Heads of school are under ever mounting pressures as leaders. Some are contemplating leaving the profession prematurely or entirely. What is this Consultant hearing from heads worldwide? During the height of the pandemic, boards in a well-intentioned effort to be “helpful” began intruding into management. Now many boards are finding it difficult to let go of these tendencies and remain strategic. These behaviors also affect the way boards approach head and board evaluation and executive/in camera sessions as well as head contract extension (or not). 

Boards need to be strong and supportive, not intrusive. This leads to long-term heads who leave a powerful legacy and stable schools. How can we support and nurture heads who are still recovering from the exhaustion of the pandemic which has not fully receded? A sabbatical may be just what a head needs now. How does a board plan for that, and how does a head advocate for what he or she needs? We need to focus on the health and renewal of heads and the role that the chair and the board plays in nurturing heads and their families.

Many Heads are under more pressure and feeling more vulnerable than ever. Parents, boards, faculty and staff and the larger community are taking aim at the leadership of independent schools focusing on issues such as rigor vs. well-roundedness for students, the value-added proposition, wellness, and diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging among other hot button topics.

In the current environment, boards are seeking fair, viable and market-driven ways to compensate and evaluate heads of school in a way that makes them feel valued and rewarded but also stays within school resources and meets the "optics" test in the public domain.

What are best practices now for head compensation, including the "buckets" to use, the contract language to avoid and the best evaluation process to employ? These combined make the job of head of school worth the risks in the long run (or not).

John Littleford served as teacher, trustee and head of school for over 25 years. For the past 28 years he has been a consultant to over 6000 independent and international schools. His clients also include corporations, foundations, universities and a range of other non-profit organizations.

Mr. Littleford's areas of expertise are board governance, strategic planning, executive and faculty compensation and evaluation; executive searches; marketing strategies including admissions; fund raising, managing change; school climate; institutional and financial audits; and team building. His widely read landmark book, “Faculty Salary Systems in Independent Schools” was published by the National Association of Independent Schools for 20 years.

John Littleford speaks, and leads workshops at Conferences for independent and international school and nonprofit leadership all over the world. Littleford & Associates’ Newsletter is published four times a year and is widely read by 25,000 trustees and schools and not for profit leaders.