This month, ISM Development Consultant Paula Schwartz and Adjunct Development Consultant Michael Christopher, Assistant Headmaster-School Advancement at Lausanne Collegiate School (TN), tackle the following question submitted by an e-Letter reader. Q: I am trying to figure out (and defend!) the size of my staff based on metrics. For an organization over 125 years old that has only 350 students, and also has nearly 6,000 alumnae and 4,000 other constituents including parents, past parents, parents of alumnae, Trustees, past Trustees, vendors, grandparents, etc., what size Advancement Office is “typical?” With three full-time professional staff and one support person, who have all only been here less than a year, we currently raise about $370,000 but the Board seems to think we can and should raise closer to $555,000. Is there any guide about office structure and size relating to fund-raising yield?

It’s a game that seems too stodgy, stiff, and complicated. Dare we say geeky? In this age, when kids are tuned into electronics and love zapping aliens in fast-action video games, can chess, an old-world strategy game that requires measured, thoughtful action for success, resonate in schools? Does it help the game’s image that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had to make all the right moves on a magical chessboard to get out of the Chamber of Secrets in one piece?

Would you know where your classes would be conducted if a disaster struck your school? Having a risk management plan that incorporates a business continuation protocol addressing this question is critical to your school’s present and future. However, many schools (especially smaller campuses), are operating with expired or untested emergency manuals.

Teachers are all over Twitter. They’re tweeting to their students articles of interest, to friends notes about their favorite sports team, and to the Twitter world in large anything and everything. So, where are all the school administrators? If you’re already out there, follow us. We’re looking for private-independent school administrators tweeting the latest and greatest about their schools, their goals, and their articles of interest. If you’re not on Twitter yet, read on for how to get to started.

Experts say that the average teenager needs nine hours of sleep a night. However, only a small percentage of today’s teens actually get the full nightly recommended dose of ZZZs. Why? Without going into what is prohibiting teens (and adults as well) from sleeping at night, instead, here are some checkpoints that teens should answer to see if they’re suffering from poor sleep habits.

It’s January going into February, and everyone feels the winter slump—the big crash after the holidays when the weather is bleak in a lot of places, and it’s a long haul to spring. Moods and morale are probably looking as bleak as the landscape. Even if you are fortunate to be in a temperate climate, you probably are still experiencing some doldrums as the humdrum routine has settled in.

In many schools, the following scene repeats itself time and again: A talented teacher is promoted to management (say, to a Department Chair or Division Head role). Everyone is very happy for his/her success. The leader (Head of School) smiles broadly, congratulates he/she on his/hers new role, and says, "Welcome to the leadership team." Perhaps someone eventually gives the new administrator a copy of the school's employee handbook. But that's about where it ends. No management induction program. No supervisory training. No professional growth plan. Nothing but, "Good luck—and we have a budget meeting on Wednesday."

Q: We have a poorly performing teacher whose contract we’re not planning to renew. However, we’ve never given him any written warnings in the past. Are we at risk for a lawsuit?

With two faces (to look forward and backward), Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and endings – and the root of the word “January.” It is appropriate, then, that the new year often gives us pause to reflect on the events of the year passed and to look forward to the needs and plans of the year ahead. There is no better time to think about … performance evaluations. We realize that planning for, conducting, or even thinking about performance evaluations is no one’s favorite activity. Yet, it is a necessary and important activity for all administrators.

Basic drills (evacuation, reverse evacuation, shelter-in-place, and lockdown) are a critical aspect of your crisis plan. Well thought out and practiced drills are key in helping you to protect your students and school community at large.