The following post is the first of at least two parts about the pros and cons of being a PS-8 school versus a PS-12 school. This post focuses first on the question "Why a high school?" My next post will discuss the distinct merits of being PS-8. I would LOVE for you to comment. Please share your perspectives with me and everyone else who reads this blog!
Why doesn't High Meadows have a high school? I've been asked this many times since becoming head of school in 2010.
It's a fair question. Our PS-8 program is so effective; what's keeping us from extending our model into 9-12? It certainly would reduce some of the worry we as parents feel about the scary transition from HMS to high school. And there is no school quite like High Meadows in this region. For students who have thrived at High Meadows, many parents feel they need to travel well inside the perimeter to find a complementary high school program. Assuming there is an adequate market, it is very tempting to create a bold new high school in North Fulton/East Cobb that is steeped in the guiding principles that make High Meadows so unique.
Over the course of our 40-year history, the board of trustees has considered the idea of an HMS high school many times. At the last extensive study in 2000, the task force concluded that our 40-acre campus should focus on the PS-8 experience that has made us so special. If we were to add a high school, it should be on another campus. Of course, that means money--and lots of it. A new campus with even the most austere facilities would cost us tens of millions. And that is before the start-up costs of hiring administrators, teachers, materials, etc. The conclusion of the study was that we should continue placing resources into being the best PS-8 school we could be. If in the future we were able to secure adequate funding, we should revisit the idea seriously.
Thirteen years later, the question still lingers (as questions tend to do until they are answered definitively). So I have done some thinking about it and have engaged others in the conversation. Based on my research about other schools who have successfully grown beyond eighth grade, sustainable, mission-appropriate enrollment is the key issue beyond start up costs. The first several years are tough. The school's devout families may be willing to take the risk of going into an untested program. But not all do, and those who are not yet familiar with the school are hard to convince. For most independent school families at the high school level, the ultimate goal is getting into a good college. Enrolling a high-achieving student in a school without an impressive, long-standing track record is too much of a risk for many to bear.
So let's imagine that an angelic philanthropist were to give us, say, $50 million for the purpose of starting a high school. That should be enough to purchase a multi-acre campus, build adequate facilities, and hire a crop of outstanding teachers and administrators. Let's imagine that enrollment booms right out of the gate, and the prospect of sustaining that trend is outstanding. What else would we need to consider before taking the plunge? Would there be a "resource" drain on the PS-8 program? Would board and administrative attention be trained so heavily on the high school to the detriment of the elementary program? Would funding be redirected from the elementary program to bolster the high school program? Would the culture of the school make a fundamental shift as a result of all of the above? The likely answers to these questions, based on my conversations with heads who have been through it, are yes.
I suppose it sounds as if I am an opponent of adding a high school to High Meadows. Actually, the prospect excites me from many angles. It would be incredibly inspiring to create a high school that does what we do so well at the PS-8 level: inquire deeply, challenge assumptions, favor the experiential over the traditional, engage meaningfully with the environment and the world. No other place in the region--or the nation, for that matter--would be anything like it. If we had the opportunity to create a high school without mortgaging the future of our precious PS-8 program, I would be a loud advocate for us to at least explore the possibilities with visionary and critical eyes.
So let's keep asking the question. And if you know someone with $50 million to spare, please direct them to me ASAP.
When we arrived as parents of a preschooler, I asked the very same question for the very same reason-we wanted to stay forever. Now that I am the parent of an alumni and a soon to be alumni, I have seen the terrific value of the transition at 9th grade. My sons have the chance to practice joining a new environment, making new friends and getting the lay of the land all over again, only now they have the poise, confidence and conversation skills to guide the experience on their own instead of being guided by their preschool teachers. Having graduated from a K-8 school myself, I remember taking the opportunity for a little "re-invention" and going into high school determined to have a wider group of friends, get involved in student government and rely on my self more. I wonder if this experience better prepares our children for the entry to college? I will soon find out as my oldest was accepted early action to the college he wanted to attend in New York City. So did his High Meadows best friend. Although they will be a different colleges, their friendship continues just as it did when they went to different high schools. Graduating in 8th grade has all kinds of hidden lessons for our children. Trust the process. They'll be ready. Hope to see you at alumni night!
ReplyDeleteHaving been in business this type of expansion is the stuff that kills business. They try and expand/merge and end-up destroying themselves. The only way to do this is as follows (in my opinion):
ReplyDelete1. Start a whole new footprint with minimal involvement from existing High Meadows. You want very little energy being spent by HM leadership as this will negatively impact current operations. And you owe to the families to be giving them your full energy. I just can't stress this enough, you have to stay out off it almost completely. You really need a separate leadership team to kick this off. Use former HM leaders and find someone who knows Bernie Marcus.
2. The second way to do this is to start by just adding 9th grade. You figure out how to fit them into current buildings or build a new one, modestly. I know we won't have all of the features that a regular high school has in athletics, arts, and academics. But so what? You'll have students who will enroll. The market is just there for private schools. After 9th grade they'll go somewhere else. See how that goes. Then add 10th grade if 9th grade is going well.
Thanks so much for reading. You're right--it's always important to go into such things with eyes wide open and realistic expectations. And the diversion of attention (the head's in particular) from the core purpose can be a major issue. The other schools I've talked to added one grade at a time, usually with the expectation that it would work beyond that.
DeleteWell said, G. I have heard similar stories from many alumni and past parents. I'm so please that HMS prepared your boys so well! Thanks for responding.
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