Trust as Your School's Strategic Advantage, Part 1: The Evaluation Framework

Connected Schools Series

Every school leader has asked themselves: "Am I the only one dealing with this?"

Connected Schools exists because the most valuable insights don't come from consultants or conference keynotes—they come from conversations with peers who've walked in your shoes. Our monthly series brings together experienced school leaders, administrators, and safety experts for authentic discussions about the operational challenges that keep you up at night: building safety cultures, managing emergencies, implementing new policies, and creating systems that actually work.

We created this series after hearing from dozens of education leaders who were hungry for real talk from real schools. No product demos, no sales pitches—just practical wisdom from professionals who understand that every decision you make impacts the safety and success of your students.

Webinar Overview

Trust isn't just a feel-good value in independent schools—it's your strategic advantage. But here's the tension many administrators face: How do you maintain the personal, relationship-driven culture that defines independent education while implementing the sophisticated technology and safety systems modern schools require?

Join us for Part 1 of a two-part series exploring how your vendor partnerships either strengthen or undermine the trust your families, faculty, and community place in your school. In this first session, experienced school leaders will share their frameworks for evaluating potential partners—because when it comes to the systems that touch student safety, operations, and daily experience, who you partner with matters as much as what you implement.

What You'll Learn:

• The vetting process: How school leaders evaluate vendor trustworthiness before making decisions
• Building internal buy-in: Strategies for presenting vendor partnerships to boards, faculty, and families
• Red flags vs. green flags: What experienced administrators look for (and avoid) in vendor relationships
• Maintaining mission alignment: Questions to ask that reveal whether a vendor truly understands independent school culture
• Communication strategies: How to introduce new systems in ways that build rather than erode community confidence

Who Should Attend: Heads of School, Directors of Operations, Business Officers, and any administrator responsible for vendor selection and community trust.

Part 2 (March) will feature vendors and a school client demonstrating how these evaluation frameworks play out in real partnerships.