As an administrator in a private-independent school, it’s always a great idea to stay atop current trends in the education world. This is often easier said than done, considering your intense work schedule of 60+ hours a week. However, blogs have the potential to bring professional development right to your office without consuming too much of your time. The question is, which blogs are worth skimming in those few extra moments and which can be avoided.

Q: A member of our Board came up with a performance evaluation form that he wants us to use to evaluate teachers. Is it better for us to introduce this to teachers at the end of the semester in May, or should we wait until September when the new year begins?

A strong advisory program is one of the hallmarks of the private-independent school experience. Your faculty advisers provide not only academic advice but also personal advice. In the course of personal advising, students will ultimately reveal uncomfortable, scary, and dangerous issues they are facing. Your advisers need to be adequately trained to recognize “yellow light” and “red light” areas so they will learn where the boundaries are to protect themselves, the students, and your school.

Although most of your contracts for the 2013–14 school year have been signed, chances are you’re still looking for a few mission-appropriate faculty or staff members to join your school’s team. Yes, it’s still hiring season. Resumes keep coming in and your calendar continues to fill up with interviews for potential candidates. But, before you begin your interview process or before you head into your next scheduled meeting with a candidate, take a moment to review these 25 don’t-you-dare-ask interview questions. They just might save you from a nasty legal situation!

We have written about social media policies a number of times in the past few years—so, one might wonder, “Why rehash the topic? Hasn’t everyone gotten the message by now?” Perhaps, but since questions continue to cross our desk, we wanted to offer a fresh perspective on the matter, which is: social media policies really aren’t about “policy” at all. Rather, they are about community (i.e., having a conversation about what it means to be a member of the school community).

As a Board member, you are expected to carry out your due diligence roles. These essential responsibilities include the following.

Your annual fund is the foundation of all the fund-raising activities at your school. It is your primary source of charitable support, funded by the greatest number of your constituents, and it is where you build your school’s culture of philanthropy. Your annual fund lets you enhance your programs to give your students the best educational experience possible. So, what do you do when your school is simultaneously running a capital campaign for new buildings or an endowment? You can’t put your annual fund on hold. Do you ask for money twice?

Peter Sagal, best known as the host of NPR’s very popular game show Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!, says that “giving, altruism, is a pleasure, but it can be fun. But it also can not be fun. You have to find a way to let people enjoy, access the enjoyment of giving.”

Remember a time before computers when all your papers had to be typed or handwritten? Remember how important is was then to have excellent grammar and penmanship? Those rules seem to have been forgotten, or at least forgiven, since social media and the urgency to communicate quickly and often have come into effect. Not really though. Readers are impressed with well-written, well thought-out messages.

We’ve recently written a lot about the power of viral marketing. It is the easiest and most effective tool your school has for spreading its mission and attracting interest. All marketers agree, viral advertising is the oldest and most impressive form of communication. But just how do you get your school’s viral marketing party started?