These articls are presented by Littleford & Associates in an attempt to provide relevant and important information to those who are concerned with providing an effective, efficient and economical educational atmosphere and experience.
We hope they are helpful to you.
This LETTER is an EXCELLENT INITIATIVE that enables heads to share your insight and wisdom with their Boards. I encourage you to keep these coming, and releasing articles that parallel the life cycle of schools (back to school, reenrollment, budget cycles, and etcetera) would be superb.
bySeth Hathaway, Head of School, Prince Avenue Christian School, Bogart, GA
Your article about head transitions was absolutely brilliant. Having just left a school, I can attest to the wisdom of every word of advice as well as the potential pitfalls that await the board of a school that is welcoming a new head. I almost felt that, unbeknownst to me, you had served as a consultant to the Board of my former school, as Trustees helped launch me onto my next school while welcoming my successor.
by Norm Colb, Head of School, Sage Ridge School, Reno, NV
- Associate Head of School of Lycee de Calgary January 19, 2023
- A Major Risk in Strategic Planning: What If Your Mission May Have Changed? January 16, 2023
- HOW TO PARTNER EFFECTIVELY WITH PARENT ASSOCIATIONS January 16, 2023
- HOW DO YOU SPOT A “ROGUE” BOARD MEMBER? January 16, 2023
- Salary Mania: The Pace of Increases in Teachers’ Salaries is Moving Faster than the Philosophy Behind Them November 29, 2022
- What happens when salary systems become corrupted? October 12, 2022
- Head of the Sacred Heart School of Montreal September 26, 2022
- Yes, Our Teachers Deserve More Money but HOW to Deliver It? September 7, 2022
- Some Key Indicators of Strong or Weak Board Governance Behaviors September 4, 2022
- WHAT ABOUT THAT HEAD OF SCHOOL SEARCH? September 1, 2022
- Published or Non-Published Salary Systems: The Pros and Cons September 1, 2022
- Faculty Anxiety and Disgruntlement Can Be Turned Around August 18, 2022
- To Boards of Trustees: Is It Time for a Head’s Sabbatical? June 2, 2022
- How Can We Turn the Corner Towards Better Governance Practices? April 12, 2022
- Executive Coaching is not Small Potatoes April 3, 2022
- WHAT OUR TEACHERS VALUE April 3, 2022
- Following a Long Term Head April 3, 2022
- What Did We Forget and Why? The Consequences of Rapid Board Turnover March 3, 2022
- Strategic Planning: Managing Rising Stakeholder Voices and Expectations February 16, 2022
- The Vaccination Wars Continue: How Do our Schools Respond? January 25, 2022
- Succession Planning: The Time Has Come January 24, 2022
- Head Compensation: The Lay of the Land January 24, 2022
- Managing Head of School Transition and Succession January 11, 2022
- The Parental Onslaught on School Governance and Its Toll on Heads of School November 17, 2021
- Head Compensation: The Law and the Process November 3, 2021
- For the Skeptics on Faculty Compensation: Salary Systems Compared October 5, 2021
- How to Provide Teachers with Fairness and Predictability of Compensation…and the Ability to Influence Their Own Future Earning Power August 1, 2021
- Walking In the Shoes of a Head of School August 1, 2021
- Managing Stakeholder Discontent: A Rising Tide June 17, 2021
- Transparency, Collaboration and Engagement: Boards, Faculty and Administrators in Salary System and Benefits Design May 25, 2021
- The Governance Perspective: Time to Renew the Head’s Contract: Well, Not So Fast April 7, 2021
- Is the Timing Right for Strategic Planning (or Not)? February 8, 2021
- The Pandemic: What We Will Have Learned January 25, 2021
- How Much Communication is Too Much? January 6, 2021
- Marketing the Mission is More Important than Ever December 3, 2020
- Governance in the Trenches: Some Solutions October 13, 2020
- Nurturing Your Head: A Five-Point Paradigm September 23, 2020
- Board/Head Collaboration: The Stress Points and the Rewards September 3, 2020
- Strategic Planning is Crucial but Proceed with Caution! August 19, 2020
- Navigating a Head of School Search in Rough Waters August 3, 2020
- The Politicization of Boards on Re-opening our Schools July 4, 2020
- Engaging Independent School Parents in the Time of Covid-19 July 1, 2020
- Why We Will Have Failed Them: How to Regain Faculty Trust July 1, 2020
- New Heads Arriving and the Dangers Ahead June 17, 2020
- The Impact of the Pandemic on Mission and Governance June 4, 2020
- Short Term Solutions Can Lead to Long Term Problems June 4, 2020
- Salary Systems in Independent and International Schools February 27, 2020
- Marketing the Mission to Full Enrollment February 27, 2020
- The Entry Challenge February 27, 2020
- The Whole Package December 4, 2019
- The Key Questions to Ask when Undertaking Strategic Planning December 4, 2019
- The Importance of Healthy Faculty Cultures December 4, 2019
- Why Heads are Wary of Executive Sessions December 4, 2019
- Never Ignore Head Compensation Planning December 4, 2019
- John Littleford Featured in Taipei American School’s Fall 2019 Window Magazine November 19, 2019
- When the Board Becomes the Problem September 2, 2019
- Building Morale: The Importance of STAFF not Only Faculty Compensation September 2, 2019
- Head Search Committee Behaviors and How They Affect Outcomes September 2, 2019
- Healthy Boards and Strategic Planning Go Hand in Hand July 27, 2019
- THE AWKWARD CONVERSATION: WHAT ABOUT MY COMPENSATION? March 18, 2019
- Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen and the Head was “Cooked”! March 18, 2019
- Strategic Governance Reduced to the Absurd: Lessons Learned November 14, 2018
- Controversial Topics: 360 Evaluation and Executive Session March 20, 2018
- Director of Victoria Educational Organization (VEO), Hong Kong March 15, 2018
- How Political Capital Affects Executive Decision Making and School Culture August 31, 2017
- Mission Based Compensation: THE Key to Financial Sustainability August 31, 2017
- The Search…The Transition… and then the Succession May 13, 2017
- Key Survival Factors for Independent Schools February 9, 2017
- Becoming And Remaining A Healthy Board: The Rules Of Engagement February 9, 2017
- Head of School, Stratford Hall School, Vancouver, BC, Canada, effective July 1, 2018 January 13, 2017
- Performance Bonuses for Heads or Not? November 24, 2016
- Strategic Planning: Taking Appropriate Risks November 24, 2016
- What IS a Philosophy of Compensation? November 24, 2016
- Faculty Salary System Designs: Becoming More Innovative August 31, 2016
- What “Rogue” Board Members Can Accomplish August 31, 2016
- Board Structures: The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly August 31, 2016
- Compensation, Collaboration and Culture: A Winning Story March 21, 2016
- Premature Dismissals: Overlooking Head Transition March 21, 2016
- Up to 85% of Your School’s Budget December 19, 2015
- Every Board Has a “Personality” December 19, 2015
- Why a Leadership Coach?* December 19, 2015
- The Governance Game III: The Importance of Transitions September 21, 2015
- Mission “Tugs” September 14, 2015
- Following a “Founder” and Can You Survive? September 14, 2015
- The Theory AND Practice of Board Governance September 14, 2015
- The STILL Sad State of Head Departures September 14, 2015
- Section 4958 – “Intermediate Sanctions” August 24, 2015
- Threading the Needle: Addressing Faculty Compensation Challenges While Avoiding Major Risks August 15, 2015
- IT, Brutus! August 1, 2015
- School Cultures: An Interesting Model And Then Some August 1, 2015
- Unhealthy School Climate: Common But Seldom Improved August 1, 2015
- Improving Faculty Cultures: Touching The Heart And Soul Of Schools August 1, 2015
- Understanding Faculty And School Cultures August 1, 2015
- "Managing School Climate-And Not Letting It Manage You!" August 1, 2015
- Common Mistakes In The Search Process August 1, 2015
- The Core Principles Of A Successful Search: Advice For Boards And Heads August 1, 2015
- The Head Search, School Culture and Trust in the Consultant August 1, 2015
- Fascinating Facts About Internal Succession August 1, 2015
- The Search and the Departing Head: Valued or Forgotten? August 1, 2015
- Doubts At The Altar: When Searches Fail August 1, 2015
- Retirement Planning For Heads Of School: Some Useful Tools To Get There August 1, 2015
- Powerful Elements of the Head Search Process: The Risks of Transitions August 1, 2015
- The Next Generation Of Heads August 1, 2015
- Is It "The End"? And If So, Then What? August 1, 2015
- Branding is Powerful: Proven Strategies August 1, 2015
- Beneath the Surface: Trends in International Schools August 1, 2015
- More Marketing Bang For The Buck August 1, 2015
- Beneath The Surface: What The Numbers Reveal August 1, 2015
- Compensation And Tuition Setting: The Message Is Mixed August 1, 2015
- How To Get A Handle On Controlling Expenses And Increasing Income In Difficult Economic Times August 1, 2015
- A Mission That Resonates in a Soft Admissions Market August 1, 2015
- Managing The Bottom Line: August 1, 2015
- Profit Centers: Has Your School Tapped These Revenue Sources? August 1, 2015
- Income Opportunities In Tight Economic Times August 1, 2015
- The Nine Sacred Cows Of Financial Management: August 1, 2015
- Strategic Planning: Leading and Not Following the Process August 1, 2015
- Fall Out from Strategic Planning August 1, 2015
- Efficient And Effective Strategic Planning August 1, 2015
- Strategic Planning: A Wise Political Investment August 1, 2015
- Strategic Planning And Why The Process Generally Frustrates Boards August 1, 2015
- Transitions, Strategic Planning and.. Failure: How to Avoid the Trap August 1, 2015
- The Strategic Decision: Choosing a Planning Process that Fits the School's History and Culture August 1, 2015
- Protecting Our Schools Through Strategic Planning August 1, 2015
- The Strategic Planning Process: August 1, 2015
- The Qualities That Schools Desperately Need In A Board Chair August 1, 2015
- The Need for Bi Lingual Boards and Heads: Understanding and Sharing a Common Language in the Board Room August 1, 2015
- Board Policy Manuals: When Do They Create Problems? August 1, 2015
- Head Transition/Entry Plans: Risks And Opportunities August 1, 2015
- Managing Crises: Dealing With The Unexpected August 1, 2015
- Board Governance And Teacher Evaluation: Where Do The Two Meet? August 1, 2015
- Broadening Governance Training: A Lesson to Be Learned August 1, 2015
- Effective Coaching For Heads Of Schools And Board Chairs: Cases Of Encouragement August 1, 2015
- Which Comes First? Search Or Governance? August 1, 2015
- How To Fire the Head, AND More than Once! August 1, 2015
- Strengthening Parent Associations August 1, 2015
- When Schools Go to War August 1, 2015
- Who Fires The Head? August 1, 2015
- The 20% Rule August 1, 2015
- Why Board Chairs Serve? August 1, 2015
- Drama in the School House and the Board Room August 1, 2015
- Elephants in the Board Room August 1, 2015
- Managing The Errant Trustee August 1, 2015
- Intelligent Governance In Challenging Economic Times August 1, 2015
- The View From 50,000 Feet: The Perspectives Of Executive Directors Of Independent And International Associations Of Schools August 1, 2015
- Developing Healthy Board Governance: What to Do about the Parent Driven Board August 1, 2015
- The Value Of Age Induced Wisdom August 1, 2015
- The Boards You Should Not Emulate August 1, 2015
- The “Ji Huey” Moment: Turning A Crisis Into An Opportunity August 1, 2015
- Transitions, Strategic Planning and.. Failure: How to Avoid the Trap August 1, 2015
- Board Governance: Where Is The Baby Elephant? August 1, 2015
- “Extreme” Board Behavior But Sometimes The Norm August 1, 2015
- Problem Trustees ( And How to Help Them): Part II August 1, 2015
- Dealing with Problem Trustees (Or Their Problem Spouses) August 1, 2015
- Making (Or Breaking) The Chair/Head Partnership: August 1, 2015
- The Longevity Of Heads And The Effectiveness Of Schools August 1, 2015
- The Role of the Chair: The Promise and the Price August 1, 2015
- The Risks And Stress Of Transition August 1, 2015
- Strong And Stable Boards: Wise, Committed And Loyal! August 1, 2015
- Fortress Head, Fortress School: Attacks from Within and Attacks from Without August 1, 2015
- Leadership Transitions: Strategies To Support A New Head And Maintain School Stability August 1, 2015
- Head Evaluation: The Risk Of Not Doing It Or Doing It Poorly August 1, 2015
- Evaluation Of Boards: Self-Reflection In A Healthy School August 1, 2015
- Board Structure: The Plight of the International School August 1, 2015
- The Governance Game – Part IV: Board Subcommittees – Their Role In Supporting The Mission and Stability of the School August 1, 2015
- The Governance Game – Part II: The Role of Change in School Instability August 1, 2015
- The Governance Game – Part I: What’s At Risk For Independent Schools August 1, 2015
- Leadership Of Schools And The Longevity Of Heads August 1, 2015
- Performance Pay Can Work In Independent Schools August 1, 2015
- Faculty Salary Systems: Rapid and Systematic Changes in Schools Worldwide August 1, 2015
- The Professional Growth "Trap" August 1, 2015
- Trends from the Trenches – Patterns in Faculty Benefits August 1, 2015
- The Faculty Salary Challenge: Not Just How Much, But How? August 1, 2015
- When And Why Teachers Decide To “Organize” August 1, 2015
- Mission And Money: Or How To Make The Most With What You Have August 1, 2015
- Designing A Politically Safe Process For Changing Faculty Compensation Systems August 1, 2015
- Update on Performance Pay: Gaining National Attention August 1, 2015
- Teacher Evaluation And Accountability: When Entitled Parents Meet Entitled Teachers August 1, 2015
- “Fuzzy” Salary Systems August 1, 2015
- The Explosion of Extra Pay August 1, 2015
- Yes: A Successful Model of Teacher Evaluation – The Importance of Leadership, Culture, Attitude and Training August 1, 2015
- Faculty Salaries: Doing More Than Talking About It August 1, 2015
- The Latest In Faculty Compensation: Allocating Resources Among Your “Buckets” August 1, 2015
- Persistence Pays Off August 1, 2015
- In an Economic Downturn: Intelligent Ways to Make Compensation Go Further August 1, 2015
- Mission Based Compensation and Flexible Pay: The Challenge Confronting Boards, Heads and Teachers August 1, 2015
- Performance, Compensation And Evaluation: They Are Always Related August 1, 2015
- Recent Trends In Faculty Compensation – And Some Cautionary Notes August 1, 2015
- Faculty Salary System Designs: Tradition and Innovation August 1, 2015
- What About "Merit" Pay? August 1, 2015
- Ensuring Rational Faculty Salary and Benefit Systems: Time for a Dialogue August 1, 2015
- The Danger Of Inequities In Faculty Workloads August 1, 2015
- Selling Your Benefits: What Teachers Need To Know August 1, 2015
- Salary System Modeling: Thinking Through Your Decisions August 1, 2015
- What Is “Deferred Compensation?” And Why Do So Many Heads Have It Or Want It? August 1, 2015
- The Safe Harbors Act: The Necessity Of Demonstrating Annual Compliance August 1, 2015
- Income Opportunities In Tight Economic Times August 1, 2015
- The Intermediate Sanctions Act: The "Next Level" of Compliance August 1, 2015
- The Truth About Statistics: Why Head Compensation Information Fails to Deliver August 1, 2015
- In Defense Of Head Compensation August 1, 2015
- Head Compensation: The Process, The Product and the Reporting August 1, 2015
- Head Compensation: Understanding The Changing Rules August 1, 2015
- The Need To Focus On The Intermediate Sanctions Act And Conflicts Of Interest August 1, 2015
- Executive Compensation: The Process, Pitfalls And Opportunities August 1, 2015
- Ties That Bind or Wound: The Power of the Contract and the Contract Process August 1, 2015
- The Big Dig: Digging Your Way Through The New Form 990 August 1, 2015
- Tools to Recruit, Retain and Reward Heads of School: Why They Are Even More Important Now August 1, 2015
- Surprising Facts And Figures About The Head Compensation Process August 1, 2015
- The Importance Of The Head Compensation Process August 1, 2015
- Head Compensation: The Race to the Top August 1, 2015
- A Changed World For Head Recruitment And Compensation August 1, 2015
- Head Compensation: It Is Difficult To Be Your Own Advocate August 1, 2015