Annie Rau ‘19:
The search for a permanent Head of Upper School has recently resumed after the appointment of Interim Head Mike Letts. The decision to have an Interim Head was made in order to ensure that the search process for our next Head of Upper School is as thorough as possible.
Head of School T.J. Locke clarifies the details of this search, “This search is a little different in that we did a lot of searching when we were looking for someone to fill the position for the interim. And so, I’ve been doing a lot of that since I’ve been here, this is my fifth year here now, and I’ve been listening to a lot over a long period of time. So, we have a good sense in what we are looking for. “
Assistant Head of School Paul Sanders reinforces the great detail that goes into the search, asserting, “The list on the website of criteria we look for is hyper specific.” Sanders deemed input from the faculty as one of his main tasks to conquer during this process, holding meetings with the faculty in order to make sure that everyone’s opinion was considered. Sanders explains, “Two weeks ago I started meeting with the faculty in order to figure out the criteria that we are looking for. The list of traits, experiences, and so on that we discovered in these meetings was developed into the list of traits we look for and was posted on the Episcopal website. This led to all kinds of ideas that were distilled into our scorecard, the classification of these attributes.”
Sanders explains that the scorecard for parents will look different from that of the faculty, “Typically parents want to see a candidate who communicates regularly or clearly.”
The position opening was posted to the EA website in late September. There are four to five “search consultants” who help spread the position opening to any independent school leaders in the country and around the world. “All I have done so far is monitor the number. We still have a week left, and most people apply within the last week,” says Sanders. “We take this big group and figure out who we want to talk to on Skype, or if they are local, have them come on campus for the first interview. We never do all 60 interviews. Typically we do about 12 interviews.”
The selection process for the finalists includes the input of a committee of teachers. Sanders explains, “Typically, at a finalist round, we will be down to three people. These are people who we invite onto campus for at least a full day, probably two days for a position like this. When the finalists come, we pull together a committee of teachers who are asking some specific questions. We will do a broader session with all of the faculty who want to come, to ask more open session questions. We will do a student panel and parent panel.”
When candidates come on campus, Tracie Lee, Director of Faculty Recruitment, illustrates what she looks for in the ideal candidate, “I like to see a real commitment to the basics of making the trains run on time and real understanding of teenagers and the faculty who really are awesome. It is so important that they have worked in an Upper School classroom and knowing good teaching when they see it.”
Once each candidate comes to campus, a decision must be made. Sanders says, “We have to find a way to be decisive, yet think about the decision in a good amount of time. Finding a balance between these two things can be hard but we are ready.”