Summer is a slow(er) time for the Admission Office, though tours are still scheduled and family meet-and-greets are still planned. The brief respite before the beginning of the next recruitment season means you can relax with a good book. Here are a few we think are worthy of taking a starred place on your summer reading list, paired with relevant ISM webinars.

Not too long ago on our Admission Directors e-List, one director related an awful bind in which she’d found herself during a tour with a young child and his mother. During the tour, there were several “red flags” that the child was not developmentally ready for her school’s program and would probably be denied if the family applied for admission. Her question for the e-List: Should she deny the student before even receiving the application, or let the family pay the fee and go through “due process”? To answer this question, we need to introduce the idea of "emotional banking."

More and more, technology plays a bigger role in the classroom. We use it to create, explore, communicate, and store important pieces of a puzzle that, when assembled, help create part of your students’ overall educational experience. With increased use, however, comes an increased need for technical support and expertise. Cue your IT department! Whether that department is one dedicated professional or a team caring for all your private-independent school’s devices and software licenses, these people work hard to keep your school safe and moving forward into the 21st Century. But sometimes it can feel like your priorities and theirs aren’t on the same page. Here, then, are some tips on how to work well with your IT department.

School gardens certainly gain popularity this time of year, when the day lengthens and the air grows warm. While it’s a nice, “feel good” sort of activity, there are other advantages to having an agricultural bent to your curriculum, like chicken therapy. (No, really! “Bird therapy” has helped at least one student’s attention span.) Continue reading for four more interesting facts about garden and horticultural programs schools are using to engage students and community alike.

Your private-independent school receives funds not only through predictable hard income from tuition, but also through unpredictable funnels, such as your school’s development efforts and various philanthropic events. When ISM talks about a school’s “advancement plan,” then, we’re really talking about all of these financial efforts combined, not just admissions or development alone. One person—or even a whole department!—can’t accomplish everything, which is why your school’s Advancement Team is so important. But who’s on this team, and how does each member contribute to the overall effort?

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer although our calendars tell us that summer doesn’t begin until June 21. It’s safe to say that come Memorial Day weekend, pools open, life guards return to beaches, people pack away winter clothes and break out their summer wardrobes, and grills are fired up for some tasty backyard feasting. Sounds like summer to us!

Q: We rely on our volunteers. What concerns, if any, are there with using parents as volunteers?

It’s hard to remember the world before Google. It’s how we find anything and everything online, not to mention how we keep track of important appointments and assignments, chat with friends and colleagues, and collaborate on projects. Companies and schools alike are not just powered by Google, but are completely entrusting in the company’s software.But just how safe is your Google-driven and stored information?

With lengthening daylight and warmer temperatures, kids are eager to play outside on playgrounds and in organized sports on broad, grassy fields. But what if those fields hide creatures that could harm your students? What if they’re harboring tiny, blood-sucking parasites? Welcome to May, everyone—it’s tick season.

Strange, but possible, especially when you consider that the average U.S. office worker accounts for two pounds of paper and paperboard products every day. That’s the average employee in any industry—can you imagine how much more faculty and other administrators print to keep up with a school full of students? Letters to parents, worksheets, and memos can add up, so check out some of these tips to save on printing in your school.