America on the Move

This fascinating map from today's New York Times tells a story that underlies a demographic shift affecting boards and admissions offices everywhere (but not to the same degree).I asked a board yesterday at a day school in North Carolina how many at the table were born in the state, and only about a third of the hands went up. My anecdotal observation was that this is very different from what one would have seen 40-50 years ago, and today's NYT provides the confirmation.So, not only are more of our prospective families new to the market--and with less history to draw on in making their school choices--but more and more of our board members themselves are lacking multi-generational institutional ties. If love and affection for the institutional brand wanes as glue binding trustees to school, what takes its place? Time for a renewed emphasis on mission, public purpose and benefits; e.g., value-added, not just to a given child's life, but also to the larger community.