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"Text 'HAITI' to 99909 and Donate $10 to Earthquake Relief"
Advancement // March 2, 2010
Messages like this were broadcast and advertised widely—and still are—during the recent appeal to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. If you sent that text, $10 was added to your cell phone bill, and a donation—after fees deducted by the mobile carrier—went to the Red Cross. Text-to-give campaigns are becoming more common, as 83% of adults have cell phones or smart phone, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.
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Ask the Development Expert
Advancement // March 2, 2010
Q: "Our current Head announced he will retire in the next two years. Aside from sending a letter to our families, what is appropriate for announcing this to the community?"
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Test-Taking Technology Advances
Private School News // February 26, 2010
Technology continues to move at a lightning speed. Just when you think you've finally caught up, or better yet, moved ahead of the pack, something new comes ripping around technology corner—and everyone must, must, MUST have one/it!
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Self-Harming Students: It's Not Trendy—It's Addictive
Private School News // February 26, 2010
Student self-harming behaviors are one of the most challenging obstacles for school administrators, teachers, nurses, and counselors. There's no clear conclusion on why some teens adopt such behaviors—only speculations. What is assured about self-harming adolescents is, if their habits are not treated, they can become severe—and often increasingly addictive.
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Employee Benefit General Audit Questions
Private School News // February 26, 2010
The following information was provided by the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center. These are examples of general questions that you can expect to be asked by your plan's independent auditor.
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Keeping Your Work Space Organized
Private School News // February 26, 2010
The second half of the school year is always the most hectic. Now, it's benefit-renewal season, student-recruitment season, hiring season, contract-renewal season, and flu season. Regardless of what department you're in, chances are you're knee deep in paperwork and feeling all the typical stresses that this time of year brings.
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Managing Your School's Social Media
Private School News // February 26, 2010
There's a growing number of private-independent schools venturing into the social media realm. What many schools are finding is it's a great resource—and free—for connecting with alumni as well as parents. However, social media is not something that can be done without thought, effort, and certainly time behind it. While it's not a full-time position, social media management can easily become a demanding part-time position that keeps one on his/her toes. And, if managed with care, it can be quite powerful.
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Ask Michael
Business and Operations // February 25, 2010
Once a month, ISM's Human Resources Consultant Michael Brisciana will answer an HR-related question submitted by one of our readers. To ask Michael a question to be addressed in future e-letters, please click here.
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A School Firing Case That Cost $1.5 Million
Business and Operations // February 25, 2010
Firing staff or faculty members is never a pleasant experience. If not done in compliance, however, it can be much more than unpleasant—it can cost your school thousands. They say, "it's not the crime, it's the cover-up" that gets you. In the employment law world, this can be altered to, "It's not the investigation, it's the retaliation that will cost you." This is evidenced by the following story that's recently come across our desks. (Thank you, Twitter!)
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Once You've Seen It, It Becomes A Danger
Business and Operations // February 25, 2010
Social media has not just intrigued the marketing world, bridged gaps in communications, and infringed upon much of our free time—it has also created new ways for hiring teams to investigate candidates. This new insight to applicants comes with a huge warning sign however—it's a litigation risk.
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