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ACCREDITATION TESTIMONIALS "The relationship forged with PAIS Accreditation Visiting Chair Chad Barnett was a cornerstone during every phase of the process for me – through the preparation, self-study, visit, post-visit, report, and moving forward with the recommendations. His investment in our process over so many months; his willingness to listen to the story about BFS during the past; and his honesty, directness, and clarity when talking through the emerging draft of the report and the final report itself was always noteworthy. It was apparent, throughout everything, that together we would all work in service of the school, our shared standards, and a common commitment to independence, innovation, and improvement." "When I told colleagues that I would be participating on a visiting committee, they excitedly shared that it would be a meaningful experience in which I would find personal and professional growth. Once I met my team, it became clear I would be collaborating with a group of experienced professionals with whom I shared values on education. The colleagues I worked with are people I would certainly reach out to in the future for advice or guidance if and when the time comes." “To survive in the 21st Century schools need to be light on their feet and able to adapt to rapid changes in the educational environment. To facilitate this need, it is essential to have an accreditation system that is willing to be flexible and allow for adjustments even at the last minute to meet new challenges. While long-term strategic planning is still valuable, one sees increasingly that the long-term plan has to address how the school will respond to quick changes in the future. It was with some concern that I looked forward to meeting with the accreditors because I wished to significantly alter the school’s original proposal in the light of recent events at the school. However, I was delighted by my first experience of accreditation with PAIS. The visitors showed a willingness to listen to the school’s ideas about moving forward even though they were not traditional and they offered useful suggestions as to how we might implement them more effectively. Thanks PAIS!” “The PAIS accreditation process was extremely beneficial for Kiski. We used the PAIS visiting team’s report as a launching point to develop our new strategic plan. Almost all of the initiatives in our plan emanate from the report. PAIS accreditation is very valuable, especially for smaller schools that might not have the financial resources to engage an outside planning consultant.” |