Independent School Moonshot Podcast

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by Blackbaud.Blackbaud helps independent schools unify admissions, advancement, academics, and finance so leaders spend less time chasing data and more time leading. Visit blackbaud.com to learn more.How clearly are students helping shape, not just experience, your school’s culture?This episode features Bill Preble, Professor of Education at New England College and founder of the Center for School Climate and Learning.With 25 years of experience helping schools surface student voice, Bill outlines a research-based process where students gather data, identify climate gaps, and lead targeted improvement efforts.For independent schools focused on retention, belonging, or long-term sustainability, this conversation offers a practical model for shifting school culture from the inside out.Instead of top-down initiatives that can miss the mark, Bill’s approach centers students as active researchers and problem-solvers.The result is actionable data, stronger adult-student partnerships, and a culture where students feel seen, heard, and invested in the school’s success. It’s a clear path toward healthier communities and more resilient schools.What You'll Learn from Bill Preble:Students are experts in school climate: Students bring critical insights into daily school experiences that adults often miss. Treating them as climate experts reveals patterns and blind spots that otherwise go unnoticed.Representation matters in student feedback: True climate insight comes from engaging a diverse range of student voices, not just high achievers or the most visible leaders.Data reveals blind spots and builds bridges: When adults and students compare perceptions of school climate, the resulting data often highlights dramatic gaps that can kickstart meaningful dialogue.Start small, focus on agency: Students set goals they can act on directly, building ownership and momentum rather than relying on top-down change.Celebrate what's working: The "Bright Spots Challenge" highlights effective practices already in place and encourages teachers to share what's working with their colleagues.Discussion PromptsWhere do student and adult perceptions of school culture diverge, and why?What does authentic student voice look like in our current leadership or decision-making structures?How do we identify and scale bright spots within our faculty?How can this model support our DEIB goals or retention strategy?What would it look like to embed climate data into our strategic planning process?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by Blackbaud.Blackbaud helps independent schools unify admissions, advancement, academics, and finance so leaders spend less time chasing data and more time leading. Visit blackbaud.com to learn more.In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, Cara Gallagher, founder of CGC Consulting and an expert in psychometric insights and organizational behavioral methods, which she applies to help schools be more effective, explores the early signs of organizational misalignment, especially invisible resistance.Learn how passive behaviors like silence in meetings, missed deadlines, or disengagement often signal deeper clarity issues, not just attitude problems.Cara shares how turnover is rarely an isolated event. It’s social, contagious, and often preventable.Leaders who know how to “listen differently” and gather structured feedback can get ahead of burnout, disengagement, and failed change efforts.The episode highlights why independent schools must prioritize internal diagnostics and roles like Chief People Officers to build cultures where innovation can take root.This episode is a must-listen for leaders ready to move beyond reaction and toward strategy.What You'll Learn from Cara Gallagher:Invisible resistance is an early warning sign, not defiance. Passive resistance-like silence or minimal engagement-usually signals confusion, fatigue, or fear, not sabotage.Turnover is social and contagious. When a well-respected faculty member leaves, it often triggers a ripple effect of doubt and disengagement across the school.Silence ≠ Satisfaction. The absence of complaints isn’t proof that things are working. It might mean your team has checked out.Survey fatigue is a myth. People don’t mind being asked for input; they mind it when nothing is done with it. Frequent pulse checks are effective when followed by transparency.Great retention starts with clarity, not just culture. If your team doesn’t understand the “why” behind the change, they won’t support it. Real buy-in starts with alignment and communication.Discussion PromptsWhat signs of invisible resistance might already be present in our school? Are we naming them?How might turnover in our school be socially influenced rather than purely individual?Are we truly listening to faculty and staff or just collecting data with no follow-up?How might a lack of clarity or buy-in have impacted our last significant change initiative?What structures do we need to ensure the employee voice is heard consistently and acted upon?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175 and Blackbaud.Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search by visiting https://rg175.com!Blackbaud helps independent schools unify admissions, advancement, academics, and finance so leaders spend less time chasing data and more time leading. Visit https://www.blackbaud.com to learn more.Does a tuition reset fix enrollment or just mask deeper issues?In this follow-up conversation, Peter Baron, founder of MoonshotOS, and Kevin Folan, Head of School at Providence Country Day School (PCD), unpack the strategic thinking behind their article "Rethinking Tuition Resets for Sustainability," published in the Winter 2025 edition of the NAIS Independent School magazine.The central idea?Every tuition reset must begin with one essential question: What problem are we trying to solve?Together, they explore how aligning price, mission, and market opportunity nearly doubled enrollment at PCD, increased net tuition revenue, and energized the board while avoiding the pitfalls that cause so many resets to fall flat.A must-listen for any school leader exploring pricing strategy, mission alignment, and long-term sustainability.What You'll Learn from Kevin Folan:Start with the right question: Schools must clarify the real problem before considering a tuition reset. Is it price, Program Market perception, Mission drift, etc.?MarketView is a must: PCD used NAIS MarketView to project the number of families that could access the school at a lower price point, adding 6,000 new families to their addressable market.Resets don't work in isolation: The tuition reset only worked because it was part of a broader strategy, including new mission-aligned initiatives, a merger, and powerful messaging.Perception follows value: By clearly articulating and enhancing the school's value proposition, PCD avoided the stigma of cheapening the brand.Internal alignment is critical: Bold moves require full board and leadership team buy-in. PCD's success was rooted in unified, strategic risk-taking.Discussion Prompts:What problem are we truly trying to solve? Use this as a starting point in strategic planning or enrollment committee meetings.How does our tuition align with our mission? Explore whether your pricing reflects your value proposition and institutional identity.Where in our funnel are we losing families? Invite your admissions team to map the journey and pinpoint attrition.Is our board ready to take bold swings? Discuss the board's appetite for risk, innovation, and long-term investment.What would a mission-aligned reset look like for us? Brainstorm value enhancements that would accompany a pricing shift.

Rebroadcast episode – originally aired June 2024.This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175.Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!👉 https://rg175.com/Most schools don’t have a Chief People Officer. But should they?In this episode, we dig into what happened when Avenues: The World School brought one onto the leadership team. Min Kim, former CPO, and Diego Merino, former Head of Recruitment, share how aligning talent strategy with school-wide goals can improve organizational health and make recruitment and retention far more intentional.It’s a model worth paying attention to.Discussion PromptsStrategic HR Integration: How well do our current HR practices align with our school's strategic goals? Discuss the potential benefits and challenges of integrating a Chief People Officer into our leadership team to enhance this alignment.Cultural Leadership by a CPO: Consider our school culture today. How could a Chief People Officer help cultivate and embed our values into every aspect of the school's operation? Are there specific cultural challenges a CPO might address more effectively?Advanced Recruitment Strategies: Reflect on our existing recruitment strategies. How might the approach of 'narrowcasting', as discussed in the case study, improve our ability to attract and retain staff who best fit our school's unique environment and culture?Data-Driven HR Decisions: Discuss the role of data in our current HR decision-making processes. What data-driven initiatives could a Chief People Officer implement to enhance our hiring, development, and retention strategies?Long-term HR Planning: What long-term challenges do we foresee in staffing and human resources? How could a Chief People Officer help us plan and prepare for these challenges over the next five to ten years?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175. Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!👉 https://rg175.com/What if the secret to enrollment growth isn’t doing more but doing it the right way?In this candid and insightful episode, Brendan Schneider, founder of SchneiderB Media, a longtime advocate for school marketers, and author of School Marketing the Right Way, pulls back the curtain on why so many independent schools struggle to market effectively, how his new book aims to close the knowledge gap, and what building a marketing system means in 2025.You will walk away with actionable ideas for refining your school’s marketing efforts, whether you’re a head of school, a one-person MarCom team, or an enrollment director trying to do more with less.From SEO to print advertising and CRM strategy to the dangers of bloated inquiry forms, Brendan challenges school leaders to rethink what effective marketing truly looks like.What You'll Learn from Brendan Schneider:Marketing ≠ Communications: Brendan distinguishes marketing as recruitment and communications as retention—a distinction many schools still blur. Misunderstanding this leads to hiring the wrong people for the wrong jobs.Tactics Don’t Work in Isolation: Too many schools expect magic from a single tactic—like Google ads—without supporting systems. Brendan emphasizes that strategy must be holistic to be effective.Stop Asking for the World on Your Inquiry Form: Only ask for information you’ll use. An overloaded form feels like an application and scares prospects away. Prioritize a clean conversion path.The Secret Sauce: Measurement + Iteration: Schools rarely measure results and iterate accordingly. Brendan argues that marketers must be allowed to fail, test, and learn to find what works.Most Schools Overweight Social Media, Undervalue SEO: Organic reach on social platforms is nearly dead. Meanwhile, good SEO remains one of the best-underused opportunities for schools to get found.Discussion PromptsDo we differentiate between marketing and communications in our org chart and expectations?Where are we investing time or money in marketing efforts without clear measurement?How might we build a sustainable marketing system instead of relying on one-off tactics?Are we creating space for our marketing team to experiment, fail, and learn, or are we playing it too safe?What are the sacred cows in our marketing plan need to be challenged or eliminated?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175. Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!👉 https://rg175.com/Saying yes can feel like leadership, but what if your most powerful move is saying no?In this must-listen episode, Julie Faulstich, founder and principal of Stony Creek Strategy and author of the Talking Out of School newsletter, explores why independent school leaders often struggle to say no and how that reluctance impacts trust, sustainability, and organizational focus.Julie shares practical strategies for fostering a culture of intentional decision-making where well-placed nos create space for smarter yeses.Along the way, the conversation branches into budget modeling, governance dynamics, board relationships, AI's implications for pedagogy, and how to avoid slow-moving nos that quietly derail plans.It's a rich, candid discussion filled with actionable insights for school leaders navigating today's complex landscape.What You'll Learn from Julie Faulstich:"No" Builds Credibility: Leaders who overextend themselves dilute their effectiveness. A thoughtful "no" can increase trust and clarify priorities.Burnout Is a Strategic Risk: The culture of doing everything, often fueled by a desire to please, contributes directly to burnout and organizational fragility.Avoid the "Slow-Moving No": Saying yes when the data or resources don't support it leads to inevitable failure. Honest assessment upfront avoids disappointment later.Governance Matters: Heads must foster productive, generative conversations with boards, resisting pressure to rubber-stamp every request or fear of being transparent.Empowerment Through Boundaries: Leaders who say no strategically make space for others to step up, grow their leadership muscles, and contribute more meaningfully.Discussion PromptsWhen was the last time we said yes to something we shouldn't have? What did it cost us?Is it safe for team members to say no here? Why or why not?How do we balance strategic hope with realistic capacity?What are we currently doing that doesn't align with our highest priorities?How can we empower more team members by stepping back?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175. Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!🔗 https://rg175.com/In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, Susan Perry, Associate Head of School for Wellness and Belonging at Forsyth Country Day School and Senior Consultant at Expo Elevate, returns to explore the role of feedback in school leadership.Drawing on research from the Harvard Negotiation Project and the Center for Creative Leadership, Susan unpacks why feedback is so difficult to give and receive and how school leaders can develop the skills, habits, and mindset to build a truly feedback-rich culture.From the “situation-behavior-impact” model to the emotional hotspots that derail feedback, this episode offers practical tools and perspective shifts for anyone working to strengthen their leadership team and grow aspiring leaders.Whether you’re just beginning your leadership journey or shaping a school-wide culture, this is a conversation that will leave you thinking and ready to act.What You'll Learn from Susan Perry:We’re Swimming in Feedback: Feedback is everywhere, from watches to workplace comments. Understanding how we receive and process it is key to becoming better leaders.Affirmation Matters: Healthy feedback cultures rely on a 4:1 ratio of affirming to corrective feedback. The Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) model is a powerful tool to express this well.Self-Awareness Is Two-Part: True self-awareness means understanding your intent and how your actions land with others.Listening Is a Leadership Skill: The ability to stop talking and truly listen is foundational to building trust and effective teams.Start with a Definition: Emerging leaders should define what leadership means to them and examine if their behaviors align with their values.Discussion PromptsHow do we currently define feedback at our school, and is that definition helping or hindering our culture?What are some moments when we’ve avoided giving feedback? Why?Are we creating enough space for affirming feedback in our day-to-day leadership?How can we better model receiving feedback without defensiveness?What behaviors might we need to shift to better align with our leadership values?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175. Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!👉 https://rg175.com/In this episode, Mattingly Messina, Founder of Throughline and Moonshot Lab Advisors, breaks down the potentially misaligned relationship between boards and fundraising in independent schools.Drawing from his experience as a trustee, former director of advancement, and consultant, he explains why the traditional board committee structure no longer serves schools and how it’s holding back strategic progress.Mattingly offers a fresh framework for embedding philanthropy across all board priorities, shares how heads of school can manage up with confidence, and challenges schools to stop apologizing for fundraising.If you’ve ever said, “My board doesn’t know how to fundraise,” this conversation is a must-listen.What You'll Learn from Mattingly Messina:Fundraising is a Board-Wide Responsibility: Advancement shouldn’t live in one siloed committee. Because funding affects everything, philanthropy must be embedded across all strategic focus areas.Shift from Function to Focus: Instead of organizing board committees around operational functions like finance or development, structure them around strategic priorities. This creates cross-functional collaboration and deeper trustee engagement.Stop Apologizing for Fundraising: Heads and leaders should confidently speak about fundraising. When it’s treated as essential and mission-driven, not uncomfortable or transactional, it changes how trustees show up.Manage Up with Courage and Strategy: Heads often try to fix advancement quietly behind the scenes. Real change happens when they name the dysfunction, invite the board into a new paradigm, and align with the board chair on a shared vision.Relationship Before Ask: Fundraising isn’t about the ask but the connection. When trustees speak authentically about why they believe in the school, that personal story is often more powerful than any solicitation.Discussion PromptsWhat assumptions do we hold about board members’ roles in fundraising, and where might those be outdated?How does our current board committee structure support or hinder our strategic goals?Where in our strategic plan is philanthropy required but not explicitly acknowledged?How can we better prepare trustees to be effective ambassadors rather than reluctant fundraisers?What’s one story a trustee could share that would inspire confidence and connection from a donor?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175. Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!Visit: https://rg175.com/In this episode, John Farber, former head of school and current managing partner at RG175, shares hard-earned insights from conducting over 60 leadership searches.He dives deep into the evolving expectations for heads of school, especially the growing demand for business acumen and strategic thinking.From managing up to building strong board relationships and financial fluency, John explores what aspiring heads must understand to thrive. He also candidly reflects on why tenure has shortened and how boards can better support heads.This is essential listening for anyone exploring or supporting the headship path.What You'll Learn from John Farber:Business acumen is no longer optional. Heads must understand budgets, financial levers, and how to partner with their CFO and board.Managing up is a critical leadership skill. Strong board relationships enable heads to lead with confidence rather than fear.Most aspiring heads are underexposed to key responsibilities. Strategy, governance, and operational leadership are often learned on the job.Strategic clarity supports execution. When schools socialize their strategy and use it as a North Star, decisions are easier, and leadership alignment improves.Cultural fit is essential for success. Heads who align with the school’s culture have greater longevity and fulfillment.Discussion PromptsHow does your board currently assess business acumen during head or leadership searches?What support structures exist for new heads to develop their financial and operational fluency?How can your school better educate faculty and staff about the board’s expectations of the head?What would building a truly supportive board-head relationship at your school look like?How can you help aspiring leaders at your school get real exposure to board dynamics, finance, and governance?

This episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast is sponsored by RG175. Behind every successful school is a great leader—learn more about how RG175 can support your school's next search!🔗 https://rg175.com/Auxiliary programs can be a school’s hidden powerhouse if built with intention.In this episode of the Independent School Moonshot Podcast, St. Mark’s School’s Director of Operations, Kristi Jacobi, and Summer Programs and Auxiliary Revenue Collaborative's (SPARC) Senior Advisor, Bob Rojee, share how they transformed an empty summer campus into a dynamic, revenue-generating engine.You’ll hear how they aligned strategy with mission, managed culture shifts, and grew camp enrollment from 49 campers to over 1,000 sessions in just two summers.Whether starting an auxiliary from scratch or expanding what you have, their story offers invaluable lessons for any school leader ready to think iteratively and entrepreneurially.What You'll Learn from Kristi Jacobi and Bob Rojee:Prioritize with Purpose: Force-rank your goals before launching any auxiliary initiative to ensure strategic clarity and accountability.Invest in the Right Talent: Successful auxiliary programs need leaders who blend educational experience with business acumen.Market Demand Matters: Conduct thorough market analysis to uncover unmet demand, even in saturated markets.Be Mission-Adjacent: Programs must align with the school’s values while creating distinct experiences (e.g., brand-aligned but separate from full academic offerings)Manage Change Thoughtfully: Transparent communication and leadership endorsement are crucial to overcoming internal cultural resistance.Discussion PromptsHow clear are our priorities when it comes to generating non-tuition revenue?What hidden assets (space, expertise, brand) could we leverage better?Where might cultural resistance exist on our campus, and how can we thoughtfully address it?How could auxiliary programs enhance our school’s community relationships?Are we investing in the right talent to grow entrepreneurial programs?