March 1 marks the start of Women’s History Month. This is a moment in the year when we look back at our founding. One Schoolhouse was founded as the Online School for Girls in 2009,  the world’s first single-gender online school and the world’s first online independent school. We were founded with the belief that the values that power girls’ education–collaborating, creating, connecting, and engaging in real-world application–are the same values that make online learning a powerful experience.

​Our blog post this week was inspired by your own responses to our Pulse question last week, asking what you enjoy most about being an Academic Leader–you’ll see some quotes from the inspiring responses we received. 
Academic Leaders, this Valentine’s Day, we want to share a little bit of the love we feel for who you are, what you do, and the essential role you play in schools everywhere. 

Several decades ago, as compelling new ideas on teaching and learning began to arise, independent schools created a new class of administrators, charged with oversight and planning of schools’ academic programs. Academic deans, assistant heads for teaching and learning—titles proliferated, and the work became ever more complex.
 
In 1999 I became one of these administrators in a coeducational day school serving grades 6 through 12. It was my first foray into actual administration; I’d been a department chair, but never part of an actual “administrative team.”
 
I was an “office” of one. 

(Too) many years ago, an author who had literally “written the book”  returned a cold call from a newly minted academic dean who faced a dilemma. The new dean felt insecure about approaching the wise and kind head of school who had hired her (and who ultimately became a wonderful mentor). The author kindly let the dean know that he did, in fact, know who she was from her participation on a listserv to which they both contributed. His sage advice saved the day and, while I don’t remember the dilemma itself (yes, that was me!), what I do remember is feeling utterly alone and unsure of where to turn. Over time, I built a network of peers in similar roles via online forums, conference connections, and referrals. And, of course, I kept in touch with Peter…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 7, 2022 – One Schoolhouse is proud to announce the formation of the Association for Academic Leaders, an organization designed to support academic administrators in independent schools.
 
“This is an important moment for independent school Academic Leaders,” said Brad Rathgeber, Head of School for One Schoolhouse. “Academic Leaders need a champion and One Schoolhouse is uniquely positioned to lead in this way.”