Latin hosted a team from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) from November 17 to November 20. Team members assessed various school departments, and ISACS Visiting Team Chair Anne Stavney concluded with an exit report presenting praise and recommendations in front of faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees.

The accreditation team arrived in Chicago on November 17 to conduct their opening meeting and received a tour of the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools before heading to a formal reception in the Learning Commons. They concluded their day with a team meeting, which occurred all four days of the visit.

On day two, specialized meetings were held between visiting team members and various Latin School departments, focusing on academics, student life, and operations.

Latin prepared for this visit for over a year, according to Head of School Thomas Hagerman. “Last year was a year in which we asked all of our faculty to document their curriculum, their classes, the different programs and services that Latin offers,” he said.

In addition to the faculty and staff meetings, Dr. Hagerman met with leaders of the visiting team, Chair Anne Stavney, and Assistant Leader Ben Ottenweller, in a meeting on the second day of the visit. Both Stavney and Ottenweller are heads of other independent schools in the Midwest. “Although I met with the lead, via Zoom and on the phone, I hadn’t had the opportunity to connect in person, really in a meaningful way,” Dr. Hagerman said.

The third day brought more small group meetings between the visiting team members and Latin. Unlike the other days, however, the ISACS team was given a Latin lunch experience and dined in either the Lower, Middle, or Upper School. The remainder of the day was dedicated to follow-up meetings between Latin faculty/staff and the team members.

On the fourth and final day of the visit, the visiting teams reviewed their findings from the previous meetings. They finalized their individual chapter reports with feedback and recommendations, which were all included in the exit report.

“[The visiting team] commented and complimented us on the student experience and how many options students get here, and the sort of quality of those options,” Dr. Hagerman said.

An area of improvement includes shaping Latin’s identity as a school. “There’s a lot of different options within Chicagoland for independent schools now, and so what really differentiates us in the market from other options?” Dr. Hagerman said.

While the exit report presented useful feedback, Dr. Hagerman noted that Latin will receive a more detailed evaluation from ISACS in the coming weeks.