“How do we explain what it means to be an Episcopal school?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions of NAES.
It is difficult to communicate that which we do not understand or cannot name. The first step for any Episcopal school is to gain a sound understanding of the history and purpose of Episcopal education, and to locate the school within this larger context. What distinguishing values, traditions, and characteristics of the school ground its Episcopal identity? How does our school communicate these characteristics to internal and external constituencies alike? And, of course, each school expresses its Episcopal identity in its own way based on the school’s geography, the social and educational contexts within which it operates, and the diocese or parish of which it is a part.
That’s why it is important for each school to have a firm understanding of Episcopal education – to revisit and review regularly how the school understands itself and is seen by others as “Episcopal,” and to be intentional about how that identity is communicated to various constituencies.
The summer months are an ideal time to take stock and make a plan for the year ahead. Here are five strategies to assist you in this work:
1. Pull the leadership team together to talk about who you are as an Episcopal school. Identify areas of strength and clarity as well as areas of confusion. Share your school’s Episcopal story. Consider the visible symbols and cultural norms that embody your schools’ “E.” Talk together about how these might be celebrated, strengthened, or better understood. NAES offers a range of articles, publications, and Principles of Good Practice that can be incorporated into senior staff meetings, retreats, or leadership team discussions.
2. Take stock of your website and publications through the lens of Episcopal identity. How and where do you explicate, reference, and communicate the “Episcopal” part of what it means to be a student, parent, or teacher at your school? What would a prospective parent, student, or employee learn about your school’s Episcopal values and traditions by visiting your website? Is this information accurate, clear, and compelling? Or vague, absent, or incomplete?
Here are some helpful tips for websites:
- Don’t make it difficult for people to figure out what “Episcopal” means at your school. Address Episcopal identity in the top level of your website.
- Have an easy-to-find section or sections on chapel, spiritual life, religious studies, and service.
- Do not forget to feature the school’s Episcopal identity in the News and Media sections of the website through photos or stories about service activities and service learning, chapel, or other events; a message from the chaplain; a feature on the religious studies program; parent, student, or alumni/ae profiles about the impact of the school; curricular or other school initiative tied to the school’s Episcopal mission and ethos.
- Pictures are worth many thousands of words. Curate short videos, photo galleries, and website banners.
3. Review your admissions messaging. How will the school’s Episcopal identity be addressed during tours and open houses? Develop an “elevator speech” that highlights three or four key characteristics or core values that you want to be sure prospective parents and students understand about your school. What questions arise about the school’s Episcopal identity over and over again during the admission process? Develop clear, succinct, and easily understood ways to answer these questions. What common misconceptions are out there about who you are as an “Episcopal” school? Attend to these openly and directly.
4. Develop an “Episcopal identity marketing plan” for the year ahead. New parents, faculty members, and students join your school each fall, and current student and families move into a new grade or division. Do not assume that they understand what “Episcopal” feels or looks like year-over-year. If you are a parish day school, do not assume that new parishioners, parish staff, and clergy know a great deal about your school or about Episcopal education.
Think about how the school can highlight, underscore, and communicate its Episcopal values and ethos with various constituencies in the year ahead. Consider community events, signage and displays, articles and newsletters, and any school wide themes for the year. Identify places in the school calendar that embody what it means at your school to be an Episcopal school. Don’t overlook highlighting chapel programs and service learning activities.
5. Develop a board, faculty, and parent education plan, such as a session on Episcopal identity at an opening meeting or retreat, parent coffee or adult education session, or faculty in-service day or faculty meeting. Invite a discussion for the chaplain(s), rector, or other Episcopal clergy to talk about the ethos, history, and theology of the Episcopal Church.
Episcopal schools offer a compelling approach to education and human formation, and the Episcopal identity of each school can and should be one of its distinctive key strengths. Summer is a perfect time to step back, take stock, and make a plan.