Beyond the Retreat: An Action Lab for Future-Ready Schools

A working day for heads, assistant heads, trustees, CFOs, and senior leaders to move from conversation to action.

The future of independent schools is already here. Independent schools are under pressure to respond to immediate challenges while also preparing for a very different future. The Action Lab for Future-Ready Schools is a one-day working experience designed to help leadership teams examine the issues that matter most and translate insight into action.

The Action Lab marks a new kind of ADVIS leadership experience: less passive conference, more working think tank. Designed for heads, assistant heads, trustees, CFOs, and senior leaders, this one-day program will help school teams examine the changing landscape of independent education and governance, and identify the strategic choices required for the future.

Presented in partnership with the Middle States Association (MSA), the day will also highlight Governance Mastery, MSA’s emerging framework for strengthening board practice, strategic alignment, and governance capacity. Rather than treating governance as a separate track, the program will position governance as a critical lever for helping schools move from future-focused ideas to meaningful institutional action.

John Gulla, Ayanna Hill-Gill, and Christian Talbot will open the day with a future-focused conversation designed to challenge assumptions and widen the lens. From there, participants will move into facilitated working sessions focused on pressure points, strategic choices, governance alignment, and implementation.

The goal is simple: leave with new ideas, practical tools, and clearer next steps for moving your school forward.