Do independent schools need evolution or revolution? I think, unsatisfyingly, the answer is both. Schools are such fascinating organizations because tension between data, contextual facts, and organizational psychology continually play out.
The blow-your-hair-back velocity of change (think the Maxell Blown Away Guy from the 1980’s commercial - for you Gen Xers, here’s the link - it’s worth the 30 seconds: Famous Maxell Blown Away Guy Over 500 Plays Tape C) cries for revolution but the ingrained and highly relational cultures of schools make this approach unlikely to succeed. And despite Harvard Business School professor, the late Clayton Christensen’s prediction over ten years ago that the bottom 25% of US colleges and universities would close because their financial models were broken, the institutions of higher education that have closed are a majority of for-profits. Venture capitalists keep trying to figure out a way to monetize the education sector but keep coming up empty.
I firmly believe that our financial model IS broken and unsustainable but that rational fact does not account for the irrationality of the passion and belief at the heart of school culture. Antioch College closed in 2008 for rational, data driven reasons. It was resurrected by alumnae but in Fall, 2019 they had an enrollment of 27 students. (That’s not a typo. Twenty seven!) They are now up to a total enrollment of 119 and they have a 44M endowment many independent schools would envy - but still. The math does not work even though they have underpriced themselves in the marketplace. And also likely, most of the decision makers of 2008-2010 are probably long gone and not trying to manage the current reality.
So the pressure of possible closure, while real for schools, is distant, particularly for those members most invested, consciously or not, with their longtime school values and traditions. The larger immediate danger is irrelevance and inability to deliver on mission. But “irrelevance” can be in the eye of the beholder and a mission can be shifted. Besides the fact, the reason most of us love our schools is because of their quirky, irrational, unique personalities.
While moving towards the revolution, school leaders can productively focus energy on the evolution of underlying culture change, where organizational psych informed approaches come in. This cultural shift needs to be intentional and strategic, and new values and priorities need to be repeated so much you’ll be sick of hearing yourself talk. School leaders need to have discipline to walk the talk, even when it feels like wearing new clothes that don’t quite fit. And even then, you’ll likely need to decide what aspects of the culture are most urgent to shift and what you can all live with. And for the leadership team, making this diagnosis is complicated, time consuming and nuanced work. But if the culture isn’t shifted it won’t be able to support and nurture the bigger changes coming down the pike.
FIRST FRIDAY LINKS
Culture change in action - The Bear on Hulu
An intense, world class chef de cuisine returns home to Chicago to take over his recently deceased, loveable, drug addicted older brother’s sandwich shop. The episodes where he and his talented new second in command implement a French kitchen brigade system to curb the chaos of the existing “family” structure is culture change in action, bumps in the road and all. Recommendation - watch it over dinners or at least have some quality snacks available. There is a multi-episode arc about crafting the perfect donut.
Watch The Bear Streaming Online | Hulu (Free Trial)
What does a college look like ten years after a near-death experience? It’s not pretty but they’re down but not out.
Two articles from the Yellow Springs (OH) Gazette, home of Antioch College
Antioch cuts $2.5M; jobs lost • The Yellow Springs News
Antioch adapts, holds on • The Yellow Springs News
Culture shift - girls/women and athleticism
Anne Helen Petersen - “The Quiet Glory of Aging into Athleticism” Culture Study on Substack
Peterson describes her younger self as “an indoor cat” who now is a person who identifies as an athlete. I found this piece very moving and I hazard a guess I am not alone. Peterson was way more athletic as a younger person, even with indoor cat tendencies, but that’s not the point - I think there is so much about sports culture and diet culture that inhibits many girls from seeing their bodies as vehicles for personal growth, fun, and adventure through challenging physical activity. As a fervent supporter of girls schools, this is a topic close to my heart. Girls schools can be at the forefront of helping to continue to shift the narrative. Athleticism for all!
The Quiet Glory of Aging into Athleticism
As I start to try to identify as less of an “indoor cat” myself, it is heartening to see women pushing this cultural shift in other areas of social media. I wanted to give a shout out to two instagram accounts in particular:
You may have seen Mirna Valerio on Lululemon billboards. She took up running in her early thirties and now runs marathons, ultramarathons and participates in myriad other intense physical activities as a plus size woman. She is so inspiring!
Mirna Valerio (@themirnavator) • Instagram photos and videos
And Maggie McGill’s posts are full of an optimistic, body-positive energy that makes me smile when she comes up in my feed. She also has a pinned reel about how she went from having a terrible experience on a five mile walk to thinking of herself as someone who enjoys and embraces physical challenge. I love that a young woman is sharing this journey publicly and encouraging others to get up, get out, and find joy in movement.
Maggie McGill | Queer Plus Size Fashion (@maggiemcgill) • Instagram photos and videos
Culture shift - De-stigmatizing mental health
There are urgent needs out there right now around kids and mental health and this could be an area where independent schools could play a very valuable role - if their cultures can handle the changes it will take to shift priorities and create the time and space needed to manifest consistently supportive communities.
This is a very interesting interview and although much of it is around severe mental health issues, it discusses the US mental health treatment system as a whole.
Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews Thomas Insel - The New York Times
It’s August, a time I always thought of as the Sunday of summer. Enjoy the last few weeks of peace, educators!
Julie