Interpretive Master Planning (IMP) is uncommon among educators, but it offers a transformative approach to school design that aligns closely with strategic planning and campus master planning.

In light of the leadership's desire to create a beautiful culture and campus, this approach to designing physical spaces and experiences offers a significant advantage for competitive differentiation and life-changing impact.

Learn more about the process and benefits of IMP through this infographic.

School growth and improvement is an elusive goal that many pursue but confusion lingers among boards and administrators about what success looks like. What should be measured to learn and improve? What matters most? How do we win?

Tensions and expectations are high, so it’s imperative that we find some common language for excellence and alignment around meaningful goals.

In other words, elevating the quality of our schools is more about renewed commitment to the disciplines of effective school leadership than cutting edge innovation. 

The pain is real. ADCD is a plague to school leadership. One crisis gets resolved and then another pops up, so our plan for the day gets wrecked and we end up playing "Whack-a-Mole" trying to stay slightly ahead of the game. 

But that's no way to lead educators.

While some experts have advocated for a three-pronged approach to school competitive strategy around Price, Product, and Process, even greater market advantage is gained through the development of Proximity.
Families are far more attracted by your school's ability to form deep, emotional relationships with them than any other factor.

"Are we supposed to be thoughtful or busy?"
That important question was asked by a board member at a recent Leadership Retreat we facilitated. Balancing activity with mindfulness will always be a challenge for school leaders, especially in times of such overwhelming change and fierce competition. 

School administrators come from different professional backgrounds: Some from the classroom, some from business, some from military service, etc.

This week we celebrate two post-military service leaders who have distinguished themselves with success in growing schools into places where teachers and students can thrive.

Today we're hosting a Leadership Retreat at Spartanburg Day School (SC). They have a very talented team of administrators that is determined to achieve at an even higher level. That starts, of course, with an accurate planning process that has one important practice that increases the probability of success.

This week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, a group of schools gathered in Atlanta to participate in our Innovation Workshop, developing a tactical plan to achieve remarkable results by September 30th. Here are a few highlights from this workshop.

It was late on a Friday afternoon in southern California. The sky was crystal clear with a light breeze. Under such ideal conditions, going inside a building for a school board retreat is difficult because your mind keeps urging to linger outside a little longer.