The Head’s Transition Playbook

Log in to view this playbook or learn more about the Independent School Executive Forum.

Independent schools experience head of school transitions more often than ever before, but most haven’t had the opportunity to perfect the transition process. With that in mind, we have gathered the advice and experience of 25 independent school leaders into a playbook designed to help guide you through this challenging process.

In creating this playbook, we spoke with outgoing heads of school and new heads of school, as well as their board chairs, administrators, and executive search consultants. Based on those conversations and our research, we created a series of guidance and tools to help schools ensure a smooth transition from one head of school to the next. Because every transition is unique, and each school is operating on a timeline specific to their situation, each tool might not be applicable in every situation. The resources included in this playbook can be adapted and customized to suit your school’s specific context.

The playbook is divided into three parts, one for each stakeholder: incoming head of school, board chair, and outgoing head of school. Additional guidance and links to the tools and resources is below.