February 1, 2021

Truth Makes a Comeback

Twitter is always good for gallows humor, particularly during the last 4 years, and in the course of one doom scroll a day or two after Jan. 6, I came across a quip that inspired the first smile I'd had in days:  "2021. Just three 2020s in a trench coat." The smile augured a new day, it turns out, one that arrived just two weeks later with the safe inauguration of our 46th President and with, at the risk of over-stating it, the return of truth. I'm bullish on 2021, even as independent schools face an accelerated version of the challenges that were approaching a tipping point before the pandemic. The pandemic and the farcical-deadly last days of the Trump administration have caused many Americans to conduct a kind of existential audit that will bring many of them to align their behaviors more closely with their values. Investing in their children's education will be at the top of that list. These are people who have spent the year getting a daily, firsthand look at their children's learning and their school's performance in a crisis. These are people who will have little interest in your school's brand or prestige. They want to know how you'll serve their child, how you performed last year and what you learned from it. Our work is to be ready for that moment.