Helbing to serve on accreditation team

Jennifer Helbing (’98), Lower School dean and learning specialist, has been asked to be a member of the SAIS-SACS accreditation team that will visit The Howard School in Atlanta in April 2013. The visit will be chaired by Ian Craig, head of school of Harding Academy in Nashville, Tenn.

Helbing has been a member of Darlington's faculty since 2007, serving previously as a Lower School teacher and Middle School learning specialist. She holds a B.S.Ed. from the University of Georgia and an M.Ed. from Georgia State University, where she focused on students with multiple and severe disabilities. She has more than a decade of experience in elementary education.

According to the Southern Association of Independent Schools website, accreditation is based on a peer-review model that derives its greatest benefit from peer educators reviewing the school’s self-study and responses to standards/indicators evaluating them in light of the evidence gathered during the team visit.

The visit will last approximately 2.5 days, during which time Helbing and the other members of the accreditation team will review the school’s compliance with SAIS-SACS standards/indicators and its self-study; tour the school; and speak with a variety of stakeholders, including administrators, faculty/staff, parents, board members and students. At the conclusion of the visit, the team will create a visit report, which provides a recommendation to the SAIS Accreditation Committee regarding the school’s accreditation.

In order to serveas a team member for SAIS and SAIS-SACS visits, one must be from a school that is accredited by SAIS, SACS, or an agency approved by the NAIS Commission on Accreditation; attend the SAIS team training workshop; and agree not to accept team member assignments at schools where a conflict of interest exists. For additional information, please visit www.sais.org.