A project for this year: Celebrating teachers

September always gives us two things to anticipate and savor: the return of normalcy on campus after a quiet summer, and the arrival of the NAIS Trendbook.

If you’re not a regular reader of the Trendbook, you should be. The National Association of Independent Schools’ big-picture collection of insights is reliably useful. Its concise 150 pages are filled with interesting information.

The good news in this year’s edition is that day-school enrollment is generally healthy: Selectivity is up, while yield and attrition are largely static. Schools are seeing more applications than openings, offers of admission are quickly snapped up, and returning families are generally content with their schools.

It’s especially a sellers’ market for big co-ed schools and boys’ schools, NAIS data show. But all schools may see the yield trend as an opportunity to boost net tuition revenue without harming the bottom line.

If things are sunny with attracting and retaining students, though, they are downright stormy for retaining teachers.

According to the Trendbook, the most recent NAIS survey found that 1 in 9 teachers expects to leave their current school within a year. The primary reasons cited for disaffection are no surprise:

Job expectations have grown and become too demanding;
Too little support from school leaders;
Not enough professional development or opportunity for advancement;
Pay that fails to keep up with the cost of living.

To this last point, the Trendbook reports that, when adjusted for inflation, teacher salaries have dropped 3% over the past five years while administrators are making 5.5% more.

As vacancies emerge, filling them will be a challenge: Heads report that they are seeing fewer teacher applicants, even for substitute openings, and those who do apply lack strong qualifications. As a result, independent schools started last year with 20% of their teaching spots vacant, a rate that grew to nearly a quarter by the spring semester.

Finally, the pipeline for future teachers is drying up: Only 4% of college graduates in 2020-2021 received degrees in education, down from 20% in 1970-1971. Fewer people are signing up for teacher preparation programs, too.

All in all, it’s a worrisome state of affairs.

How communications can help

NAIS notes that heads are doing more to try holding on to the teachers they already have. One common initiative is simply telling them often how much they are appreciated and valued.

This is an area where communications offices can contribute: Schools tend to focus on highlighting their students, and much more can be done to promote educators. Our classrooms are led by plenty of people with compelling personal stories that should be better known.

Sometimes, this reticence is cultural: If one teacher gets public attention that others do not, rivalries can emerge. It is easier just to keep out of sight. In other cases, it’s traditional: Plenty of teachers are comfortable in the background and would prefer not to be publicized.

In these cases, you might take the angle of focusing on a teacher’s unique program or curriculum, rather than on the individual. This approach worked with a 4th-grade teacher who had taught decades of students but was adamant that she not be the focus of a feature article. Taking another tack addressed her worry, yet still achieved the goal of many people celebrating her contributions to the school.

Can you develop a short series of profiles on social media about the unsung heroes of your school? Could a short ‘Meet the Teacher’ section fit into your weekly newsletter? And don’t be afraid to step off-campus: What hobby or volunteering of a teacher deserves a feature in your magazine?

Provide teachers with more visibility and recognition, and greater appreciation will surely follow.

It’s a small way we can help our schools address a large problem and, in the process, show gratitude to our cherished colleagues.

What wasn’t in the ‘Trendbook’

One omission in the book was surprising: For the second straight year, there was no analysis or assessment about a pair of legal cases that, in the words of one observer, “threaten the very existence of independent schools.”

Twice in one week last summer, federal judges ruled that the tax-exempt status enjoyed by private schools makes them subject to Title IX requirements.

One of the cases was dismissed in August after the parties settled their dispute.

The other is headed to an appeals court, which just received its final brief in Buettner-Hartsoe, et al., v. Baltimore Lutheran High School Association, d/b/a Concordia Preparatory School. No date has been set for the oral argument.

Independent schools are watching Buettner-Hartsoe very closely. As Jeffrey Shields, president of the National Business Officers Association, wrote last year, “Many of our schools conduct themselves in a manner that far exceeds the expectations of [Title IX]. However, fulfilling the many checkboxes related to legal compliance, such as hiring a Title IX coordinator, may become an undue financial burden.”

The arguments are finely drawn, with a ton of legal firepower behind each one. Refill (not a legal expert) won’t try to summarize their points. But if you’re interested, the various briefs are interesting reading:

Plaintiffs’ brief, arguing to uphold the Title IX ruling
Defendants’ brief, arguing to overturn the ruling
Friend-of-the-court brief supporting the plaintiffs (representing several gender justice organizations)
Friend-of-the-court brief supporting the defendants (representing NAIS, NBOA and several regional school associations)

Of course, we will keep an eye on developments.

What’s new at Fine Point Communications

The annual Brilliance Awards, sponsored by InspirED School Marketers, are now open for entries. This is my favorite contest of the season because it draws submissions from such a wide range of schools, and I’m lucky to be once more part of a stellar panel of judges. Take a look at the entry information, and prepare your materials. The deadline to enter is Thursday, Oct 19.
This month, I broke bread with more than a dozen consultants in the D.C. area who serve independent schools. It was a treat to meet new colleagues and hear so many stories of fulfilling work. Thank you to our host, Chris Pryor of LeadTeam Partners, for giving us this glimpse of his business’s superpower: bringing like-minded people together in common purpose to serve schools.
Finally, I will be in Atlanta next month for my first SAIS Annual Conference. If you, too, will be there, please reach out. I would love the chance to say hello in person.