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November 10, 2022
Why Heads Stay
In 2021, NAIS shared a study conducted by Kevin Yaley, Head of School at Francis Parker School in San Diego. That study, Head of School Retention in Independent Schools, involved feedback from 312 Heads of School (HOS) and provided valuable insights that can be very useful to Boards of Trustees.
While the key findings are important and intriguing, I want to highlight two less pronounced findings in this study that I think are worthy of strong consideration for action. The first is the recommendation that the HOS have a very strong voice in the selection of the Chair Elect and the second is that boards should consider flexible tenures for the Board Chair and not limit the Chair's tenure to a 2-3 year term.
Regarding the Head's involvement in the selection of the next board chair, the study reported that
"heads were resolute in their conviction that like any healthy relationship, the future partnership between the head and the board chair needs to have the time to grow, develop, and earn the very trust upon which it rests."
"But all but one of the heads interviewed testified personally that the practice of engaging the head in the identification, cultivation, and ultimate selection of the board chair-elect was one they believed influenced significantly both their effectiveness as head and their decision to continue in their current position."
With regards to board chair tenure, in depth interviews with 15 HOS whose tenure at their current school ranged from 5 - 18 years, revealed that
"hard-and-fast board chair term limits (most commonly set at two or three years) significantly arrested their ability to develop a strong partnership with the board chair. The ability to extend the length of the board chair term was widely celebrated by all of the 15 heads."
These are two things you can do right now to support longevity in your Head's tenure as a result of a strong Head/Chair partnership:
1) Discuss your board's bylaws and the limitations of tenure of the Chair; consider building in flexibility for an extended tenure when the Chair/Head partnership is a successful one
2) Start talking to your Head from now about identifying your Chair Elect if you have not done so already. Make sure you are creating opportunities for the HOS to develop one-on-one relationships with your Trustees to help identify who could be a great partner to your HOS in the future.
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