards take the time and make the effort to really investigate potential members. Fewer boards go to the trouble of profiling their own membership to identify deficiencies, then invite those individuals onto the board whose talents and a liations can best meet the needs of the school.

Most often, nominating committees propose individuals whom they know well and with whom they enjoy a personal or professional relationship. This fraternal approach to board selection usually results in the selection of well-intentioned individuals who may very well support the school and its mission. But, it may also result in the selection of individuals who are ill equipped to function as effective trustees, or who bring counterproductive assumptions about their roles and responsibilities, or, worse yet, who bring their own personal agendas onto the board.

What are the consequences of such a casual, non-strategic approach to board selection? Ask any head of school or chairman of the board who has had to confront a board member for crossing the governance—management boundary. Ask any head of school who has been in the uncomfortable position of considering a “special request” from a trustee who determines his or her future. Ask any of the hundreds of school leaders who have been dismissed without cause because of the political or economic pressure placed on their boards from disgruntled parents, dissatisfied teachers, or disillusioned donors or alumni.

Considering the shortening tenure of private school heads and the fact that the majority of all heads depart their schools having been red or forced to resign, there must be a major flaw in how our schools are governed.

This topic leads to some perplexing questions: How can a school sustain meaningful change when it frequently rotates the very people responsible for implementing that change? How can a school maintain its integrity when board members insert themselves into vital operations without the invitation of management? How can a school remain focused on its mission when decision-making processes have been politicized?

Clearly, the answers to these questions lie within the board itself. Boards must be willing to invest in their own development. Since the majority of board members join a board with little or no experience, it is imperative that they receive the proper orientation and on-going training necessary for them to be effective in their roles as governors and trustees of a school’s mission. Yet, too many boards have given only token attention to this necessity.

So, in the interest of solutions, here’s an idea. Virtually every accredited school requires that its instructional personnel possess the proper credentials (degree, certification, license, etc.) required to do their job. Additionally, almost all schools require teachers and administrators to pursue a professional growth plan that mandates the completion of a certain amount of continuing education in order to retain their credentials. If we expect our professional educators to meet minimum standards, then why not require some standard of training for those individuals who determine the mission, the philosophy, and the policies which define our schools, and who are ultimately accountable for its direction and viability?

If we believe that purposeful selection and on-going development of trustees are the best tools available to produce an effective, stable governing board, there must be a mechanism to ensure that boards take this responsibility seriously. Volunteers must be able to earn the responsibility to govern our schools rather than to assume their right to govern.

The answer is for our accrediting and professional associations to mandate board orientation and training as a prerequisite for accreditation and membership. It will take the authority of such organizations to compel school boards to address this deficiency in their model of governance. Heads of schools, educational consultants, and professional organizations can write articles ad nauseum extolling the virtues of board development. But we all know what happens when our schools offer a parenting workshop; the very parents who would benefit most don’t bother to attend. Similarly, the very school boards that would benefit most from board training do not show up either. Unless it is mandated, many boards will not make the orientation and training of its membership a priority.

This is where accrediting associations can deliver a valuable service to their memberships. Accreditation is a credential that most non-public schools deem essential. Accreditation is designed to affirm that schools are following sound principles of governance and management. It legitimizes a school’s educational program and affirms that a school is fiscally sound and operates under prudent management. Most importantly, the accreditation process requires a school to periodically undergo a critical self-analysis leading to a plan of self-improvement. During the “self-study” phase of accreditation, weaknesses and deficiencies are identified and addressed.

Wouldn’t it be reasonable then, to expect school boards to conduct similar self-assessments? Why not require a candidate school to provide documentation that its governing board is actively engaged in its own development? Schools already provide curriculum guides, standardized test scores, policy handbooks, and many other forms of documentation to peer review teams, so providing evidence of on-going board training and development is not unreasonable. Shouldn’t the one stake- holder group that has the most influence on the success or failure of a school be required to develop and implement sound governing principles in order to receive the endorsement of an accrediting association?

Consider this proposition.
1. Require accredited schools to submit evidence that all new trustees a ended an orientation that includes education in the “Principles of Good Practice for Governing Boards.”

2. Require school boards to adopt a policy that no trustee may be officially seated or vote on any matter until they a end the orientation session.

3. Increase the number and expand the locations of board development workshops offered to member schools.

4. Develop a list of educational consultants and current and retired non-public school administrators who are available to conduct on-site governance workshops to member schools.

5. As a part of the documentation needed for accreditation, require boards to submit a copy of their official minutes that contain the date(s) on which board development was conducted and the names of the trustees who a ended the training session.

6. Establish a special accreditation status or endorsement that recognizes schools for following sound governing principles.

7. Sanction schools which fail to take seriously their responsibility to follow sound principles and which refuse to invest in their own board development by withholding accreditation or placing the school on probationary status.

8. Establish a grievance procedure by which school personnel, board members, or parents can request a review of suspected board misconduct.

Accrediting associations and professional membership organizations serve a public good. They provide parents, teachers, and administrators with a critical piece of information needed in the school selection process. By and large, the public trusts the accreditation credential. Shouldn’t there be some assurance that accredited schools are not only well managed, but also well governed? I challenge our accrediting associations and professional membership organizations to seriously consider this proposal. In the end, stronger schools make for stronger associations. And stronger schools will be around to fulfill their missions for years to come.

Protecting Your School from Employment Discrimination Claims

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Hardly anything is more stressful, or potentially expensive, to a school community than the termination of an employee that results in a claim of discrimination. Over the years, we’ve encountered three common myths which make religious schools susceptible to discrimination claims:

First, honest evaluations and documented employee issues are not that important.

In order to carry its burden of proof in an unlawful discrimination claim, the school must be able to articulate a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for its action. Once the school does so, the burden shifts to the employee to show the pretext of the reasons given. Schools frequently fail to provide poor employees with reviews that accurately reflect performance problems, nor do they properly document issues with problem employees.

Second, no claims can be made by the employee because they were either at will or because the school simply did “not renew” the contract.

Most state and federal anti-discrimination provisions prohibit unlawful discrimination in any “term or condition” of employment. If an at will employee is terminated or the school decides not to renew the contract of an employee, that only prohibits a breach of contract claim. An employee can always claim that the reason for the non-renewal or the reason they were terminated from their at will job was because of an unlawful discriminatory reason (i.e. race, age, gender, national ethnic origin, disability, etc.).

Third, we don’t need to seek counsel from a knowledgeable attorney before communicating non-renewal or termination decisions.

A party who successfully brings a claim against your school can receive compensatory damages, damages for emotional suffering, punitive damages for intentional discrimination, plus their attorneys’ fees. Many times the school has a legitimate reason for its decision, but the staff improperly communicates the decision to the employee or has not taken the steps to properly document the problems.

Many schools do not have any form of employment practices insurance coverage for employment related claims, meaning the school will not only have to pay its own attorneys fees, but also any judgment rendered and the attorneys fees of the opposing side. As a result, making a mistake can cost the school hundreds of thousands of dollars. Schools should budget an annual amount for attorney consultations and review negative employment decisions with knowledgeable counsel before ever communicating them to the employee.

Curriculum Development – Make it Classical

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Curriculum is the backbone of the academic program. It is the defining character of our school’s identity. But, how can we be sure our curriculum is really “classical?” How can we know that we aren’t just teaching what every other school is teaching, with “classical” trappings? We need a curriculum development process that ensures that we are classical. In this seminar, Dr. Littlejohn helps participants identify essential objectives that can clearly inform our curriculum development and ensure that our program is truly classical.

Robert Littlejohn

Dr. Littlejohn is Head of School at Trinity Academy of Raleigh, North Carolina. As a Ph.D Biologist, he has authored two college biology laboratory texts and has published 26 reports of original research in the fields of Ecology, Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Science Educational Theory. In 2006, he coauthored Wisdom and Eloquence: a Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning, published by Crossway Books, Chicago. His career spans 26 years in K-12 and higher education, during which he has served in a variety of teaching and administrative capacities, including Academic Vice President for a liberal arts college and Director for a consortium of ten colleges and universities. He was founding headmaster for New Covenant Schools in Virginia, founding executive director for the society for Classical Learning and a founding board member for the American School of Lyon, France. He is a certified facilitator for Appreciative Inquiry, an AQIP reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and a Consultant to Colleges and schools across the nation.

The Faculty’s Role in High School Culture

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This seminar is designed to highlight the important role faculty plays in creating a dynamic and consistent culture in their respective upper school programs. Incorporated into the daily routine of the faculty must be an awareness of the crucial part teachers have in encouraging positive pursuits and conversations. Through guided dialogue we will explore various methods of developing this awareness as a daily practice and habit.

Beth Maslin

Holding a Bachelor's Degree in History from Samford University and a Master's Degree in Education from Wake Forest University, Ms. Maslin credits her lifelong passion for knowing, searching and inquiring to experiences shared with her grandmother during her childhood years. Ms. Maslin has taught for seven years at Veritas Christian Academy and served as Interim High School Principal for the 2007-08 school year.