In this episode, Dr. Robert Evans and Dr. Michael Thompson, authors of the new NAIS book Hopes and Fears -- Working with Today’s Independent School Parents, discuss the power dynamics between parents, teachers, and school leaders, the role of the board in parent relations, and how parent board members can serve more effectively. Rob is a psychologist and school consultant. A former high school and preschool teacher and a former child and family therapist, he has consulted to more than 1,700 schools, including 700 NAIS schools. He served for nearly 40 years as executive director of the Human Relations Service, a nonprofit mental health agency in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Rob’s interests are in leadership, helping schools manage change, improving adult relationships within schools, and crisis intervention.
Michael is a clinical psychologist, author, and school consultant. He has worked in schools for 50 years, starting out as a middle school teacher and later training as a counselor and psychologist. Now the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School (MA), he has worked with more than 700 schools in the U.S., Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central America. In addition, he served as the longtime facilitator for the NAIS Institute for New Heads and later for the Academy of International School Heads. He has also served on the board of the American Camp Association.