We’ve entered the fall harvest season, with apple, cranberry, and pumpkin festivals abound. This brings to mind the question whether we allow “a few bad apples to spoil the bunch”—or whether prudent “pruning” will help our orchards thrive in the years to come.

Word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful marketing you can invest time in. There is no budget to consider, no approval to seek, no research to undertake. It’s merely tossing a topic of conversation out to the masses and waiting for it to grow to a roar. Right?

If your school has a thriving summer program that attracts students not just from your school but from neighboring schools as well, you have a pool of recruiting potential at your fingertips. But you’re thinking, “I don’t want to come across as I’m taking advantage of the situation.” You don’t have to. We have subtle tips that will help you work with the Summer Program Director to pique the interest of your summer attending families.

Nearly all states have anti-bullying laws requiring schools to provide awareness training, rules of engagement, reporting guidelines, and recourse for violations. However, many do not include cyberbullying—yet. Click here for the latest PDF from Cyberbullying Research Center displaying state cyberbullying laws.

Halloween is the one night when a child can become anyone or anything he/she fancy—it’s a haunting yet magical evening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated 40 million kids between the ages of 5 and 14 went trick-or-treating in 2011. There were tricks and treats, but also accidents, many of which could have been prevented.

According to a recent article in Education Week, Common Core State Standards, which are being adopted in public schools in 46 of the 50 US states, are starting to move into some independent school curricula. The standards cover K-12 math and English/language arts, in an attempt to provide all US students with the knowledge and skills they need for college and employment success.

As the Presidential election grows closer, students are hearing a lot about deficit spending, the national debt, and balancing the budget. Now they have a chance to be in the government’s seat and come up with their own solutions.

Historically, evaluation of the Board of Trustees has been either (a) nonexistent or (b) poorly performed with a generic instrument designed for use by any nonprofit entity. If the results were used at all, they formed the basis for a discussion at an annual retreat session, often with little or no action afterward. ISM recommends that the responsibility for Board evaluation at a private-independent school be lodged with the Committee on Trustees.

Both ISM and CASE offer a plethora of information, strategies, and resources for private-independent schools. Some materials are free (e-letters, e-lists, PDFs, etc.), while other materials are free for members, like ISM Consortium Gold members.

Holidays are a great time to practice green options. From decorations to ghoulish night alternatives, there are thousands of creative green options available. Here are a few we found online.