Hello there! On behalf of everyone at SAIS, welcome to the 2024-2025 school year.
As a guest writer last August, I scribed a post for the monthly newsletter about traversing transitions. Little did I know that I was about to go on the ride of my life with my appointment as SAIS president. Thank you again for the warm welcome and words of wisdom during my transition. Entering year 30 as an educator, I have never been more energized and engaged in the work to support you and our member schools.
We have designed Signals to empower and equip you to calibrate the daily demands of school life with the strategic stewardship required for your community. Specifically, my monthly contribution, What’s Trending?, will provide a fresh perspective on the drivers, signals, and trends impacting the education sector. More importantly, it will amplify the patterns and conditions that leaders should evaluate through the lens of their unique mission and vision.
You will be able to incorporate the research and resources illustrated in the slides into a workshop, meeting, or presentation to build capacity with your leadership team and trustees, navigate timely challenges, and future-proof your school. Check out the Trend Tracker and Pulse Perspectives to get started.
A resounding request has been to collect and curate data more relevant to our association of schools. This is a project we are committed to in the short and long term. In a fast-paced, dynamic environment, one avenue we are pursuing is deploying pulse surveys with various types of school leaders throughout the year. On a monthly basis, I will report out on the real-time perspectives representing the voices in our association.
To begin, we sent pulse surveys to SAIS heads, school counselors, and fundraising professionals respectively. The data responses collected during the spring 2024 term are reflected in the following slides:
During the fall 2024 term, I look forward to traveling and meeting with heads in Chattanooga, Charleston, Nashville, Jackson, Birmingham, Little Rock, Baton Rouge, and Miami. Also, I hope to connect with you in October at our Annual Conference in Charlotte. Target areas of workshops will focus on retention & recruitment, artificial intelligence, and community & connection.
Thank you for partnering with us and allowing SAIS to invest in your schools. Wishing you and your community the best 2024-2025 school year.
Dr. Brett JacobsenSAIS President
