TLIS Domain three

Independent School Governance and Leadership

Leading technology in independent schools can often feel like building the plane while flying it. You solve problems behind the scenes, keep everything running, and yet when it comes to your own growth as a leader, you hit an invisible ceiling. 

Independent schools stand at a fork in the road. On one side are those doubling down on tradition—clinging to formulas that have served them well for decades, avoiding innovation, and treating AI as a threat to be managed rather than a tool to be explored.

Independent schools face a familiar challenge when it comes to technology support: should you build a fully in-house IT team, buy outside services, or create a blended approach?

A department head emails an updated budget—only to realize their version doesn’t align with the master spreadsheet.

In 2024, a Digital Education Council survey found that 88% of students said they use artificial intellig

David Boxer, TLIS, knows that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, so to fill the gaps, he leans on his dynamic team at The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.