Fall 2023
Leaders Initiative
About the Leaders Initiative
Every school leader cares deeply about the personal growth of his students; he wants to truly partner with parents in the holistic formation of their children. Although such a partnership is at the very heart of a school’s mission, focusing on it is never as urgent as the hundreds of administrative tasks that vie for a school leader’s attention.
Participating in the Leaders Initiative offers school leaders a storehouse of practical wisdom from our work with thousands of parents and hundreds of other schools, as well as the time, space, and friendships needed to think deeply about how to translate these ideals into the daily reality of their work. Every year, the Initiative convenes select groups of leaders for a series of guided discussions on how schools can partner with parents in the holistic education of their students. As such a task is always a work-in-progress, the program serves as a launching point for an ongoing relationship with The Heights, opening up opportunities for further collaboration. Indeed, we take a personal interest in each Leaders Initiative fellow's professional future.
Meet the Team
Learn about some of the people you'll meet in the Leaders Initiative.
Alvaro de Vicente
Headmaster, The Heights School
Andrew Reed
Director of Leaders Initiative
Nate Gadiano
Executive Director
Program Details
- The Vocation of Working with Families
- Engaging Parents in a Helpful Way
- The Great Confirmation: Integrating Home and School Cultures
- A New Perspective on Admissions
- The Habits of Highly Successful School Leaders
- Hiring Partners in Formation
- Faculty Development
- The Conspiracy for the Good: Personalizing Education through Mentoring
- Freedom and Formation
- Discipline and the Developing Will
- Developing a Curriculum for Contemplatives in the World
- Key Characteristics of a School Leader
- Access to presentations from the 2022 Teaching Vocation Conference
- School Tone with Alvaro de Vicente
- The Role of Parents in the Conspiracy for the Good with Alvaro de Vicente
- On Moral Imagination with Alvaro de Vicente
- The Heights School Mentoring Handbook
- Family: The Most Formative School with Andy Reed
- How Do WE See Our Boys? with Alvaro de Vicente
- The Bedrock Principle of Fatherhood with Andy Reed
- Drafting a Faculty of Friends with Alvaro de Vicente
- Guidance for Aspiring Teachers with Alvaro de Vicente
- Six Attributes of Great Teachers with Colin Gleason
- Why Boys Need to Be Given Freedom by Andy Reed
- On Nature Journals and Observant Souls with Eric Heil
- Fact or Opinion: On Preventing (or Unwinding) Moral Relativism with Michael Moynihan
- Parenting: Patience or Optimism with Andy Reed
- His Anxiety and Ours with Alex Berthé
- Small cohorts of leaders meet virtually on a monthly basis for seminar discussions led by the program director on key topics relevant to school leadership. Meetings are tailored to fit into a busy school leader’s schedule during his working day.
- Special sessions include other members of The Heights leadership team on a variety of topics.
- In anticipation of each monthly meeting, participants receive resources pertinent to the topic of discussion.
- In addition to group sessions, each participant has the opportunity to meet with the program director on a regular basis for one-on-one mentoring.
- As part of the program, participants attend The Heights Forum’s annual teaching conference, where they participate in specialized Leaders Initiative sessions. Hosted on the campus of The Heights School, the conference provides participants the opportunity to develop professional friendships with fellow leaders, as well as the chance to meet new and aspiring teachers from around the country. Teachers are a school’s primary asset, and the conference provides a unique opportunity for leaders to find good men interested in pursuing a career in education.
- Participants have the option to visit The Heights with their administrative team during a regular school week for a customized day of class observations and meetings.
The cost per participant of school leadership programs often exceeds $5,000. We are honored to provide this opportunity at a discounted rate thanks to the generosity of donors who recognize the cultural importance of education, and especially the leadership that makes such education possible. Nevertheless, if the discounted price is beyond your school's means and you are unable to receive support, financial aid is available on a case-by-case basis.
- May 1: Application Opens
- June 1: Interviews Begin on a Case-by-Case basis
- July 30: Application Deadline
- August 15: Notification of Admissions Decision
- August 25: Deadline for Offer Decision
- October: First Sessions Begin
- November 13-15: In-Person Conference at The Heights School
Application
To apply for the Leaders Initiative, please complete the form below. Interviews for next year’s cohorts will be held during the summer. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and selected candidates will be invited for an interview. For questions or additional information about the program, please contact nate@heightsforum.org.