On October 10th, Avenues parents were blindsided to learn that their school had been acquired by Nord Anglia. Bloomberg reporters Katia Porzecanski, Amanda Gordon and Nic Querolo broke the news to the public that the New York and Sao Paulo campuses were under new management. I said,
“Parents don’t like surprises. Avenues is a strong brand name, and they want to retain that despite the unexpected transition,” said Emily Glickman, founder of Abacus Guide Educational Consulting. “You want to think your child’s school is a school, not a company. These kinds of announcements always come as a shock. Parents crave stability and certainty.”
I hope that Avenues and Nord Anglia will be crystal clear with parents about if and how the school will change as a result of the transition. In the over ten years since it has been founded, parents flocked to Avenues for its strong bilingual, technical, entrepreneurial and college preparation programs. Hopefully the new school management can offer parents as much if not more.