NCAIS Headway 2026-2027

Headway is a yearlong professional learning experience for early-career Heads of School and the aspiring leaders preparing to step into Headship. A program of the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools, it runs September through May as a single cohort, combining four in-person full-day sessions, monthly virtual sessions, and participation in two NCAIS conferences. Together, participants build the mindsets, skills, habits, and relationships that sustain a full career of school leadership.

What distinguishes Headway is its conviction that leading a school is not only an operational challenge but a formative one. The program rests on a simple belief: the best school leaders help their students, faculty, and communities flourish, and they lead from a foundation of character, clarity, and purpose. Participants develop practical command of the work, from finance and governance to enrollment, law, and crisis management, while attending just as seriously to who they are becoming as leaders. 

Each session is led by an accomplished practitioner or subject-matter expert who brings real-world wisdom to a topic that matters deeply to the leaders in the room.

• Leading in Education Today
• The Educational Landscape in NC and Beyond
• Being and Leading as Your Authentic Self
• Executive Decision-Making
• Setting Strategy
• Federal & State Legislation Impacting Schools today
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Independent School Law
• Advancement, Enrollment, and MarComm
• Sexual Misconduct Investigations
• School Operations
• Running and Effective Meeting
• Board/Head Relationships
• Governance
• Student & Faculty Wellbeing
• Shaping a Positive Climate & Culture
• Stakeholder Management
• Crisis/Reputation Management
• The Search Process
• Resume Building & Effective Networking