NAIS Leadership Academy

The NAIS Leadership Academy offers immersive professional development experiences designed exclusively for school leaders seeking to elevate their leadership impact. This dynamic program offers four specialized tracks, each tailored to address the critical challenges and opportunities facing today’s school leaders.

Participants will learn and develop strategies across three key domains necessary for a thriving school community: leadership and governance, school sustainability and operations, and school climate and culture. 

Program Tracks

Leading Your Growth

Develop a personalized leadership roadmap that fosters self-awareness, resilience, and strategic vision. Through expert-led sessions and peer collaboration, participants will refine their leadership philosophy, enhance decision-making skills, and cultivate a growth mindset to lead with confidence and clarity.

NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute

2026 dates TBD

• The NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) offers participants the opportunity to engage in a purposeful and evolving community of practice aimed at meeting today’s challenges and transforming them into avenues for strategic growth and innovation.

NAIS School Leadership Institute

2026 dates TBD

• The NAIS School Leadership Institute (SLI) is an intensive, three-day program to help you better understand your own leadership style and identify your strengths—as well as areas for growth—in five key facets of independent school leadership.

NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads

2026-2027 cohort details TBD

• The NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads is a yearlong program that includes small group mentorship with an experienced head, in-person and virtual learning, including a summer institute of engaging sessions, and lifelong relationships with a cohort of supportive peers. The fellowship program is best suited for independent school administrators who are seriously considering headship in the next few years.

NAIS Leading Assistant Institute

April 23-24, 2026; NAIS Headquarters, Washington, DC

• Elevate your administrative expertise at the premier professional development opportunity designed for executive assistants and assistants to heads in independent schools. Join colleagues from across the United States for two days of skill-building, strategic learning, and meaningful networking. 

Leading for Influence

Strengthen your ability to inspire and mobilize stakeholders across your school community. This track focuses on building organizational capacity through strategic communication, relationship-building, and leveraging influence to drive meaningful change and secure long-term institutional success.

NAIS Institute for New Heads

2026 dates TBD

• The NAIS Institute for New Heads (INH) is a program for individuals starting their first or second year of headship. Join us to build a strong peer and mentor network, acquire an understanding of the essential tasks of headship, and return to school supported by a toolkit of valuable resources.

NAIS Leadership Through Partnership

2026 dates TBD

• NAIS Leadership Through Partnership (LTP) is a foundational governance program that provides heads and board chairs dedicated time to build a collaborative relationship, learn about best governance practices, and explore the most common challenges and opportunities facing independent schools today.

Leading for Climate and Culture

Build and sustain a thriving school culture that fosters engagement, belonging, and shared purpose. Participants will explore strategies for shaping a strong organizational climate, aligning values with daily practices, and leading through times of transition and transformation.

NAIS Institute on Intercultural Dialogue in Partnership with the Institute for Global Learning (formerly GEBG)

2026 dates TBD

• This two-day institute, organized by NAIS in partnership with the Institute for Global Learning (formerly known as Global Education Benchmark Group or GEBG), focuses on how schools can utilize intercultural dialogue to engage your community and further your strategic goals, especially around contested issues or at times of division.

Leading Modern Learning

Stay ahead of the evolving educational landscape by exploring innovative teaching and learning models. This track examines the intersection of leadership and pedagogy, equipping leaders with the data and insights to implement forward-thinking curricula, integrate cutting-edge learning strategies, and prepare students for the future.

NAIS Emergent Design Lab (EDL): Inclusion in the New Legal Landscape

2026 dates TBD

• What do you need to know about the new legal landscape for inclusion and belonging work, and what are the most effective programs that independent schools can still legally pursue? In the NAIS Emergent Design Lab (EDL), law professor and inclusion expert Kenji Yoshino will answer these questions. By the end of the workshop, you'll be equipped to play both defense and offense. You'll understand the new legal constraints on your work, and how you can nonetheless advance inclusion in transformational ways.

NAIS Institute on Leading Systems for Teacher Learning

2026 dates TBD

• The NAIS Institute on Leading Systems for Teacher Learning is designed for small teams of school leaders to practice adaptive leadership skills and mindsets to address complex, evolving problems. Teams also build instructional coherence across departments through purposefully designed professional development systems centered on teacher learning and growth.

Please contact us with any questions.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Interested in sponsorship opportunities at NAIS Leadership Academy events? Learn more here.
 

NAIS reserves the right to cancel an event if there is insufficient enrollment. In this situation, participants will be notified well in advance of the event and given a full refund.