Every ten years, we are asked to affirm our mission, why we do what we do, and how we witness in action that work as part of an ongoing Accreditation process with the New England Association of Colleges and Schools. This is not about questioning whether Proctor will be accredited as an independent school, but about understanding how effectively we are pursuing our mission, and how we might become better stewards of that which we say we do.
Like every organization, periodic review of our mission asks us to question what makes us indispensable. Why should we exist? Why do we matter? Each student and family finds Proctor for a different reason, and while there may be no single answer to this question, ultimately, we exist to change young people’s lives, to see the potential in students, and then help guide them toward that potential. In a world that is ever-changing, we must also ask ourselves what might make us irrelevant. What might get in the way of us delivering our mission and making an impact on young people? And how might we proactively navigate those challenges before they land on our doorstep. How can we be resilient as a school, as a leadership team, as employees, while also being flexible and agile as new challenges present themselves?
As Proctor engages in this process of self-evaluation over the next twelve months, we will be led by co-chairs Derek Nussbaum Wagler (Dean of Teaching and Learning) and Heather Mather (Controller) alongside a steering committee. This group will empower leaders for each of the standards of the accreditation process. The Standards against which we will evaluate ourselves range from looking carefully at the current health and safety protocols of the school to long-term strategic planning to delivery of educational programs.
Each of the fourteen standards of accreditation are critical to our overall health as an institution. As we prepare our self-report to share with a NEASC visiting committee, we will meet in small groups, larger groups, and as a full employee community. We will wrestle with what we do, why we do it, and how we could do it more effectively, with a goal of measuring our progress as a school against our mission. We want to walk our talk, and need your feedback in order to do so.
An essential part of our ten-year accreditation involves distributing surveys to our employees, students, parents, and alumni. These surveys will be distributed immediately following Fall Family Weekend (mid-late October). Our hope is that when you receive this survey, you share honest, direct, and valuable feedback with us so that we can best engage in this process. Part of our responsibility will then be to share survey results back to members of the community so that our work, and our progress toward that work, becomes as transparent as possible. We believe deeply in Proctor’s “why”, and are excited to dive into this work of affirming and improving that why over the coming year.
Learn more about the NEASC Accreditation Process Here!
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