History

The Head Mistresses Association of the East (today The 1911 Group), the oldest NAIS organization for heads of school, was established in 1911 by a group of headmistresses of girls’ schools in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

The original mission of the association was:

To provide an opportunity for the furtherance of mutual acquaintance among heads of secondary or elementary schools for the interchange of ideas of common interest or looking towards the advancement of standards.

The association grew steadily over time to include all of the heads of the prominent girls’ schools up and down the East Coast. In the early 1960’s, the association welcomed significant numbers of heads of co-ed schools, both men and women, still predominantly from the East Coast. More recently, the association has welcomed members from across the United States, allowing the organization to be truly national in scope. The head of school is the member, not the school, and the school must still enroll girls for the head to be eligible for membership.

The official records of HMAE from 1911 -1990 were accepted by Smith College in 1990 and are now part of the Sophia Smith Collection in the college’s archives. According to Smith College, these historic materials “provide a good record of the activities of the association as well as insight into the educational and social philosophy of private education in America.”

The Head Mistresses Association of the East celebrated its 100th anniversary in November 2011 with a Centennial Birthday Party graciously hosted by Lawrenceville School.