8 a.m. CT  |  Registration & Breakfast

9  |  Designing for Culture   |  Antonio Viva, Leadership+Design
Talking about school culture can be a bit like wrestling with a shadow. It is ambiguous and hard to grasp. Still, it’s hard to avoid – culture is at the heart of school success. The greatest obstacle for schools when it comes to the healthy evolution of their cultures is the inability to honestly see it—or to clearly articulate it. When this happens, schools get stuck, and it becomes hard to see the levers we can pull to drive change. Learn to avoid this trap and experience a design thinking process to unearth new insights about your culture and generate actionable steps to shape your culture.

Leave with:

• language for talking about school culture
• insights into how your culture is experienced now
• a set of actionable, shared cultural aspirations
• potential initiatives to shape your school
• an actionable set of initiatives and received feedback to help launch them

11:30  |  Lunch  |  By Division

12:45 p.m.  |  Designing for Culture pt.2

4–5:30  |  Choose Your Own Adventure  |  Select from:

Lessons in Leadership: Conversation with Current Heads
Dan Frank, Francis W. Parker School, Angela Garcia, Near North Montessori, & Michael Kennedy, Frances Xavier Warde School
A panel of successful heads of school will share their unique leadership paths as well as the challenges and rewards of school leadership. This session also will provide the opportunity to ask questions about all aspects of work and life as a head of school. Whether you are an aspiring head of school or are just interested in knowing more about school leadership, we invite you to join us for this spirited and informative discussion.

Moments at the Museum: A Visit to The Art Institute of Chicago
Step away from your role as division head and into the world-famous Art Institute of Chicago. Tour alone or with colleagues. Take some time for yourself — you will not regret it! An ISACS staff person will walk participants to the museum for this ticketed event. Pre-register to attend the Art Institute during online registration. No additional fee is required.

Refresh & Recharge
You may choose to enjoy the city on your own or with friends: shop, walk, exercise, read or rest – treat yourself, and then mingle with colleagues at the hotel’s complimentary wine hour, hotel lobby, 5–6 p.m.

6–7  |  ISACS Networking Happy Hour
Gather with colleagues at the Kimpton Gray Hotel for wine and appetizers. Although participation is included in the registration fee, pre-registration for the Happy Hour is required. Location in hotel forthcoming.

8 a.m. CT  |  Breakfast

9  |  Legal Bootcamp for Division Heads  |  Dana Fattore Crumley, Franczek
Investigating complaints, addressing employee (employee/student) misconduct, hiring, and firing decisions, maintaining records, and abiding by contractual obligations with parents—all tasks which require a clear understanding of law and policy. This “bootcamp” session will provide guidance for division heads on fundamental legal principles which apply to these tasks, and best practices to avoid liability.

11  |  Lunch, By Division

noon  |  Jazz & Controversy: Leadership Lessons from Both Sides of the Curtain  |  Jason Patera, Chicago Academy for the Arts 
As leaders within schools, we build culture, make difficult decisions, navigate potential crisis and controversy every day. Some of the time we are in a position to draw upon formal training and high-quality mentorship but much of the time we must rely on our instincts, professional experiences, and informal and peripheral training for the perspective and skills we need to effectively lead within our communities. We will explore how to learn like a jazz musician and look at the connections between our learning and our leadership, and leave more ready to manage culture, controversy, and crisis.

1:30  |  Consulting with Colleagues
Practice a powerful and effective consulting protocol to gain insights into your own leadership challenges as you also provide insights to others. Practice a protocol you can use immediately back at school. 

2:30  |  Academy Concludes

Creating a New Contact Record

• Visit the Member Portal and select the Sign-Up tab
• Enter your SCHOOL email address & create a new password
• Follow the prompts to send the verification email and then click on the “Confirm my account” link in that email, following the steps.
  • Check your quarantine, spam, and junk folders

Note: If you were in the pre-2021 ISACS database, the new system will identify you based on your name and/or email domain, link your record to the school, and prompt you to update your information.

Log In to Your Existing Contact Record

• Visit the Member Portal and select the Log In tab
• Enter your SCHOOL email address & password
  • If you forgot your password, click on reset your password*
    *Resetting your password will only work if you have logged in after July 2021 and created a new password. Otherwise follow the steps to set up a new account.

Cancellations must be sent to programinfo@isacs.org ten business days prior to the event to receive a refund. ISACS will determine the refund amount, if any, on a per event basis and may be unable to determine the refund amount until the Academy’s conclusion. At any time, registration may be transferred to another member from the same school. If the Academy has a waitlist and ISACS can identify a replacement, a full refund will be provided. If you feel ill or are experiencing flu-like symptoms, please remain at home.

ISACS reserves the right to revoke the registration and end the participation of any registrant who does not follow the ISACS Policies & Disclaimers for Professional Learning Events.