Hopkins Aims to Improve During Reaccreditation

Rose Porosoff '27 News Editor and Anvi Pathak '26 News Editor

This year, Hopkins is undergoing reaccreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), a process that helps ensure the school meets high standards across academics, resources, safety, and student experience. According to Head of School Matt Glendinning, the reaccreditation study “examines key factors in a school’s success such as resources, admissions, the academic program, the student experience, health, and safety.” Though reaccreditation is required for NEASC recognition, the process also offers opportunities for reflection and growth. The NEASC process essentially forces a school to undertake this kind of work,” said Glendinning, “and that is fundamentally beneficial for the school, its students and families.”

Hopkins typically engages in rigorous self-study once every ten years during accreditation by NEASC, however due to COVID-19, the school was last reaccredited in 2013. Glendinning explained why reaccreditation is so valuable, aside from being necessary to function as a school: “The NEASC process essentially forces a school to undertake this kind of work and that is fundamentally beneficial for the school, its students and families.”

Throughout the self-study, all students, parents, faculty, and staff are encouraged to provide input, and Glendinning describes their feedback as “valuable and insightful.” The entire Hopkins faculty meets to share ideas to benefit and improve the school. Glendinning explained that “every employee is asked to serve on a committee focused on one of the standards, some including health and safety or the academic programs.” The committee thinks “really deeply about what Hopkins is currently doing and what we may want to do in the future.”

The self-study is followed by rounds of visits by educators from NEASC. The goal of their visit is to assess the validity of the school’s self-study, as well as provide recommendations for the school to improve. Glendining elaborated on the accreditation process: “We began this process last September. We have completed the first section of our self-study and will be hosting a small visiting committee from NEASC on April 13-15. We’ll complete the rest of the study by June and will be hosting a large delegation from NEASC (around a dozen people) next fall, November 2-5.”

Glendinning described the reaccreditation process as “quality control and assurance [...] Most schools like Hopkins – as well as colleges and universities – belong to one of a number of accrediting organizations in the U.S.” He further explained that “the purpose of accreditation is to provide the public with documentable assurance that the school is successfully achieving its stated mission and operating effectively.”

Assistant Head of School John Roberts added that reaccreditation closely examines Hopkins’ aspects like enrollment, governance, support for students, greater community, professional development, and more. Roberts stated: “Once you really explore each of these aspects, it [reaccreditation] really makes you look hard at what you're doing, places where you think you're particularly strong, [and] places where you think you could improve.”

Students also saw the process as a chance for reflection and feedback. Albert Gan ’25 agrees that accreditation provides opportunities to “reflect on the past decades and what changes we need to make going forward.” He added that he’d like to see“better club timing,” because “one hour a week, just on Wednesdays, is not enough.” Claire Li ’28 thinks that “a lot of people are attracted to Hopkins, particularly because of the academic rigor it provides,” and accreditation can give helpful information to families applying to Hopkins.

Both Glendinning and Roberts set out goals for the process and explained the importance of it. Glendinning hopes to “unit[e] a school community around the process of self-reflection and improvement for the future.” Roberts wants to give NEASC “an awesome report that would really lead them and help them understand who we are.”

Student Council President Alexander Skula ’25 said reaccreditation shows the community that Hopkins “can have its own liberties in being a school, but also meets a standard that is set by some outside organization.”

The NEASC’s recommendations in 2013 led to major improvements. “They recommended that the school strive to create more space to support the performing arts program, and invest in more staff and infrastructure to enhance campus safety and security,” Glendinningn said. “Both initiatives became top priorities for the school and Hopkins is now in a fundamentally different place on both fronts than it was 10 years ago.”

Back

online edition

The Student Newspaper of Hopkins School

Hopkins Aims to Improve During Reaccreditation