The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

s and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary schools; boys', girls', and coeducational schools. NAIS has affiliate members internationally as well. NAIS's mission is to be the national voice of independent schools and the center for

collective action Collective action refers to action taken together by a group of people whose goal is to enhance their condition and achieve a common objective. It is a term that has formulations and theories in many areas of the social sciences including psych ...

on their behalf.

Membership

As of the 2010–11 school year, NAIS represented approximately 1,400 member independent schools and associations in the United States, serving more than 562,000 students and 121,000 teachers, administrators, and other staff. Membership in NAIS is open to independent pre-college schools operated by

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organizations. To become a full member of NAIS, a school must have operated for at least five years and must be

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by an accrediting organization approved by NAIS.

Accreditation criteria

Over the course of a 10-year cycle, associations prepare a self-study demonstrating compliance with th
Criteria for Effective Independent School Accreditation Practices
The criteria provide common ground for member associations by delineating best practices, policies, and procedures. In addition, associations use the Model Core Standards—a set of "ideal" standards—in assessing their own standards. As part of the process of "accrediting the accreditors," each member association: * Hosts a visit from a team composed of commission members; * Receives written recommendations from the commission; and * Engages in follow-up activities to improve the state or regional accreditation process. Accountability serves two purposes: ongoing association improvement and advancement.

Background

History

The NAIS was organized in 1962, the result of the merger of th
Independent Schools Education Board
and the National Council of Independent Schools. In response to requests from several state, regional, and national accrediting organizations, the NAIS commission on accreditation was established by the NAIS Board of Trustees in 2001 and convened for the first time in 2002. The 19 member commission's work was intended to assure the quality of independent school accrediting programs. The commission's primary responsibility was to develop a public understanding of and credibility for state and regional accrediting programs. In addition, the commission developed criteria for effective independent school accreditation practices, standards, and successful accreditation policy and procedure models and engaged in research to inform accreditation practice. It was composed of members from state and regional accrediting associations that were members of NAIS, at-large members, and NAIS Board members. The NAIS commission on accreditation disbanded in 2018. The successor organization, the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation
ICAISA
, began formal operations in 2018 as an independent 501(c)(3) organization.

Organizational structure

The NAIS board of trustees comprises eighteen members, led by the officers and the Executive Committee. Board members serve three-year terms. The board appoints the NAIS president, who oversees association business with the aid of a small staff. . Over the course of a 10-year cycle, associations prepared a self-study demonstrating compliance with the Criteria for Effective Independent School Accreditation Practices. The criteria provided common ground for member associations by delineating best practices, policies, and procedures. In addition, associations used Model Core Standards – a set of “ideal” standards — in assessing their own standards. As part of "accrediting the accreditors", each member association hosts a visit from other accredited association members, receives written recommendations, and engages in follow-up activities to improve the state or regional accreditation process. As with school accreditation, this served two purposes: institutional improvement and quality assurance.

Accreditation commission

References

External links

National Association of Independent Schools
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Association Of Independent Schools Private and independent school organizations in the United States School accreditors United States schools associations