Cognitive Scientist Says Erasers Are “Instruments of the Devil”

Academic Leadership // July 8, 2015

Encouraging students to be confident in their abilities—even while they make mistakes—must be one of the most herculean feats teachers are asked to accomplish. Some cognitive scientists, however, believe the key to solving this conundrum is to ban the eraser.

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Redefining Loyalty

Business and Operations // July 7, 2015

When it comes evaluating employees, or, even reenrolling vested families, often loyalty is taken into consideration. The longer their tenure, the more vested they are, the more irreplaceable they are. If an employee stays onboard, he/she must live and breathe the mission and vision of your school, right? If a family reenrolls, they must believe in the culture of your school, right? Not necessarily.

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Ask ISM’s Risk Manager

Business and Operations // July 7, 2015

Q: We have employees who are not paid over summer break and who are not actively working with us during that time. If they work on average less than 30 hours per week because of the break, do we have to offer them health insurance?

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Classroom Apps, Technology, and Privacy Concerns

Board of Trustees // June 22, 2015

As classroom technology becomes more prevalent, especially with teachers using computer apps to track student performance, student privacy issues also become a concern. Teachers are now integrating interactive whiteboards, tablets or electronic readers, and even handheld devices like smart phones in their lesson plans. This does not come without risks, however. Providers of online educational services and apps can “harvest” personal student information (email addresses, phone numbers, and numerous other data points) that can be used for marketing and analysis, or even shared and used inappropriately.

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Acquiring Enough Land, Part One

Board of Trustees // June 22, 2015

To maintain the trust, your Board must ensure the school can fulfill its mission and meet its goals without having land values and the lack of space limit program or planning decisions—not just now, but 100 years in the future! If your school does not have a land-acquisition plan. Now is the time to develop one. Acquiring land now that you may need in the future is of strategic importance to your school. With this in mind, you must (1) determine your school’s needs, and (2) take action if necessary. In this article, we will discuss how to ascertain your school’s needs. In the next issue, we will discuss how to move forward if you decide more land is required.

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Ask ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist

Business and Operations // June 19, 2015

Q: How should we be tracking the hours for coaches? Do we have to include substitute teachers as part time employees? We are thinking of hiring an intern and paying a stipend. Do we have to offer the intern health insurance? Do we count Summer Camp employees? How do we keep track of Part-time employee hours?

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Standing Desks Combat Student Obesity, Inactivity

Business and Operations // June 19, 2015

2014 was a landmark year for American couch potatoes, according to the Physical Activity Council’s 2015 Participation Report. Researchers saw the highest level of inactivity out of the last six years. While school-aged children seemed to be the most active of any age group surveyed, about 20% of students indicated a lack of substantial, committed physical activity. One proposed solution to student inactivity—at least in part—is a radical new classroom arrangement featuring “standing desks.”

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New Research: Toxic Coworkers Can "De-energize" Your Workforce

Business and Operations // June 19, 2015

We've long said that bad attitudes on your faculty and staff can poison a school community. Toxic teachers can lead to resignations of your best staff, flagging enthusiasm, and a lack of innovation within your classrooms. Despite the best hiring protocols, many administrators believe that "Negative Nellies" and others of their ilk inevitably creep into any large community of professionals. People, the philosophy dictates, must learn to work around such roadblocks. However, recent research out of the University of Michigan has revealed that negative coworkers can bring the entire community down, rendering efforts to "work around" the toxicity as useless.

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The Authenticity of Student Evaluations

School Heads // June 17, 2015

How much weight should student evaluations of their teachers carry? On the one hand, students are with their instructors nearly every day. Their engagement and education is directly impacted by how well their teachers perform, and so perhaps may deserve to be heard within the broader evaluation framework. However, new research suggests that students—even adult students!—may not have the emotional maturity or perspective to offer “authentic” reviews of their teachers.

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The Professorship of Play

School Heads // June 17, 2015

In a time when public schools are cutting recess and other "down time" periods in favor of increased academic instruction, one school has decided to prioritize the role of play. In fact, with the generous help of Lego, it's going so far as to establish a "Professorship of Play" to study how and why playing helps children grow and learn.

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