Planning for the Visit

The visiting team’s school visit is an opportunity to demonstrate to a group of volunteer peer observers how the school lives out its mission. The visit also enables the team to provide constructive feedback about the goals that the school has set for itself. The visit culminates a lengthy and, hopefully, enlightening process. Keep in mind that the members of the team are current and former school leaders themselves. They understand how schools operate, and they are there to help the school fulfill its mission. The team’s focus is on learning as much as possible about the school’s goals, interacting with members of various stakeholder groups, observing daily life at the school, and offering meaningful feedback about how to achieve the goals developed by the school.

SAIS will assign your team members and chair. You may suggest areas of expertise that would be valuable to your school, but the final creation of the team is the responsibility of SAIS in conjunction with your chair. Team visits should last a minimum of 2.5 days but may be longer if the chair and the head of school feel more time is necessary.

The logistics, travel expenses, lodging arrangements, and meals vary from visit to visit, but should be determined by the chair and the school’s accreditation coordinator.

PREPARING FOR THE VISIT

• Budget for visit-related expenses, including travel, lodging, and meals for the team. Accreditation Visit Reimbursement Form
• Communicate with the school community about the purpose and schedule of the visit. Please note that SAIS team members will conduct brief classroom observations, but they are not likely to visit every classroom.
• Finalize the schedule. See Sample Visit Schedule Template.
• Ask for any special needs/requests/dietary restrictions from the team members.
• Provide directions and parking information for the school and hotel. Provide parking permits or notify security as necessary.
• Provide directional signs on campus if appropriate.
• Gather emergency information for each team member.
• Prepare name badges to identify team members.
• Prepare team meeting room.
  • Paper and notepads
  • Wifi access (confirm that all team members will bring their own devices)
  • Water, coffee, and snacks for the team
  • Optional items for team review such as yearbooks, admissions materials, school publications, etc.
  • Please note: There is no need to print or supply documents that have been uploaded to the accreditation portal.