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?
Sign up to receive The Source, a free newsletter 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.
Join more than 30,000 private-independent school administrators and have The Source delivered right to your inbox.
Search
See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Childhood Health Briefs
Private School News // July 29, 2010
It’s no secret that Americans are getting heavier and heavier with each generation. Physicians point fingers at a number of reasons, but regardless of the reasons, there is a real need for concern. Our unhealthy habits are now affecting our children. Read below some of the latest findings. Heart disease markers in preschoolers—A study done by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine reported in March that obese kids as young as three could be more prone to heart attacks later in life. The study looked at more than 16,000 children and teens ages one to 17. It revealed that three- to five-year-olds above the 99th percentile in body mass index were more than twice as likely to have elevated levels of C-reactive protein—a marker of inflammation linked to heart disease risk in adults. Obese children have levels of fatty build-up in their neck arteries similar to middle-aged adults, which could lead to future heart attacks and/or strokes.
Read More
How to Fight Mosquito Bites
Private School News // July 29, 2010
Summertime is the perfect season to spend hours and hours outdoors. Many of us take advantage of the longer days by vacationing, visiting pools, hosting BBQs, and gardening. Our own backyards can easily become the family’s favored space during the summer. However, spending a good amount of time outdoors, especially in the evening hours, can be an invitation for mosquitoes.
Read More
Make Mud Pies for Your Health
Private School News // July 29, 2010
New research is starting to reveal that our disconnect with nature—primarily soil—is opening doors to a new epidemics such as the increasing number of children with peanut allergies, asthma, and type 1 diabetes. According to statistics, children living in developed countries are at less risk of childhood deaths than those living in undeveloped nations, but are at increased risks for autoimmune diseases like those mentioned above, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowl disease. It’s as though we’ve traded one set of medical concerns for another. And, ironically, to treat these relatively new conditions, physicians are reverting to traditional methods.
Read More
National Health Goal for Reducing Teen Smoker Percentage Has Failed
Private School News // July 29, 2010
Since the tobacco companies were exposed for adding addicting chemicals to tobacco cigarettes in 1998, there has been an urgency to educate young adults about the health risks. There was a 2010 health goal of reducing high school smoking to 16%, which was reported as failed on July 1, 2010. Federal officials are calling for a resurgence of antismoking advertising to counter the tobacco industries $12 billion marketing campaign.
Read More
Summer Reading Suggestions
Private School News // July 14, 2010
Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov (amazon.com $16.34) This is the product of a decade of research going into classrooms and videotaping teacher practice. Don't expect high-sounding theory or clever philosophy. Lemov states that his litmus test is whether students sit up and pay attention to a teacher, and then do well academically (are prepared well for college). Great teachers, he says, do these things.
Read More
What to Do This Summer About Your Listservs and Forums—Etiquette for Staying in Touch Electronically
Private School News // July 14, 2010
As many of you take off a week here or there from the office shuffle to spend time with family, sun, and, most important, yourself, you're probably not thinking about the listservs and forums you've joined to stay current with private-independent school news. Here are a few rules of electronic conversation platforms that may prevent you from being blacklisted by moderators or disliked by fellow members.
Read More
Hosting a Healthier BBQ
Private School News // July 14, 2010
What does summertime mean? For many of us, it means it's time to break out the backyard grill, throw a new tablecloth on the picnic table, and gather some friends for a weekend BBQ. You don't have to sacrifice your healthy habits, however, to have a successful BBQ gathering. Take these healthy condiment alternatives into consideration before setting the table.
Read More
8-Hour School Days?
Private School News // July 14, 2010
From time to time we hear rumors about schools moving to longer days as a way of expanding their learning programs. It has certainly been thrown into conversations that revolve around four-day school weeks. Now, however, it seems that public schools in the Chicago area could be taking action on the idea.
Read More
How Your Campus Can Help Recycle e-Waste
Private School News // July 14, 2010
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 2.6 million tons of e-waste ended up in landfills in 2007. That's 86.4% of the total discarded electronics! If Americans alone recycled their old cell phones (more than 100 million are no longer in use), the amount of energy saved would be enough to power approximately 194,000 U.S. households for one year.
Read More
Summer Reading Suggestions
Academic Leadership // July 1, 2010
Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov (Amazon.com $16.34) This is the product of a decade of research going into classrooms and videotaping teacher practice. Don't expect high-sounding theory or clever philosophy. Lemov states that his litmus test is whether students sit up and pay attention to a teacher, and then do well academically (are prepared well for college). Great teachers, he says, do these things.
Read More