When working on advertising materials and donor stories, sometimes a specific headline or case study piques your interest more than the others. However, when you show it to a parent representative you trust, they don’t react to it as strongly as you had hoped or anticipated—thus changing the course of your prospective marketing or advertising campaign. This example illustrates the need to have quantitative data to back up your marketing decisions. You, as the administrator of a private school, are not (necessarily) your target audience; neither is every family with a school-aged student or every philanthropic business person in the neighborhood. To ensure the solicitation of mission-appropriate donors and prospective families, you must put yourself in your audience’s place while identifying (and acknowledging) personal bias.

Academic success is not measured solely by test scores and report cards. To get the full picture of a child’s development, you take into account the entire student experience. Teachers go through a similar assessment. Quantitative data is measured via an evaluation process, while qualitative information is revealed—and nurtured—through a comprehensive growth plan.

Schools have faced cybersecurity risks for some time now, and cyberattacks have increased significantly during the pandemic. Even long after COVID-19 is behind us, educational institutions will remain vulnerable because they are online—as schools expand their online presence, criminal activity will become more threatening. Avoiding cyberthreats is essential.

It is increasingly difficult to predict what students’ future needs will be as we live in an era of hyperchange. Our overall response to this educational dilemma—exacerbated by remote learning during a pandemic has been to "cover" everything. We try to do this despite evidence students retain a smal...

As education thought leaders, we have observed with interest recent debates about how to “catch kids up” from their “academic learning loss” after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. We certainly agree students have missed out on powerful and lasting learning from hands-on social activities that have been drastically modified or canceled altogether over the last year.

A yearly faculty evaluation is not like a walk in the park—whether you’re the academic leader implementing it or the teacher on the receiving end. When properly constructed and enacted, however, a comprehensive faculty development framework that includes an evaluation piece can improve staff culture, reduce legal risks, and bolster school enrollment.

The start of a new job is an exciting time—enthusiasm and a dose of apprehension often go hand in hand. For a new School Head, the imminent responsibilities and expectations are unique. We recently answered several questions about taking on a new School Head position. We want to share the answers with you here.

We often discuss ISM’s approach to faculty growth and evaluation that prioritizes predictability and support for teachers, students, and administrators. Our Comprehensive Faculty Development framework has two distinct elements. Today we’re focusing on the benefits of a focused and uniform evaluation framework. If you haven’t already adopted such an approach at your school, consider these four ways it can re-energize your teaching staff.

Negative comments will happen—it's collateral damage resulting from today's digital culture. When they occur online, they can often feel petty, unfair, or even cruel. They might be written by a frustrated parent, unhappy student, or even someone who has never interacted with your school.

Marketing your independent school is a never-ending process, and much of it has to do with your enrollment cycle. Whether you are targeting prospective students, bringing accepted students into your community, or encouraging existing students to re-enroll, your work is never done. With a solid enrollment cycle, you can ensure a strong institution.