As the new school year began this year, Business Managers were busy chatting on the ISM listserv about payroll services. Because our mission behind creating each issue of our monthly e-letters is to help address and resolve the concerns and issues that are most relevant to you as Business Officers, we've sorted through the main issues and advice offered by the list serv participants and—combining it with our consultants' direct experience on payroll matters—are pleased to offer the following for your consideration as you explore potential payroll options.

A group long term disability coverage policy is a powerful ally in your efforts to attract and keep the best faculty and staff. LTD is an essential component of your benefits package for two reasons—it protects employees' income, and it protects the school's fiscal health.

The ever-evolving technology world has recently brought the idea of electronic libraries closer to a reality for schools and universities. On the ISM listservs, people are starting to ask about introducing e-Readers to students. Since it seems to be of interest, we dug a little into what people are saying about reading and researching on e-Reader screens versus "hitting the books" in their campus libraries.

On March 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the outdoor air of 62 schools in 22 states will now be tested for toxic air contaminants.

A recent report from the not-for-profit, nonpartisan National Council on Teacher Quality showed that many states' laws and regulations discourage promising new teachers from remaining in the profession, while doing little to identify and council out ineffective teachers. The report found that states:

A recent "USA Today Snapshots ®" reported on the types of recognition people in the workplace prefer, based on a survey of 388 administrative professionals conducted by the online community OfficeArrow™

Last month, The Journal of Gerontology published its most recent findings about the benefits of having senior citizens volunteer in school classrooms. After following Experience Corps volunteers—a group of paid volunteers that consists primarily of African-American women age 60 and older—over a period of years, researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that students who interact with the Experience Corps volunteers showed significant gains in reading comprehension when compared to students in control classrooms.

Tony Danza, the TV actor who played a none-too-bright cab driver on "Taxi" and a baseball-player-turned-housekeeper on "Who's the Boss?" is teaching 10th grade English this fall in a Philadelphia inner-city school.

Research conducted at Northwestern University in Illinois has important implications in two areas—for educators dealing with the ongoing debate about "how early is too early" to start teaching students a foreign language, and for schools that offer dual-language immersion programs.

Posting labor law posters (and bulletins) is another one of those nasty, mandated laws that all businesses have to follow. There is no choice regarding whether you should post the most current information or not—it's a must. So, it's wise to see what your state has updated and/or changed this year so you're compliant.