Indecisive Squirrels and the Roadmap to School Change

Change is a challenging but necessary component of all successful educational institutions. Looking to learn more about the nuances of creating change, three of Millbrook School’s finest administrators—Dean of Faculty Jasper Turner, Dean of Student Life Anna Birnbaum, and Academic Dean Eve Whitehouse—took a trip to Miss Porter’s School in Hartford, CT, to attend a workshop titled “Roadmap to School Change: From Vision to Reality.”

“I thought about conversations that I’ve had with administrators here around both the beauty that is Millbrook and the opportunity to continue to grow, and how hard it can feel to create sustainable change within that framework,” Mr. Turner explained. “I was curious to see how other schools have navigated change effectively.”

Mrs. Whitehouse echoed that sentiment, also pointing out that the workshop was a much-needed chance to focus on academics after years spent adapting programming due to COVID-19.

“We’re still who we are, but we put pause on making long-term academic plans to do COVID well and support students socio-emotionally,” she said. “So we saw this as an opportunity for a few days where we could talk more deeply about academics at Millbrook.”

While the trio of educators is always working toward enacting programmatic changes that enhance Millbrook students' academic experience, the professional development workshop encouraged them to think more about the big picture. Mr. Turner highlighted “the spaghetti of interconnectedness” that defines an educational organization, and how the conference at Miss Porter’s reminded participants to clearly define a North Star to align internal interests.

He also noted the importance of making potential improvements within a reasonable timeframe—not so quickly that the impact of the change throughout the organization isn’t considered, but not so slowly that the effect is minimal. To illustrate the latter part of this point, Mr. Turner recounted a memorable line used in the workshop: “The highway is littered with indecisive squirrels.”

With that visceral image in mind, the group began refining their roadmap for Millbrook's academic programs. A large project management poster from the conference even hangs on the wall of Mr. Turner’s office, overflowing with sticky notes representing various steps toward Millbrook’s North Star mission.

Specific initiatives they’re working on include creating a portrait of a Millbrook graduate, which Ms. Whitehouse defines as “what we want students to be like as human beings and academics by the time they leave Millbrook.” Refining that portrait requires first analyzing the curriculum map and determining the appropriate pedagogies to employ.

Mr. Turner, Ms. Whitehouse, and Ms. Burnbaum are perfect examples of how Millbrook’s faculty and administrators are always looking to grow. By constantly asking questions and self-reflecting, they ensure Millbrook stays at the forefront of college-preparatory education.