The Galloway School Earns Reaccreditation

by Assistant Head of School for Community Engagement Gordon Mathis

Every five years, Galloway must go through the process of self-study and reflection to earn re-accreditation with the Southern Association of Independent Schools, the governing body of independent schools in the region.

From October 3-5, The Galloway School hosted six educational leaders from fellow SAIS schools to assess the progress of the school since the previous visit. The visitors came from schools in Miami, Charlotte, and Memphis, as well as one visitor who is an SAIS staff member in Philadelphia. Since the previous SAIS visit in 2015, Galloway has instituted the FLIK program providing a range of lunch choices for students and teachers, has established a professional Human Resources department to meet the needs of an institution of 160 employees, and has created the Teaching and Learning department to help all teachers hone their skills in the classroom.

The visitors also noted the ambitious components of Galloway’s current strategic plan. They acknowledge the importance of the development of the person, currently focusing on the work of the guidance counselors at each level to help students with social and emotional learning. They also recognized the importance of curricular framework to lay the foundation of a scope and structure for all academic disciplines across Early, Middle, and Upper Learning. Finally, the assessors praised the school’s continuing commitment to experiential learning through the Galloway traditions like The Happening, Immersion, and Excursion. 

Additionally, the members of the visiting team specifically lauded the school for the creation of a program for diversity, equity, and inclusion, noting that the school is poised to prepare students and their families for participation in the increasingly diverse world of the next fifty years.

To the sound of cheers from the faculty and staff, the SAIS visiting team conferred the status of re-accreditation on The Galloway School in recognition of the school’s commitment to continuous growth and sustained improvement. 

In today’s world of accountability in education, accreditation serves as a critical component of a school’s demonstrated effectiveness and ability to provide successful schooling for children. A school that is able to achieve accreditation demonstrates a commitment to a process that requires the school to meet a set of rigorous standards; to engage in a program of continuous school improvement; and to demonstrate quality assurance to its stakeholders through self-evaluation and peer-review. SAIS accreditation provides schools access to an integrated network of services and technical assistance that supports every school’s ability to identify and meet its goals for improving the teaching and learning process and mission-focused outcomes for students.