Our History

It should come as no surprise that National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls started in 1920 – the very same year of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote. The Association of Collegiate Alumnae must have had the 19th Amendment on their mind as they formed the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls. The empowerment of women in America was reaching a crescendo after a successful 72 year struggle to affirm women’s right to vote.

Education had long been a field that recognized and embraced the value of women as professionals in the workplace, and the NAPSG looked to continue the development and support of the leaders of Girls’ schools as a national network of heads of schools.  The areas of administration, academics, as well as the larger issues of standards and ideals for school and life were especially important in schools for girls. Connecting these heads of schools with college admissions representatives also emerged as an important avenue to the continued education and success of young women, along with ongoing discussion about College Entrance Board examinations and a foreign exchange program for teachers.

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The NAPSG's mission was to further the professional growth of its members by providing a forum in which issues pertinent to the education of girls and young women are presented and discussed. School heads and other representatives of member schools and colleges meet to address issues ranging from curricular and administrative policies to moral education and the role of women in a complex and changing world.

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The Heads Network Today

The NAPSG Council held a retreat to vision the organization going forward in November, 2012. The results of the meeting led to a name change, a revised mission and a list of core tenets. In February 2013, NAPSG became The Heads Network.

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The Heads Network speaks to its mission of advancing girls and women in leadership in independent schools in several significant ways. The Annual Meeting is a two-day event held each year just prior to the NAIS Annual Conference. Guest speakers provide the attendees differing and challenging perspectives, and the meeting is a forum for the discussion of innovations, trends and mutual challenges in schools. Of utmost value, is an opportunity to collaborate with fellow members and to talk freely in an association that features diversity and intimacy.

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For more than 30 years, The Heads Network has sponsored the Women’s Leadership Seminar to inspire and equip future women leaders. Held twice each year, many Seminar participants are now school heads in the United States and internationally. Over 900 women have attended Seminars which continue to be at capacity… a testament to the leadership of the association. 2017 finds The Heads Network working strategically to further its mission and  meet the needs of its members. Now is an exciting time in the history of The Heads Network, one with a rich past and a bright future.