T HE PAT H T O ACCREDITATION RENEW AL:
The committee’s visit began with a reception at which they were introduced to our entire faculty and staff. The committee was composed of colleagues at other ISAS schools who brought their expertise and professional experiences in independent schools, representing all facets of school life – from all levels of classroom teaching, student activities, athletics, and the arts to finance, facilities management, technology, and communications. While on campus, they visited almost every classroom to observe ESD’s learning and teaching in process, held divisional and department meetings with faculty, and facilitated conversations with a large variety of staff – admission, college guidance, health services, food service, and more. In addition, a few were charged with taking a deep dive into the school’s policies, procedures,
Reflecting, Questioning, Understanding, and Thinking Aspirationally by Ruth Burke, Associate Head of School
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Earlier this school year, on October 2, 2022, the faculty, staff, and board welcomed the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) visiting committee to campus, marking the beginning of our accreditation visit and the end of an intensive 18-month self-study process. The visiting committee’s three-day visit was the culmination of school-wide collaborative work in assessing how and to what degree ESD is delivering on its mission, identifying what we are doing well, where there is room for improvement, and how we might think more aspirationally about igniting purpose in the lives of our students.
THE CREST I SPRING 2023
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operations, and governance.
Not surprisingly to those of us who live and breathe all things ESD, the visitation committee’s preliminary summary was extremely complimentary of the exceptional efforts of our faculty, staff, and administration and of the strength of our school community. Although the final approval of ESD’s reaccreditation takes place at an upcoming ISAS Standards Committee meeting, we have received the visiting committee’s report and its vote of confidence for our full reaccreditation. The next few pages outline the timeline of this work, including key highlights, takeaways, and lessons learned from this affirming and growth-oriented process.