Stay current with the latest private-independent school news.
What are the latest trends impacting private-independent school enrollment? How can you be the most effective in your role as an administrator? How can you help your school meet its mission and best serve your students?
Check out Community Corner, a free blog from ISM.
We cover such topics as how to communicate with your constituencies, work with your fellow school leaders, leverage new technology trends, utilize recommended reading and resources, implement new strategies—all to better serve your school's mission.
Search
See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Board Policy on Financial Aid
Board of Trustees // June 28, 2017
Your Board holds the responsibility for developing your school’s financial aid policy. The Board should write a strong statement that sets fundamental policy, based on your school’s particular mission and budget guidelines, as well as careful calculations of per-pupil cost, retained earnings, and incremental costs.
Read More
Five Steps to Creating Your Board’s Strategic History
Board of Trustees // June 28, 2017
Over the years, ISM’s Institutional Assessment visits (now called Strategic Performance Analyses) have uncovered a disconcertingly broad range in the completeness of the organizational history provided by school documents and individuals’ memories. Your school’s “strategic history” provides both constraints and opportunities for its strategic future.
Read More
What Role Do Fidget Spinners Play in the Classroom?
Academic Leadership // June 21, 2017
“Fidget spinners have descended on my classroom. Last week, two students had them. This week, everyone had one!” Sound familiar? One of the hot toys this spring was the fidget spinner, a circular device with a bearing in the middle that allows users to spin it around their fingers. But what role does it play in the classroom?
Read More
The Importance of Creating a “Portrait of the Graduate” Statement for Your School
Advancement // June 21, 2017
Many private-independent schools take the mission statement one step further and set themselves apart by creating a “Portrait of the Graduate”: a series of five descriptors that define a school’s mission in terms of student outcomes.
Read More
3 Ways to Use Tech to Empower Gen Z for Success
Academic Leadership // June 21, 2017
The World Economic Forum estimates that 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. There’s no doubt that technology is driving this staggering evolution and it will continue to play an integral role in the lives of future generations. It’s our job as educators and administrators to best prepare students for a quickly changing job market, starting with the intersection of technology and education.
Read More
2017 Summer Reading Recommendations for Admission and Development Directors
Advancement // June 21, 2017
Summer is finally here and it’s the perfect time to catch up on tasks that might have fallen to the wayside during the school year. It’s also a great opportunity to expand your mind with reads that may inspire you to think differently about how you work within your private-independent school.
Read More
2017 Summer Reading Recommendations for Business Managers
Business and Operations // June 20, 2017
It’s summertime again—students take off for break and we look forward to a slower pace, if just for a few months. This reprieve from the hectic school year means it’s also a great time to focus on professional development in the form of summer reading.
Read More
Building an International Student Program Team
Business and Operations // June 20, 2017
International student programs have grown tremendously over the past decade in private-independent schools. In response to this growth, more schools have applied for and received SEVP certification in the past few years than ever before. However, in a hasty scramble to meet compliance, some schools are finding themselves with access to a portal they don’t fully understand, responsible for policies they’re vaguely familiar with, and misaligned with other key administrators. If this sounds like your school, don’t worry, we can help.
Read More
How School Heads Can Improve Meeting Efficiency
School Heads // June 14, 2017
Most School Heads attend or lead four to five meetings every week. Meetings take valuable time and should be optimized for maximum efficiency to best serve your needs as well as those of your faculty, staff, administration, and ultimately, students.
Read More
Why We Need to Change From Diversity to Inclusiveness
School Heads // June 14, 2017
The subject of diversity and how it’s approached in private-independent schools continues to be at the forefront of our conversations. Many educators are interested in acknowledging and accepting what makes us different from each other but aren’t sure how to approach the subject with their students and peers.
Read More