Open house season is around the corner and already it’s trending on ISM’s EList for Admission Officers. Members have been discussing the key to their open house success relies on an effective marketing orientation for teachers. Given the faculty’s influential role, training helps teachers understand their purpose at admission events.

Since the buzz around 21st Century Learning began (more than a decade ago), educational studies have linked the exploding popularity of digital technology to student success. As this technology continues to impact the educational community, it is no surprise that hundreds of schools are making headlines this summer about funding iPads in the classroom.

Digital citizenship is the norm of appropriate and responsible Internet behavior based on nine themes including commerce, law, communication and etiquette. Today, educators focus their efforts on plagiarism and piracy (law). Consequently, teachers and administrators struggle with who should be addressing netiquette. All too often, they avoid it and “respectfully” rely on parents to set standards for their children’s social media use.

Just as the new school year gets into swing and your desk is flooded with a fresh stack of paperwork, the October 1 Health Care Reform deadline zeros in on your to-do list as well. On the positive side, this deadline shouldn’t be additional paperwork that you need to sort, file, and complete. However, it is something you need to address with your faculty and staff—so, yes, there is some paperwork that needs to be distributed as employees return.

New health care reform deadlines are nearing. While some schools are well prepared, others are still scrambling to understand how the changes will impact them. It’s true, the changes will effect schools somewhat differently than they will effect large companies. These differences are not clearly outlined on available government documents. If you’re not keeping up with latest news or don’t have a broker on top of the evolving definitions of what is considered full time and part time in the education world, you could be lost.

Social media isn’t just for the young. It’s for everyone. It’s a resource for keeping in touch with friends and colleagues, news, and of course, trending topics. Twitter is one of the social giants—growing daily—that is exceptionally good at all of the mentioned. If you’ve felt a void with losing your RSS feeds, Twitter is a great compromise with its daily trending topics and constant evolving conversations. If you’ve neglected your account or only dabbled here and there finding yourself frustrated with the unique lingo, we encourage you to take some time this summer and explore the platform some more.

Joining ISM a few years ago, I was immediately tossed into learning our theory. As any great organization will do, ISM wanted me to completely understand its mission and theory, and sample firsthand the concerns and mindset of its audience.

The financial aid season is winding down, if not over for the 2013-2014 school year. You might be left wondering if your Financial Aid Committee made the best decisions possible. If you’re questioning the decisions made and the ease of transition of your financial aid software’s formula to your records and accounting software, then this summer might be a good time to shop around.

Q: Two years ago, we promoted someone who had been an excellent teacher into a Division Head role. Unfortunately, he has struggled mightily in the role—he seems unhappy, and the faculty is quite upset with what feels like a state of paralysis in the division. He’s supporting a large family, so I know it would be hard for him to give up the substantial raise that went along with the promotion. What should we do?

It’s summertime! In honor of the season, we want to leave our readers with some healthy tips for enjoying the great outdoors. No matter what region you live in, these green living tips from WebMD will help you stay safe while exploring and relaxing outdoors, save money on your cooling expenses, and make a dent in your carbon footprint.