As Board President, you are aware that committees are the linchpins for your Board of Trustees. The Board operates effectively when there is a foundation of effective, well-led committees. When Board meetings are well-attended, purposeful, and gratifying, that, too, usually grows out of understanding and implementing the principles of establishing committees the best way.

Exempli Gratia Academy, ISM’s fictional coed K–12 school, needed to fill a bus driver position. The Business Manager ran an advertisement, conducted interviews, checked previous employment and references, and hired a candidate. A month later, the new driver crashed into a telephone pole and several students on the bus suffered injuries.

As Development Director, you frequently coordinate special events that raise money for your school. Such events include auctions, trivia or casino nights, book fairs, “fund-a-need” giving days, carnivals, and other community-building experiences. Determining your event’s fundraising purpose can be particularly challenging if there is a lack of clarity about the school’s strategic needs or special interest groups on campus dominate the discussion.

Before, during, and after your next accreditation team visit, bear in mind there are two significant areas that you, as School Head, are in a position to influence strongly. The first deals with the institutional “tone” of the self-study and of the accreditation team’s visit itself. The second deals with the effects of the accreditation team's recommendations on the long-term financial health of your school.

As School Head, you have been asking questions your entire professional career, but have you ever considered why targeted, insightful questions are so important? Well-developed questions play a crucial role in enabling people to innovate, solve problems, and achieve goals. This is especially true in the coaching role School Heads fill for their Leadership Team.

The lens by which a school determines and organizes the day and year often affects the school environment. Ultimately, that lens impacts the school experience and influences important student and school outcomes, such as student satisfaction, enthusiasm, performance, well-being, and ultimately enrollment demand. Through ISM’s many years of working with schools, we have encountered three types of lenses dominating school environments: curriculum-centered, adult-centered, and learner-centered. Which environment exists in your school?

As Development Director, you want to be sure your donors and volunteers feel appreciated for the commitments they have made to your school through their philanthropic and volunteer support. You also want them to know their commitments have made a significant difference to your students and faculty. Your school’s annual report is an essential tool as you seek to recognize and steward your donors and volunteers effectively and for you to keep them engaged with your school’s mission, programs, and people.

As Boards begin the process of setting tuition for the 2022–2023 school year, two unusual factors may complicate the pricing landscape—30-year high inflation and a teacher shortage.

As long as schools are actual and not virtual institutions, real estate will remain critical to sustainability. Your Board of Trustees must always be aware of the possibility of purchasing property for growth and investment.

As Development Committee Chair, you know the committee must fulfill your Board’s strategic plan’s development goals in a timely manner.* Your development action plan, with the school’s strategic plan, becomes a valuable tool for completing those goals. Create your 18-month plan by setting goals that fall into three distinct categories.