There is nothing scarier than approaching retirement with uncertainty. You might have experienced this anxiety from retiring employees inquiring about their available 401K funds, or perhaps even on a personal level as you approach retirement and find yourself uncertain about how you will support yourself on limited income. To give workers a better sense of what their nest egg might look like, the U.S. Labor Department is considering having plan sponsors provide workers with insight.

Just because an enrollment contract is signed doesn’t mean that the student will attend the coming school year. A lot can happen over the summer months, including families simply feeling disconnected from your mission—especially new families.

Now that summer is upon us (or for some, nearly upon us), it’s time to step back and reflect. You’re thinking of your successes and perhaps even a few areas you’d like to improve for the coming school year. As Admission Officer, you’re probably focused on building and strengthening your school’s community.

As the school year comes to a close, after (hopefully) a short breather, you’ll be back at your desk, working on all the improvements you’d like to put in place next year. We have three words of advice and encouragement: “Keep it simple.” And maybe three more: “Don’t get overwhelmed.” This is easier said than done, of course—if, like many of us, you have a “Type-A” personality and strive to do as much as physically possible every given day (and it always seems like there are tons of things to do and improve). We’d like to share a few words of advice that we hope will help you.

Q: One of our veteran teachers was offended by a performance evaluation that she felt didn’t adequately reflect her contributions to the school—so she wrote a rebuttal. Do I have to include this in her personnel file?

When health care reform (aka, Obamacare or PPACA) was first passed in 2010, the year 2014—when perhaps the biggest change brought about by the law, the creation of state-run “exchanges,” would first come into place—seemed well in the distance. We find that it is only months away. As these changes approach, many schools wonder uncertainly, “What should we do? What can we do?”

As Division Head, you are probably going through the process of hiring new teachers for the coming school year. Just as your Admission Office is vetting applicants for mission-appropriateness, you are looking for the right fit in your new hires.

When a Division Head asked for summer reading suggestions, ISM’s Lower School Heads/Division Heads e-list lit up with offerings for Division Heads and faculty members. Consider some of these books for your summer reading.

With bullying concerns rising and school violence becoming more prominent, public and private schools alike are looking at hiring full-time police officers and security personnel to patrol campuses. This increase in school security has the legal system alarmed.

Summer is quickly approaching and although for many the additional sunshine and outdoor lunches are relaxing enough, for the typical school administrator, these seasonal luxuries bring very little comfort. It’s the end of the school year.