During our recent travels to conferences and your campuses, we’ve spoken with a number of school leaders. More than once, we’ve heard the school year described as the shape of a “W.” It’s a simple visual, and once you picture it, it’s hard to forget.

Journey mapping is a framework for designing intentional experiences for your stakeholders. It’s a perfect tool for overwhelmed independent schools to move from reactive to proactive.

As competition increases and demographics shift, many schools feel an understandable pull to broaden their message. They soften their key differentiators and add qualifiers. Over time, this instinct often leads to an unintentionally diluted message that doesn’t clearly resonate with anyone.

The hardest part of being a teacher is the moment when a student triggers something in you that is not reconciled. What do you do to deal with it? Start by doing your own work first.

The good idea fairy means well. She brings possibility, innovation, and the energy of “what if?” What do you do when it feels like she’s attacking you? First, read this article!

At my school we’ve decided to take the plunge on artificial intelligence (AI). If your school hasn’t done that, you won’t get any shade from me. I get it. The whole thing is massive and hairy, and we’re all just fumbling through it.

In school marketing, few things have the power to elevate your brand like great photography. One well-planned photoshoot can completely change the way your school presents to prospective families, alumni, and internal stakeholders alike.

Around this time, a tsunami of children are flooding back onto your campus. Of course, they don’t all think they’re children. Some of them seem to think they’re 30. But you and I both know that everything we do here is about that most mundane and most mysterious process: growing up. 

Brand is far more than your logo and colors. It is your reputation and your culture. Use onboarding to build culture and communicate the importance of brand.

For most independent school people, summer represents a chance to breathe and recover. In fact, it's the perfect time to plan and break the cycle of reactiveness that plagues many schools.

Our most important work doesn’t happen behind a desk or on Zoom. It happens on campuses walking hallways, meeting with people, brainstorming ideas over lunch, and observing those in-between moments that define a school’s character.

Building a large marketing plan for a small team can be counterproductive and even unhelpful. The truth is: the best plan is the one you’ll actually use.

When we speak with administrators, it’s notable how many have trouble identifying and vocalizing their school’s unique selling proposition. To find success, you must be able to define it.

From videos and photos to graphics, articles, and more, Every marketing asset should have at least nine lives at your school.

Goal setting in the marketing realm is crucial. Too many schools implement elements of a marketing strategy, but they skip planning and goal setting. The result is a doom loop of continually adding to an ever-fuller plate.

We recently created a mini documentary that tells the story of Hurricane Helene’s damage to Asheville Christian Academy and the area surrounding their campus. Enjoy the story behind the project.

How can school leaders most effectively communicate with the hundreds of individuals who comprise their communities? It starts with understanding that schools have souls.

Leadership transitions can be trying, especially in mission-driven organizations. Here’s the best transition advice I’ve ever received.

Observations from the Yorktown that inform the independent school branding and our approach at 38 House.

I’ve started shadowboxing with my students, pedagogically speaking. The goal isn’t to best or outshine them. It’s simply to let them know that they can trust me...