​Stepping into a leadership role as a new independent school department chair is both exciting and challenging. For many, it’s their first experience “leading from the middle,” as we describe it in our courses and cohorts for department and team leaders. As a supervisor, your guidance and support are pivotal in helping these emerging leaders succeed—especially for those transitioning to supervising teachers for the first time. By providing regular feedback, clear expectations, and opportunities for growth, you set the foundation for their success and the department’s overall effectiveness.

As the leader of the school academic leadership team, it’s crucial to support emerging leaders in a way that empowers them to succeed from the beginning and foster a sense of belonging and confidence from day one. Here are key strategies to help your new department chair integrate into their role and contribute meaningfully to your school’s mission from day one, whether the chair is new to the school or an emerging leader stepping into the chair from a current teaching role,

Introduce Them with Purpose: When welcoming a new department chair, emphasize the specific strengths and experiences that make them an asset to your school. Highlight how these qualities align with the school’s mission and how they will support key initiatives within the division. Make it clear to faculty and staff why their leadership will be crucial to the department’s success. This purposeful introduction helps set a positive tone and reassures the new leader of their value from the start.

Provide Clarity: While the job description provides the basics, help the new department chair understand some of the nuance of their transition into leadership. Is the chair charged with making a course correction immediately, holding a steady helm, or something else? Perhaps there’s a history of the department or prior interpersonal dynamics that would be helpful for a new leader to know. Share a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of the department collectively and individually. What can the new chair do (and avoid doing) to help them have a smooth transition into your school’s distinct environment? New hires are often eager to have an impact and may need guidance to watch, listen, and learn first. Make sure that the new chair is provided with all the important information about tasks that happen under their watch, preferably with checklists and calendars.

Engage Their Vision Early: Create a regular, recurring one-on-one meeting schedule to build your professional relationships with your colleagues. Use this time to explore department members’ ideas for enhancing the department’s impact on student learning and faculty development. Actively seek out and implement their suggestions where possible, showing that their input is valued and essential to your school's growth. By involving them early in decision-making processes, you not only build their confidence but also create an environment where they feel empowered to lead.

Support Relationship Building: Facilitate introductions to key stakeholders, beyond the divisional faculty. Seek to help them build individual connections with other department heads beyond leadership team meetings. Introduce them to other key campus administrative leaders such as the business officer and enrollment leadership team. Encourage them to participate in both formal and informal settings, such as cross-departmental meetings or social gatherings, to help them build meaningful connections that are vital for collaboration and support.

Share Your Leadership Journey: Be candid about your own experiences, including both successes and challenges you navigated during your own leadership transitions. Sharing these stories helps demystify the leadership journey and can build trust with your new department chair. It signals that you’re invested in their growth and understand the complexities of leading within an independent school setting. This transparency fosters a supportive relationship, encouraging them to seek guidance when needed.

Supporting a new department chair is an investment in the future success of your school. With these steps, you’ll help them build a strong foundation for effective leadership. These efforts not only benefit the individual but also strengthen your entire academic community, ensuring that all leaders feel supported, valued, and ready to make a lasting impact.

Adapted from Samir Nurmohamed and Zoe Schwingel-Sauer’s Help A New Hire Thrive in Harvard Business Review’s Management Tip of the Day

​Understanding Faculty Concerns About Generative AI

First, it's important to recognize why faculty are concerned about the use of Generative AI in student work. The substantive writing assignments teachers in independent schools assign are designed as learning tasks, not just assessments of prior knowledge. Writing is not merely a tool for evaluation but a process intentionally designed by a teacher to deepen students' understanding and guide them to synthesize new knowledge. In other words, the process of writing, in itself, creates new knowledge for learners. Teachers (rightly) fear that the use of Generative AI shortcuts this process, cheating students out of the learning experience their teachers crafted for them. When students rely on Generative AI to complete these tasks, they bypass this crucial learning process, potentially undermining their intellectual growth.

Another concern stems from the fact that Generative AI can produce outputs that are factually incorrect, often in subtle ways that are difficult to detect. Educators worry that students, still developing their expertise, may internalize these inaccuracies, leading to misconceptions. This concern echoes the earlier skepticism toward crowd-sourced resources like Wikipedia.

Finally, ethical considerations also play a significant role in the reluctance to embrace Generative AI. The development of Large Language Models (LLMs) that power these tools is fraught with ethical issues, including intellectual property infringements and inherent biases. Some educators argue that, given these challenges, students should not interact with these technologies at all.
Given these significant challenges, why wouldn’t schools want to leverage AI detectors? As it turns out, there are three compelling reasons not to pursue detection software.

Why AI Detectors Fall Short
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Given these concerns, it might seem logical to turn to AI detectors as a solution. However, there are three compelling reasons why AI detectors are not the answer. Read why here.

During a recent discussion with my long-time colleague Bob Weiman, assistant head of school at St. Stephen's + St. Agnes School, and Sarah Hanawald, Senior Director of the Association for Academic Leaders, we delved into the practical applications and benefits of AI in education. Our conversation explored the balance between human expertise, judgment, and authenticity, with the appropriate integration of AI to enhance our work.

Here’s a thought experiment: this blog post was generated from the AI transcript of my discussion with Bob Weiman; Sarah Hanawald then took the transcript and asked it to create a blog post. Then it was sent to me, and I heavily edited it (which took about 40 minutes). Is this an appropriate and ethical use of AI? What if I hadn’t disclosed this to you? Can you tell which part is AI generated, and which part is JL (John Lewis) generated?

A Year-Long Learning Journey
Anyway, like most busy professionals, finding the brain space to understand AI has been a challenge. Thus, my journey with AI began with a year-long “collection process” of various articles, resources, and notes about AI (which I saved to a google mail folder), knowing that I would dedicate time in the summer to deepening my understanding. When June arrived, I set aside between 90 minutes and two hours each day to study generative AI. The time involved a mix of reading, playing, and reflecting, and this focused learning period allowed me to immerse myself in the technology, understand its capabilities, and consider how it could be applied to our school's context.

To quote Ethan Mollick, it takes “three sleepless nights” to truly understand the power of AI, and my intensive study period was transformative. By dedicating consistent, focused time to learning about AI, I was able to grasp its potential and begin experimenting with its applications. This experience reinforced the value of committing to continuous professional development, especially in areas as dynamic and impactful as AI.

AI Enhances Chesapeake Bay Studies Program
One of the standout examples of AI's impact at The Gunston School was its assistance in helping us to begin re-imagining our Chesapeake Bay Studies program. This signature program involves multiple weeklong experiential education trips for every student, every May. Over the years, we’ve desired to reimagine some of these trips, so we utilized a Generative AI tool to help redesign itineraries which incorporated key curriculum elements. The AI-generated ideas and organizational assistance, combined with our expertise, resulted in a highly successful and engaging experience for a group of administrators involved in the planning. This application of AI is not only streamlining the planning process but it will certainly enrich the diversity and quality of field experience content delivered to our students.

Beyond trip planning, AI has also played a significant role in policy development and curriculum planning. For instance, rewriting our academic integrity policy to address the implications of AI was initially a daunting task. However, by incorporating AI into the drafting process, we were able to significantly reduce the time required to complete the policy. This allowed us to focus more on articulating our values and ensuring the policy accurately reflected our school's language and ethos.

The Role of AI in Independent School Leadership
Our discussion also touched on the broader implications of AI for independent school academic leaders. Maintaining professional, human judgment in our interaction and relationships with students must remain paramount. AI might assist in streamlining administrative tasks, generating insights, and enhancing the efficiency of our work, but we maintain a steadfast belief that the core of our educational mission must remain human-centered.

In regard to a good starting points for educational leaders, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick's book, "Co-Intelligence" as well as his insightful blog posts provides valuable insights into the integration of AI into professional settings. I encouraged our team to reflect on its principles and consider how they could be applied to our own practices. The book emphasizes the transformative potential of AI while also highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance between technology and human judgment.

Encouraging AI Use Among Faculty and Staff
One of my key responsibilities as head of school is to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. To this end, I have actively encouraged our leadership team and faculty to explore and utilize AI tools in their work. Here are some strategies we implemented:

• Workshops and Training Sessions: We are organizing workshops and training sessions to introduce faculty and staff to generative AI tools. These sessions will provide hands-on experience and practical examples of how AI can be integrated into their daily tasks.
• Collaborative Projects: We will initiate collaborative projects where teams can experiment with AI applications in curriculum planning, policy development, and administrative tasks. These projects are serving as testing cases for discovering the most effective ways to leverage AI.
• Resource Sharing: We are creating a repository of AI resources, including articles, tutorials, and case studies, to support ongoing learning and exploration. This repository will be accessible to all staff and is regularly updated with new information.
• Open Discussions: We will be holding regular discussions and brainstorming sessions to share experiences, challenges, and successes related to AI integration. These conversations help build a community of practice and encourage mutual support.

We are confident that by fostering an environment where experimentation with AI is encouraged and supported, we will see significant improvements in efficiency and creativity across various aspects of our work. At this point, even though we are just scratching the surface of potential use cases for AI, some of the output, efficiency, and creativity has been breathtaking to behold.

Challenges and Opportunities
Integrating AI into our educational work presents both challenges and opportunities. One of the primary challenges is ensuring that we use AI to enhance our teaching without overshadowing the personal connections we have with our students. Knowing our students deeply and understanding their individual needs is crucial. AI can provide tools to support this understanding, but it cannot replace the human element of education.

On the opportunity side, AI has the potential to significantly reduce the time spent on administrative and organizational tasks, allowing educators to focus more on their core mission of teaching and mentoring students. By embracing AI, we can enhance the quality and efficiency of our work, ultimately benefiting our students and our school community.

Though we’re at the start of our journey, the integration of AI into our educational practices at The Gunston School has already been transformative. As with other powerful educational innovations, by leveraging AI thoughtfully, we believe we can create a more efficient, effective, and engaging educational experience for our students.

There is something else to understand. No matter what grades you will be working with and no matter what sort of students you may have, school is a vast part of their world, too. 

But school is only a part. Students’ backpacks may be full of books and homework, but there is much, much more in there, artifacts of family and community life of which their teachers can only see tiny bits. Students bring to school their experiences, their aspirations, their anxieties, the things about which they feel great and about which they feel bad.

As a teacher, your job is not to ferret out each little piece of every student’s life but rather to understand that those unseen and unknown pieces are there. Above all, teachers must respect the reality that every student lives in their own world as a growing individual. 

Sixty-some years ago I was a country kid traveling an hour and a half each way, every day, to a big-city independent school. In that school I not only had the longest daily commute but was alone as a seventh-grader in having divorced parents and being able to drive a tractor. At that school in those days, there was an ideal, a “[School name] Man,” and we were expected to strive to be that ideal. The sixty-some realities of each of my classmates were subsumed beneath this goal.

It turned out that the realities of my classmates represented a new level of diversity in the school’s history, perhaps not surprising in the late 1960s. A few years later the head of school, in a moment of candor, let on to me that he had been disappointed in my class for resisting conforming to the ideal. I don’t think we were disappointed in ourselves, however.

Schools have learned since those days that institutional and classroom cultures and values must recognize and respect the realities and the worlds of their students. Thank heavens! Great education in 2024 focuses on seeing each student and helping them to become the best and most true versions of who they are and who they can be. Thank heavens for this!

As a new classroom teacher, there are a couple of principles you can use to help your students be their best selves—and to help you be your best teacher self.

First, accept that your students’ individual worlds are their worlds. They live in these worlds and bring the complexities, resources, and challenges of these worlds to school every day. Let your students be themselves and take pleasure in the good aspects of this and learn from—don’t deny!—the more difficult aspects. If you can find ways to acknowledge these worlds in little ways, in banter and in your pedagogy, you will be doing your students and yourself a great big favor—a favor that will pay off in happier and more productive classroom cultures.

Second, accept that you are you and that you occupy your own world. When you walk into your classroom or blow the whistle to start practice or call for lights out in the dormitory, be who you are and don’t try to channel some assumed persona of authority and professionalism. When you were young you could spot a phony, and so can your students. Just be yourself. With time and some mentoring—and very likely some helpful feedback from your very students!—the hard parts will become easier and more natural.

​The field of teaching has a few more sensitive spots in 2024 than it did when I was a new teacher or even when I was in a school supporting new teachers. There is an election coming, and artificial intelligence is once again challenging educators to figure out how to apply a new set of tools wisely; your school will have to provide guidance on such things. Let your own values emerge, positively, in the ways you interact with students, colleagues, and others in your school community. Embrace the positive, add your own positivity, and avoid negativity, which will inevitably pop up because, well, it will. Remember that negativity is usually a manifestation of anxiety, so figure out how to help; this is a big part of teaching.

The most important thing: Have fun! You have been granted the gift of spending a time in a community explicitly devoted to the development of the human spirit, and this will be endlessly interesting and entertaining, even if occasionally vexing. You’re a teacher now, and it’s a pretty great life if you let it be!

​In the whirlwind of 2020, One Schoolhouse shared a vital piece of advice that proved transformative for many schools: "Simplify your technology portfolio." Amid the pandemic’s chaos, this guidance helped schools focus on delivering quality education. The traditional independent school model, where faculty chose their own tools, became unmanageable. Schools that adopted a single Learning Management System standardized templates for all faculty saw significant benefits for students, families and educators.

As we deepen our use of Generative AI, this gradual shift promises to be as profound and significant as the rapid move to distance learning was. The sheer number of Generative AI tools available can be overwhelming. Schools that adopt a single, versatile AI tool can navigate this new landscape efficiently, keeping educators and students focused on learning and growth. Here are the five priorities that keep you focused on what’s right for your school:

Establish a Technology Exploration Group

To stay ahead, form a group dedicated to researching and evaluating new AI tools. This team should understand that not every tool tested will be adopted campus-wide. Their mission is to explore and assess, ensuring that your school makes informed, strategic decisions about which technologies to implement.

• Member Resource to Dive Deeper: Bob Weiman, Associate Head of School at St. Stephen and St. Agnes School created an all-inclusive Generative AI research group on campus: “We made it clear that using Generative AI is not just for teaching and learning. It's about all of us, faculty, staff, and administration." 

Avoid the Whack-a-Mole Approach

Constantly switching tools with every new AI release is impractical and costly. Generative AI applications will vary, but you are responsible for securing sensitive data, from academic records to donor information. A unified approach to AI tools helps maintain security and consistency, providing peace of mind as you adapt to evolving technology.

• Member Resources to Dive Deeper: Generative AI Member Portal Library on topics like policy development, getting started, AI in practice, academic honesty and more. 
  

Prioritize Paid Tools for Data Privacy and Security

Investing in paid AI tools is often necessary to ensure data privacy and security. The saying, “if the product is free, you’re the product,” holds true. Thoroughly review terms of service and privacy policies. Christina Lewellen, Executive Director of ATLIS, suggests using an AI tool to highlight potential red flags in these documents, while still conducting your own detailed review.

• Member Resource to Dive Deeper: Chapter 4 of the 2024 Insights Report: Essential Safeguards for Responsible Use

Leverage Existing Productivity Tools

You don’t need to provide a vast array of AI tools to everyone. Start with what’s familiar. If your campus primarily uses a specific productivity suite, begin with the associated AI tool. For instance, Microsoft Office users should explore Microsoft's Co-pilot, while Google Suite users might start with Gemini. This familiarity can ease the adoption process and help users integrate AI more quickly. If using multiple productivity tools, consider enabling AI in just one initially. Expand only if additional functionalities are needed.

• Member Resource to Dive Deeper: Chapter 4 of the 2024 Insights Report: Experimentation in a Policy Void

Distinguish Between Productivity and EdTech AI Tools

AI tools for productivity and those for education serve different purposes. Bill Fitzgerald of Global Cyber Alliance highlights that many edtech AI offerings often overpromise and underdeliver. Choose tools that genuinely enhance learning rather than those that merely chase trends.

Navigating Generative AI doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By focusing on simplicity and consistency, your school can effectively harness AI’s power while maintaining a secure, cohesive environment. The goal is to enhance learning and streamline operations—not to chase every new trend. With careful planning and a unified strategy, your school can integrate AI in a way that truly benefits your community, ensuring that both educators and students achieve their best.

• Member Resource to Dive Deeper: Leading Your Department/Team in Understanding Generative AI:  Stay ahead of the curve with our course on Generative AI and shape your school in adopting and adapting to new technologies. August 5-9. AI for YOU, Academic Leader: Generative AI can help you navigate your administrative work more efficiently, and boost your ability to focus on the human aspects of your job. Learn the skills you need and model adoption strategies for your faculty. July 22-26.