Recent data from the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) found 63 percent of private boarding schools saw declining enrollment between the 2019-20 and 2023-24 school years, compared to only 35 percent of all private schools.
As boarding schools adopt strategies to deal with rapid change, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) hosted its annual conference October 30 – November 2, providing an opportunity for educators and administrators to network and discuss issues that included community-building, innovative technology, academic leadership, admissions, and student residential life.
The VenturEd Solutions team traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with customers and better understand the challenges schools face.
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Keynote Speakers
The TABS conference featured two keynote speaker sessions, combining an age-old emphasis of building strong, diverse student bodies with adapting innovative technologies to keep up with the times.
Leading with Courage in a Divided World
Irshad Manji, bestselling author and Founder/CEO of the Moral Courage Network, spoke on how to lead courageously as boarding schools seek to build strong communities in-person among students and among families and alumni. In moments of profound social conflict like these, Manji talked of navigating current cultural divides to cultivate communities of belonging on campus.
Navigating the Future with Technology
As a bestselling author and 2018 Gerald Loeb Award recipient for business reporting work at The New York Times, Kevin Roose is a leading voice in the technology and education world. Combined with his status as a private school alum of TABS member Westtown School, Roose brough a unique perspective on the ever-evolving landscape of AI, technology, and their implications for student learning, connection, and well-being.
Conference Takeaways
Ultimately, the conference gave participants practical strategies and tips to improve their schools for current and future generations of students and their families. These strategies are specifically designed to help boarding schools create more hospitable living environments for students, communicate with families, adapt to changing technology in the classroom, and tackle higher costs of operating.
“It was truly inspiring to connect with so many schools and hear firsthand from the boarding school community in K-12 independent private education,” said Callee Grisham, Senior Customer Account Manager at VenturEd. “From conversations about trends and challenges to exchanging ideas for the future, we gained valuable insights into the priorities and initiatives driving our partner schools. Being surrounded by such passionate educators and administrators reinforced our commitment to supporting schools and helping them achieve their unique missions.”
It also provided opportunities to connect with current VenturEd customers and learn from their challenges.
“TABS was a great way to better understand our customers and the challenges they face in such an uncertain environment,” said Jill McGarrity, Senior Customer Success Manager at VenturEd. “The future of boarding schools will rely on the ability to foster strong communities and adopt innovative technology.”
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