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No matter if you’re a School Head, Admission Director, Development Director, Board member, or any other private school administrator—Ideas & Perspectives, ISM’s premier private school publication, has strategic solutions for the pervasive problems you face.
- Tuition not keeping pace with your expenses? In I&P, explore how to use strategic financial planning to create your budget and appropriately adjust your tuition.
- Enrollment dropping off? Discover how to implement the right admission and enrollment management strategies that engage your community—and fill your classrooms.
- Trouble retaining teachers? Learn how you can best support your teachers using ISM’s Comprehensive Faculty Development framework. Your faculty members will become more enthusiastic about their roles—which ultimately improves student outcomes.
- Fundraising campaigns not as successful as you’d hoped? Implement ISM’s practical advice and guidance to build a thriving annual fund, construct an effective capital campaign, and secure major donors—no matter your community size or location.
- Not sure how to provide professional development—for you and your staff? Learn ways to develop and fund a successful professional development strategy. You can improve teacher-centered satisfaction and growth, which in turn strengthens student-centered learning.
- Problematic schedule? You can master the challenges of scheduling with the help of ISM’s practical advice, based on our experience with hundreds of schools and our time-tested theories.
- And so much more.
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See the articles from our latest issue of Ideas & Perspectives.
Why Professional Human Resources Advice Is Essential to Your School
Volume 34 No. 4 // March 25, 2009
Many private-independent schools have long had professional human resources advice readily available to them, from either a staff member or an external consultant. Other schools are only now beginning to address this issue, often spurred by inquiries from Board members who work in the business world where the need for HR guidance is well-accepted. ISM believes that in today's complex operating environment, all schools need to assess their employee-related practices on a regular basis and have direct access to expert HR and legal advice.
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Your Companion Annual Agendas
Volume 34 No. 5 // March 25, 2009
Now is the time to set your companion annual agendas—the annual Board agenda and the annual operations (or administrative) agenda. ISM recommends this approach as the most efficient means of implementing your strategic plan. With this approach, both the Board President and the School Head will set aside time toward the end of the school year to establish these two short, but critical, documents in preparation for the upcoming year. (In practice, the President's annual Board agenda is often set in May or June; the Head's annual operations agenda, in July or August. The exact timing is of little consequence.)
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The New 403(b) Regulations: Finding the Right Fix for Your Plan
Volume 34 No. 1 // March 25, 2009
In previous issues of I&P, we discussed the upcoming changes to the regulations governing 403(b) plans, which will now take effect after December 31, 2009. The IRS created this new legislation to make 403(b) plans look and act more like typical 401(k) plans, and also to make sponsors of 403(b) plans assume greater responsibility for the administration of their plans. Since your school’s 403(b) plan is an ERISA plan, the government is going to hold you responsible for ensuring that the plan is administered in accordance with the plan document and that the plan always serves the best interests of its participants.
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The ISM 37-School Parent Survey: Convenience Factors at Private-Independent Schools
Volume 34 No. 2 // March 25, 2009
In a previous issue of I&P, we discussed portions of the results of a survey of parents at 37 private-independent schools in the United States. The demographics and income information presented there set the stage for this article on the importance of various convenience factors and the need for "full-service" schools.
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Reducing Insurance Costs: Employee Benefits
Volume 34 No. 3 // March 25, 2009
Although some schools believe they're already seeing some early effects of the current economic climate, it is not yet clear what the ultimate direct or indirect impact may be on private-independent schools. It is prudent, however, to take steps now to reduce costs. To start, look at your largest line-item expenses. For most schools, closely following salaries, the cost of insurance is the largest single expense. There are ways to reduce the cost of employee benefits and property and casualty insurance while maintaining the core integrity and intent of the insurance.
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Family Satisfaction and Retention in the Current Economic Climate
Volume 34 No. 4 // March 25, 2009
ISM recently conducted a nationwide survey with parents of private-independent school students. There were 13,291 responses—92% from parents with children in a day school, 4% with one (or more) in a boarding school, and 4% who did not identify the type of school their children attend. This survey primarily addressed school concerns about the current economic climate and the potential effect on re-enrollment.
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Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Updates and Reminders for Private-Independent Schools
Volume 33 No. 16 // December 22, 2008
Since it was enacted in 1993, the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has offered important benefits to eligible employees in need of time off for serious personal and family medical issues, while at the same time presenting challenges to employers in administering the law properly. The law includes certain provisions specific to schools that many may still be unaware of. We are taking this opportunity to review the law and its application to private schools nationwide—as well as considering certain state-specific issues together with the impact of a recent update and expansion of the law concerning military families. (Summary of FMLA Update)
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Admission Office Reports to the School Head
Volume 33 No. 16 // December 22, 2008
Given the effect on your school’s operating budget, the Board has a vital interest in enrollment numbers. The School Head has assigned you, the Admission Director, the task of providing him/her a clear, concise report—perhaps on a monthly basis—concerning the status of enrollment at your school. Your information will prepare the Head for making direct reports to the full Board at certain times (e.g., re-enrollment season) and at most other times reporting through the Head Support and Evaluation Committee (HSEC).
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Marketing Your School During an Economic Downturn
Volume 33 No. 16 // December 22, 2008
In a recent issue of I&P, ISM provided a historical perspective about past economic downturns and the amount of time that passed before the economy recovered. In addition, the article provided information about the enrollment, tuition, and endowment experiences of 10 schools during the 1987 downturn. The issue also contained 10 dos and don’ts for schools to follow to ensure future stability.
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ISM’s Standards for Professional Growth and Renewal: Content Standards
Volume 33 No. 15 // November 28, 2008
The ISM Standards for Professional Growth and Renewal provide private-independent schools with a way to assess whether their investment in faculty professional development is focused on students, articulated as a systems activity, contextually meaningful in building professional relationships among faculty, and accountable for the results achieved. This article, the last in the series, recommends a set of metrics related to the Content Standards.
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