Indicators of School Crime and Safety for 2015 Boards

Board of Trustees // October 13, 2015

In July, the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) released its annual report, "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2014." The report includes research on bullying and cyber-bullying, weapons on school property, victimization, teacher injury, and other crime and safety-related topics—all of which should be priorities for the Board to anticipate and address.

Read More

Getting Students Involved in Social Media Efforts

Advancement // October 6, 2015

Generating social media content that resonates with your school’s varied audiences requires time, energy, and inspiration. If you need extra hands to help create your school’s posts, updates, and graphics, involve those for whom the internet has been a second home: your students! To get your communication intern program started off on the right foot, Stacy Jagodowski—the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications at Cheshire Academy and recent School Spotlight recipient—offers a few words of wisdom.

Read More

Diversify Your Applicant Pool—The Right Way

Advancement // October 6, 2015

On our Admission e-List, discussion bloomed over the right way to attract more diverse applicants for various grade levels. Encouraging a diverse, accepting culture is a primary goal of many schools’ recruiting efforts, representing part of a school’s overall mission to create inclusive environments and help its students become citizens of the world. With that in mind, we’ve put together some tips for those who’d like to diversify their applicant pool while keeping their school’s mission at the heart of all recruitment efforts.

Read More

School Spotlight: Cheshire Academy Shares Social Media Secrets

Private School News // September 24, 2015

When we first met Stacy Jagodowski, the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications at Cheshire Academy, during our Advancement Academy, we knew we had to talk to this social media maven. Her deft, enthusiastic participation in our Twitter contest is an example every school administrator should follow when it comes to participation on social media. So, in this month’s School Spotlight, you’ll learn how she and Cody Barbierri, the Assistant Director of Social Media Marketing, use their social media savvy to spread and share Cheshire Academy’s mission as a student-centered school that—in Stacy’s own words—exists to “meet students where they are, and take them beyond where they imagined possible.”

Read More

FAST Answers to Financial Aid Questions

Private School News // September 24, 2015

Q: I’ve often heard ISM say that financial aid awards should be “mission appropriate.” While the idea “feels” right, I’m having a hard time visualizing what it looks like in the real world. Can you explain?

Read More

LinkedIn for Administrators, Part Two: Your Activity Wall

Private School News // September 24, 2015

In the first addition of our LinkedIn article series, we discussed how to make the most out of your profile by sprucing up your Summary and Experience sections. This month, we’re going to walk you through one of the most intimidating-yet-enriching parts of this professional media behemoth: The Activity Wall.

Read More

Sexual Misconduct on Campus Part III: Best Practices, Professional Development and Policy

Business and Operations // September 23, 2015

As an organization dedicated to enriching student lives, it’s essential that protection be at the forefront of all school decisions. Updating your school’s policies and procedures to ensure your risks are minimal is vital to the future of your institution. In our final part of our series on addressing sexual misconduct, we'll walk you through the steps for clarifying and communicating your school’s sexual misconduct process.

Read More

Ask ISM's Risk Manager

Business and Operations // September 23, 2015

Q: Our school has been having some issues with “compliments” versus “harassment”. Some of our female faculty and staff members are not comfortable with comments directed towards them from one of our senior faculty members. I have talked to him, and he seems to believe he’s just being friendly and complimenting his colleagues. I’m not sure what more I can do at this point, but I know I must get this situation—situations, actually—under control. Any advice?

Read More

A New Trend In Health Insurance

Business and Operations // September 23, 2015

Health care has seen almost as many changes over the last eight years as technology. With so many changing laws, Business Officers and HR Managers have struggled to stay compliant. But you know this—you’re one of the mighty benefit specialists on your school’s administration team. That said, there are options to how you design and administer your health benefits, despite the legislative hurdles. Fighting inflating costs by jumping health providers and brokers each year doesn’t have to be part of your routine. What you do need is a basic understanding of the three key health care plan designs, so you can choose a policy that best reflects your school’s mission and culture—and budget. .

Read More

Ask ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist

Business and Operations // September 18, 2015

Q: We are a small school with 20 employees, and we fund a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) for employees on our health insurance plan to help pay for the deductible. I was told that we have to file reporting forms because of this arrangement. Based on our size, I thought we were not required to report. Did I receive bad information?

Read More