GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES, August 10, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Diversity of choice in education is essential; we need a diversity of schools to meet the diverse needs of children.

Unlike parochial schools, which are led by churches, and for-profit schools, which are led by individuals or organizations that are making money off tuition, independent schools are typically non-profit, 501(C)3 organizations run by a board. The majority of independent schools in the US are small, with fewer than 250 students.

Brooke Caroll is the founder of Acies Strategies, where she supports small independent school leaders and board members to lead with clarity. Caroll typically works with heads of schools who are new to the position.

“Acies is the Greek word for insight,” says Caroll. “What I do is 70 percent coaching, 20 percent mentoring and 10 percent therapy. It's helping school leaders and board members articulate their concerns and reach into themselves to identify their strengths to address their challenges.”

As a former head of a small school and a board member who has served many schools and nonprofits, Caroll understands the joys and challenges that leaders of these smaller schools face.

Prior to launching Acies Strategies, Caroll served as the head of a small elementary school with about 150 students for nine years. During her tenure, the school would earn the distinction of an international baccalaureate school.

“Being the head of a small school is an amazing education in school leadership because you have to be involved in everything,” says Caroll. “Of course, there were many challenges. I worried all the time about enrollment and budgets. Sometimes I had to go wrangle snakes out of the basement. But I actually was able to be much more hands-on and collaborate with my teachers and students. There weren't those layers of administrators and managers. You could be much more nimble. You could try out new things. You could innovate. It was everything I thought was right about education.”

Caroll says most of her work is about helping everyone understand their roles by distinguishing between governance, leadership and operations.

“It's important that it's clear who is who and what the rules are,” says Caroll. “Board members are amazing, and I'm so grateful for them, but in the absence of understanding how to be an effective governor, they tend to micromanage when they ought to be focusing on the bigger picture.”

“The board is responsible for overseeing the overall long-term health and sustainability of the school. The head is responsible for making sure the school is running well this year and next year and overseeing operations such as admissions, fundraising, accounts receivable- everything that goes on within the school. Those are three distinct layers that must work in concert, to collaborate and know what each other is doing.”

Close Up Radio will feature Brooke Caroll in an interview with Jim Masters on August 12th at 12pm EDT

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389

For more information, visit www.aciesstrategies.com

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
+1 631-850-3314
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook