School Opening Collaboration

ISA just enjoyed our annual tradition of joining the Episcopal High School faculty and staff school opening sessions via Skype from our office in Portland.  Ian was interviewed by Head of School Hugh McIntosh on research, trends, and forces facing independent schools, while the 130 faculty and staff had the opportunity to ask questions along the presentation.  

Episcopal High School is a private, PK to 12th grade, coeducational day school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Founded in 1965, it has approximately 950 students residing in East Baton Rouge Parish and surrounding areas, and has a student/teacher ratio of 11:1.  EHS has been an ISA client of ISA's for three years where we have completed board and governance retreats, strategic planning, and strategic enrollment management initiatives. 

Narcissism and Social Media

I'm sure we all remember the famous Time Magazine cover and featured article, published last year and shown above, about the Millennial generation. The photo of the teenager taking a "selfie" on her mobile phone was an image widely and humorously understood by middle age people around North America.  Most would agree that the narcissism demonstrated by posts on social media is revealing a tipping point in mainstream culture.

It's About Me! 
An interesting challenge with the current narcissistic use of social media is that it is no longer confined to young people.  I recently performed a simple content analysis of posts by friends of my Facebook account.  Most of my friends on Facebook are near my age and generation, save some teens and college age students that are friends of my own children.  I categorized all of the posts into one of two rudimentary categories:  1) posts that were inherently "other-centered", meaning that they were posting something of value to others, such as new content, fresh perspective, or some other benefit to viewing the post, and 2) posts that were inherently "self-centered", meaning that they were either a selfie, or an image of an individual consumed in an activity that was all about themselves.  Not surprising, about 85% of the posts that I watched over one week time period were in the category of "self-centered".  And, they were not limited to young people, but included posts from all generations of users.  And, in full disclosure, some of my posts fell into the same category, combining my Twitter and Facebook feed.  

The Benefits of Social Media
Before I start to sound like a luddite, I want to confess that I love most social media (except for Facebook, which tends to drive me mad). Social media has given our culture so many great benefits, such as maintaining connection to those we love and care for despite the challenges of time and space.  It has given us ways to collaborate and connect with people we have never physically met, and grow our understanding of the world around us without visiting every nook and cranny of the world.  And, wow, the power of social media to place power in the hands of the masses and shine a light on the evils in our world is well-documented, with events such as the Arab Spring and others.  Social media has unlocked some incredibly valuable assets to our culture and most would agree has the potential to address social issues, connect people better, and make our world a better place.

It's Not About Me!
Culturally, we have fallen into a narcissistic trap when it comes to social media.  We are not setting a great example to harness social media for the real power it possesses. It is being overused to promote an individual and self-consumed view of the world, focusing on what people possess (that others don't), where they visit (when others can't), and how they look (when the picture is taken for the 10th time from the best angle and optimal light).  It is a very hollow, shallow view of communicating in a brave new world wrought with many societal challenges. 

Unleashing the Power
If we as educators are trying to inspire the next generation of other-centered, thoughtful, intentional, global citizens, we need to start by setting the best example for the use of social media.  I think it starts with acknowledging the inherent power of social media to connect others and collaborate toward a stronger, more ethical world.  Social media has the power, when focused on others and real issues, to shine a light on bad and inspire good universally.  

I think a good rule of thumb for posting, for both individuals and organizations, in the future is to ask these simple questions before you click "post":

"Who benefits from this post?  Does this post add value to others and contribute to our culture?"

I'm guessing the scholar in me is continuing to emerge in my theme.  I was taught in graduate school that the point of research and scholarship is "huerism", or adding to the body and value of knowledge over time.  I'm borrowing on that theme as it relates to building the largest archive of data the world has witnessed through social media.  Imagine the power of social media if it were harnessed to be other-centered?

Now, feel free to keep taking selfies. You just don't have to post them.  Sometimes, photos were meant only to be seen by those who took them for memories sake.

St. Andrew's School's Appoints Enrollment Manager

Long-time strategic planning and enrollment management client St. Andrew's School's of Honolulu, Hawaii has appointed Sarah Jallo as the Director of Enrollment Management.  Sarah joins the campus this month to head her duties.  Her appointment was the result of a nine month national search conducted by ISA.

As the newly appointed Director of Enrollment Management, Sarah Jallo comes to The St. Andrew's Schools with over ten years of experience in independent schools.  She earned her BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College and her MA in Educational Leadership and Administration from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  Sarah brings her proven track record of increasing enrollment, expanding marketing initiatives, and streamlining processes to her new position.  

As a Los Angeles native, she is excited for this new adventure in Honolulu.  "Once I visited The St. Andrew's Schools and saw the amazing program provided to their students, as well as how innovative and forward-thinking all aspects of the curriculum are, I knew I wanted to be a part of the future of these schools.  To be able to be here to witness the long-time leader in all-girls education in Hawaii use their expertise to open up an all-boys school... what an opportunity!  It is such an exciting time to join the school."

Aloha and welcome to campus, Sarah!  Please join us in wishing Sarah success in her endeavors at St. Andrew's Schools.  

Summer Reflection, Analysis, and Planning

When I started in my career in education, the summer was a time of great reflection, analysis, and subsequent planning. At least, it seemed that way to me.  That was in the late 1980's and it was, admitted, a different world then.  It was a less complex, noisy, and interrupted world in which I operate in today.

From a strategic standpoint, things seemed to move slowly on campus from mid June to mid August, giving our teams an opportunity to get off campus and plan accordingly.  We took retreats - which I now call "advances" - and built team energy around goals.  We analyzed our data and results from the year and learned important lessons.  And, we responded accordingly, making choices about how the year would be different and how we should marshall our limited resources.  

We live in a crowded world with crowded schedules.  I am seeing fewer schools and colleges do the important work of summer reflection, analysis, and planning simply because there are too many competing interests.  On many campuses, there is still a new student class to marshall to the school.  And, there are still faculty to hire and key personnel decisions to be made.  Regardless of the challenges, the need for reflection and planning does not go away.  I actually believe that it increases with the noise in our lives and schedule.  

Depending upon where you live, you have between a week and a month or so of summer left.  Use it wisely and make sure you get that needed reflection, analysis, and planning done while there is still some time. If not, then make sure you build it into your quarterly workflow for the year.  

Sustaining Priorities

Given the remarkable volatility of the world in which we live and operate, there is much written about the importance of being strategically flexible, nimble, and agile to deal with rapidly shifting environments.  And, while I believe that it is critical to constantly be a cultural demographer, reading the tea leaves and navigating according to the constantly shifting environment, I am also learning that this sort of thinking can take organizations completely off track of long term direction and priorities.  We are consistently seeing schools, colleges, and universities that have constantly shifting priorities as a result of pandering to the direction of the wind, rather than trying to navigate to a future destination by using the wind in your sails.  Be mindful and careful about constantly changing strategic direction and your associated priorities given the environment.  Instead, consider how you can use your environment to help you accomplish your long term goals.

A Little Summer Team Building

Key members of Team ISA had the opportunity to enjoy a summer BBQ in Portland last night, complete with spouses and children.  We met at West Hills Racket and Fitness Club in Portland for some summer fun.  From left to right above is Lisa Symmonds, Kelly Laboe, Ian Symmonds, Jack Symmonds, and Kirsten Williams.  We only wish Robert Rytter and Tracy Bennett could have joined us in Portland.

The Progressive Conundrum

We work with outstanding independent schools all across the country, ranging in educational philosophies from traditional and classic to experiential and progressive.  Among the interesting challenges we have continued to witness is what I call the "progressive conundrum".  This is an interesting phenomenon that I would describe in this fashion, making a distinction between "what customers want" and "what customers demand."

What Customers Want: Parents and students deeply desire an "outside the box", progressive, innovative, experiential, cutting edge approach to education. At the youngest of their students ages, they find this sort of learning environment is more developmentally appropriate.  They want a school or college that is on the leading edge of educational philosophies, and one that is engaging for the student and fun to learn.  They have read all about the changes in education, the new classroom, and the impact of technology on the learning process. And, they even understand intuitively how some subjects are better off "flipped" in the classroom to improve the learning experience.  They even understand how traditional metrics of measuring student success, such as standardized tests, just don't sense anymore.  They get it.

What Customers Demand: Regardless of how positive the experience might be for the student or the parent, these same customers demand excellent college placement to the same, traditional highly selective, well-endowed and deeply entrenched colleges and universities.  They demand excellent job placement at the most distinguished firms and corporations.  And, they understand that this game requires winning in the waters of traditional metrics of success, such as standardized college placement tests.  The longer they remain in a progressive environment, they begin to question the efficacy of the approach.  Will it get their student to where they want go?  Does progressive education really work?  Will it stand up against the traditional, old guard of learning and be successful?

Interestingly, we notice the battle for the consumer getting played out in their marketing messages.  Just like a political campaign, where the two parties pander toward the middle just before we head to the polls, both progressive schools and traditional schools start to sound very similar.  Over time, we find that progressive schools start to sound very traditional in their approach to outcomes.  And, traditional schools start to sound very cutting edge and progressive in their educational approach.  Heck, even public schools are starting to sound progressive in their mindset.

Progressive education is not a new concept.  It has been around for a long time.  And, we all know that progressive education works.  The challenge is how long it takes for a very mature mindset about measurement of success, specifically in higher education, changes in relationship to progressive education.  As long as we continue to insist on progressive inputs and measure with traditional outputs, we will see the progressive conundrum linger.

Get Behind KUZA

ISA has been collaborating with Portland-based KUZA over the past two years as part of our Just Cause effort.  KUZA operates in Uganda and puts good kids in great schools to break to the cycle of poverty.  KUZA invests in higher education for qualified and determined youth in Uganda, positioning them to become strong leaders in their families and communities.  They partner with several organizations in Uganda to identify students who already demonstrate leadership and scholastic ability, but without outside help would not be able to finish high school or university.  KUZA provides scholarships for the last 2 years of High School, and University.  KUZA's goal is to release empowered and equipped young people back into their communities to affect change.

Strategic Planning is the Work of Rock Stars

Think of one of your favorite bands.  In fact, think of a band that you admire and appreciate that has stood the test of time.  They have been around for a decade or two and have many albums under their name in the iTunes store.  They have had hit records, experimental moments, country or blues crossover, and maybe sold out to "pop" a time or two.  They've done it all, and each album reflected their unique story, themes, and priorities at the time.

Great bands that have some longevity are really good at their ongoing relevance to culture.  They go into the recording studio every five years or so and write, record, and produce a new album.  That album has a name, a theme, a set of 8 to 12 songs, and an upcoming tour where they have to promote those songs and sell them.  Each album - and subsequent tour - has a distinct sound, voice, and theme, but you can always hear the "band that you love" in the music somewhere.  My favorite band is U2 and yes, each album is unique, but you can always hear The Edge and his guitar today just as you did in the early 1980's.  And, Bono's voice is the same, but yet different. Great bands simply enjoy an ongoing relevance to culture that is uncanny.  Every five years, they reinterpret themselves in relationship to the landscape.  They read the tealeaves, focus on what they are really good at, and produce an album that has a distinct theme.  And, it has to sell and keep their name top of mind in a world where differentiation and distribution modes (SoundCloud, iTunes, Pandora, etc) is relentlessly changing.  

Strategic planning is the work of rock stars.  Our five year cycle in schools and colleges is no different than great bands.  Every five years, we have to step into the recording studio, discern where the world is going and how that intersects with what we do, and develop a set of integrated priorities around a theme that will hopefully propel people to support our mission.  Our strategic plan "singles" need to sell - to parents, students, and donors - and we will have to sell them - in our promotional plans and our communication to stakeholders.  Ultimately, our "listeners" have to hear a new version of a tried and true sound that they have come to enjoy. We have to be careful to not be too experimental, or we will be thought of as drifting astray from our roots, but we also have to be innovative enough to show our listeners we are ahead of the curve.

The next time you step into the strategic planning process at your school or college, don't think of it as "stakeholders going into a planning session". That's boring. Instead, think of yourself as a rock star, going into the recording studio and perfecting that next album.  Set the stage:  plug in the guitars and the keyboards, get out the cool studio rugs and some good food, get all of the band members, the production crew, and the writers together.  It's going to be a wild ride.  

Innovation, Integration, Convergence, and Adoption

We see it time and time again. In every industry, from technology to education, the evolution of the systems approach.  With all of the chatter in the education industry, it is always important to underscore the fact that innovation in itself is merely a phase - and important one, at that - of a larger systems approach.  Innovation historically sets a systems approach cycle into motion, which inevitably is followed the integration of new innovations, the convergence of many tools into one platform, followed by the adoption of that new convergence.  What do these terms really mean?

Innovation is the creation of a new paradigm, invention or a new way of doing something. Innovation often brings new tools to bear on a task.  In education, the online learning platform - or even distance learning, as we once called it - was a true innovation.  It was a play on the "place" P of the famous Four P's in marketing, changing the very distribution system of learning.

Integration is the bringing together of new innovations and advances into existing systems.  It allows the new innovation to be blended or woven into some meaningful system or structure.  We see this in education through hybrid learning programs that foster both virtual and physical learning environments. 

Convergence is where innovation gets the most traction. It is at the point of convergence where several systems or platforms, not just one, become integrated into a fully functional suite of accessible programs or tools.  In education, we see convergence a reality in that when colleges streamline and successfully build degree platforms that assume integration.   

Adoption is the final stage, at least until a new innovation is spawned.  It is marked by the widespread adoption of the new systems, creating a new normal.  The education world now readily (or maybe hesitantly) adopts several different but equal paths to a quality experience.  This could include a series of programs that can be accessible in residence, virtually, in hybrid format, accelerated, or perhaps delivered experientially.

Some new innovations never make it past the first or second phase of the systems evolution.  The trick, as always, is to spot an innovation that has both the legs and the stamina to see the complete evolution all the way to adoption.  From a strategic standpoint, it becomes important to gain that needed clarity on innovations, if at all possible, before investing too heavily into them.  

Education as an industry has a tendency to be faddish about innovations.  I remember the first time I visited a school with totally retooled open classrooms.  The walls were only three feet high, and I could see at least twelve operating classrooms by looking down the hall at one time.  Two years later I visited the same school only to find the classrooms closed again with educational administrators claiming that the experiment just wasn't practical or conducive to great learning.  The challenge, as always, is finding the sweet spot between innovations that have lasting power for integration, convergence, and adoption, and yet getting ahead of the competitive curve in the process.

Now, if someone could come up with a new, innovative funding model making high quality education accessible for all and paid for in an sustainable manner.  I would invest heavily in that!

Midland School Selects ISA

Midland School in Los Olivos, California has selected Ian Symmonds & Associates for consulting services.  Midland School provides a unique college preparatory boarding school experience to a diverse student body. Through study and work it teaches the value of a lifetime of learning, self-reliance, simplicity, responsibility to community and the environment, and love for the outdoors.

Paul Squibb, a Kent School alumnus and Harvard graduate, and his wife, Louise, founded Midland School in 1932, believing that the essentials of a good education are a student, a teacher, and an idea. Beyond being a college preparatory boarding school, Midland was created to be a small, rural community that relies on the work of its inhabitants to meet its basic needs. Conceived in the midst of the Depression, these ideals still form the center of the school's philosophy, and every student who earns the privilege to attend Midland will assume not only a great deal of responsibility, but a great tradition of service. In a world of increasing complexity, Midland School's objective is both timely and straightforward--to foster in young people a strong, lively intellect and impeccable character.

A splendid physical setting and the unique opportunities afforded by a twenty-four hour day, seven day week boarding school provide a community in which both students and their teachers live together, bound by the tenets of self-reliance, minimal consumption, and closeness to nature.

St. Paul's School Selects ISA

St. Paul's School in Clearwater, Florida, has selected ISA to complete research and strategy work during the summer and fall 2014.  St. Paul's joins Flagler College, St. Edward's School, and New College as ISA clients in the state of Florida.

Saint Paul’s 10-acre campus is nestled in a Clearwater neighborhood in mid-Pinellas county. Saint Paul’s students learn to become young leaders in a school that offers a strong core academic foundation coupled with programs in the arts, physical education, media/technology, foreign language, and extracurricular areas. In a society of multiple cultures, faith traditions, perspectives, and talents, the school prepares students to grow into competent, caring, and creative young adults who understand their responsibility to others and to the greater community.

We will commence our data gathering this summer and begin campus visits and working with the school collaboratively in the fall.

The Bush School Selects ISA

The Bush School in Seattle has selected ISA for research and strategy services.  A long time client, ISA completed the strategic plan for Bush in 2006-07 and a strategic plan update in 2012.  Our work will commence during the summer and be completed in the spring 2015.    

In 1924, Helen Taylor Bush founded The Bush School, the oldest K-12 independent coeducational day school in the city of Seattle, on a simple, yet powerful, principle: trust. By trusting students and giving them freedom to take responsibility for their learning, she provided an education that honored students’ interests and passions and provided the skills and attitudes necessary for lifelong learning, accomplishment, and meaningful contribution to their communities.

Anxiety, Student Entitlement, and Over-Parenting

Note: This is the first in a series of entries on educational, generational, and cultural trends observed by our firm during this past year of client consulting engagements.  We will continue this series throughout the summer of 2014.

Three years ago, I wrote a white paper that later became a chapter in our iBook "Long Live Strategy".  The paper - "I Just Want Her to Be Happy" - was a commentary on parental attitudes about the well-being of their children as students in schools and colleges.  The basic thesis was simple: above all, parents just want their kids to be happy, often without the hard lessons of failure, disappointment, and hard work, creating a culture of both over-parenting and youth entitlement.

Fast forward to today.  During our research this past year, we still see this trend alive and flourishing.  We continue to see the residue of a culture of student entitlement and over-parenting in our work with independent schools and private colleges.  Some hallmarks of this in our research include the following.

Prepare the Path for the Child, Not for the Path.  Parents today have an absurdly high intervention rate with their students.  The tend to intervene when the going gets tough in order to make sure that their child does not encounter too much hardship, difficult life lessons, or uneven treatment, all of which they believe are tantamount to injustice.  They see no problem with intervening with an important life lesson from a coach or faculty member - whether it be about playing time or term paper grading - and make sure that their student has a parental advocate.  Students today seem to have parents that are full-time agents rather than full-time parents and educators, teaching their children about the unfairness of life.  I am all for advocating for my children, but where is the student in all of this? Parents today still seem overly concerned with preparing the path for their child, rather than ensuring that their children are ready for the path.  

Student Entitlement.  Students today seem more empowered to expect something for nothing.  Perhaps it is an outgrowth of their parents general strategy toward raising them, but student entitlement appears to be at an all-time high.  When we talk with long-time faculty members at distinguished colleges and prep schools, they continue to lament about the work ethic of this generation of students as unlike any generation they have seen.  They are disappointed in the general apathy from students on basic performance indicators such as readiness for class, attitude toward their future, effort in practice, and expectations of success regardless of effort. Students today seem to have an expectation that a successful tomorrow is not only a guarantee, but that it is owed to them.

Anxiety.  We might have to understand this generation of parents better to understand their parenting strategy.  After all, this generation of parents has witnessed first-hand the failure our financial system, terrorism on American soil, and general cultural shifts in living, such as the role of the church, family, and even government in their lives.  Collectively, these parents have seen major cultural shifts that have perhaps led them to the conclusion that nothing is guaranteed anymore in the world.  Their collective response may be about over-controlling for the future. 

I continue to believe that the deadly combination of student entitlement and over-parenting are the two most threatening values to success of American students in the future.  Collectively, they create anxiety and an expectation that is unreasonable and unhealthy for educational institutions.  More importantly, it creates a youth culture that is unproductive and unlikely to advance America into the competitive future that we all know is at our international doorstep. Most cultural pivot points result in the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction.  Is it possible that in ten years we will be writing about parents and their "school of hard knocks" approach?  We will find out together.

Summer Blogging on Educational Trends

We are launching an online initiative next week that may benefit many of our clients and friends.  Fast Forward is a summer blog series on trends and forces that we observed in our research and work with clients during the 2013-14 academic year.  We know that many of our independent school and college clients spend the summer completing some research, analysis, and planning - often in retreat style settings - and we are hopeful that our Fast Forward entries will be both timely and instructive.  Watch our Twitter feed @symmonds on a regular basis for entries, which will begin on June 9th. 

Enrollment, Marketing, and Advancement Executive Searches

Searching for the right executive professional to lead your enrollment management, marketing, or advancement team?  The summer and fall are common times to test the waters and launch comprehensive searches for lead professionals in independent schools and universities.  ISA offers a wide array of search services that assist clients in creating the proper search strategy, building a proper executive profile, and coordinating the outreach arm of the search.  Check out our search page to learn more as well as view current and recent searches.

The Evergreen School Selects ISA

The Evergreen School in Shoreline, Washington has selected ISA for strategic planning in the 2014-15 academic year.  The Evergreen School is an independent Preschool to Grade 8 school founded 50 years ago in 1963 to educate children with extraordinary minds. 

Evergreen’s complex and challenging hands-on curriculum emphasizes global awareness, environmental stewardship and social and emotional learning. It encourages students to take intellectual risks and step out of their comfort zones. The school desires for their students to think out of the box, to ask questions and to make discoveries about themselves and their world. Teachers foster a non-competitive classroom atmosphere allowing students to grow at their own emotional and intellectual pace.

Jesuit High School Selects ISA

Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon has selected ISA to complete a strategic planning process for the 2014-15 academic year.  Jesuit was founded in 1956 by the Society of Jesus and is part of a 450-year Jesuit educational tradition. Jesuit High School is a non-profit, coeducational college-preparatory school for grades 9-12 that serves students of all religious faiths.

Jesuit's curriculum is founded in the educational philosophy of Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and takes a holistic view of adolescent education, which includes nurturing the spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, and aesthetic gifts each student brings to campus. Jesuit hopes to accomplish this development by demonstrating a personal concern for individuals, an articulate wisdom, enthusiasm, and a sense of community. 

Spartanburg Day School Selects ISA

Spartanburg Day School has selected Ian Symmonds & Associates to complete research and strategy projects.  Our projects will commence this summer and be completed in the fall.  Spartanburg Day School is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Spartanburg Day School (SDS) opened its doors as the first independent school in Upstate South Carolina in 1957. It was established as a college-preparatory school, with 35 students attending grades one through five. The school awarded diplomas to the first six students who graduated as the Class of 1964.

Fifty-six years later, the school boasts a 450 student enrollment, a history of 100% college placement for all of its graduates, and a program that educates students from grades 3K through 12.

Strategic Enrollment Management Summit - Part 2

We just finished a two strategic enrollment management summit in Houston that was coordinated through the Association of Independent Schools Admission Professionals (AISAP). The event featured attendees from throughout North America, including Canada and Hawaii.  The focus was a systems approach to strategic enrollment management.  The overall event was a huge success and we are grateful for all of the attendees contribution as well as the outstanding partnership with Janice Crampton and AISAP. We will be doing more of these summits in other parts of the country and the world and will keep our followers posted on dates and locations.