The Propeller

Just landed back in Boston after an energizing week in Nashville diving into the ICAISA and NAIS Thrive conferences. There's something truly revitalizing about being swept up in a crowd of passionate educators all focused on one question: how can we better serve our students? A heartfelt thanks to ICAISA for inviting me to brainstorm with association executive directors and accreditation leaders about the challenges and possibilities on the horizon for independent schools. Governance issues were front and center in these discussions, and Julie Faulstich and I had a blast unpacking these dynamics during our NAIS Thrive presentation.

A clear thread running through Thrive 2025 was how we navigate this era of constant change and uncertainty. Whether we're talking about AI reshaping education, the squeeze on philanthropic dollars, enrollment concerns, the struggle to attract and keep great faculty, growing cultural divides, global instability, or adjusting to a new administration in Washington – everything feels a bit more unpredictable than usual. We're entering what looks like a continuous cycle of "new normals," and I worry some schools are pulling back or freezing up, hoping the pace of change might eventually slow down. But here's the reality: we're living in an age of acceleration. The real change needed isn't in our external circumstances – it's in us. We need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable reality of perpetual uncertainty.