Looking for a way to bring your community together? Empower your families and friends to advocate for your school? Consider an ambassador program. Parent and student ambassador programs are a great way to expand your reach and share authentic success stories with prospective families.

An important function of every school’s Business Office is helping create and maintain the crisis management plan. Many schools have created a Risk Management Team to oversee this function. If you’re a member of the committee, don’t forget to create your response and recovery action plans.

The following scenario was recently shared in our Business Manager e-list, a free, email-based, position-specific resource for private-independent school community members. “A student is enrolled for the 2017–18 school year but has a small outstanding balance on their 2016–17 tuition account. The parents promised to pay it over the summer but, before making the payment, filed for bankruptcy and named the school as a creditor. What do we do?”

ISM believes that one of the core tenets of school stability is a high-performing faculty, leading to strong student satisfaction and enthusiasm. But how does one determine whether a faculty member is “high-performing?” For many years, schools have primarily used teacher evaluations—usually classroom observations—to make this distinction. However, there’s evidence to show that traditional classroom evaluations aren’t always the best indication of high faculty performance.

No one said it would be easy being the School Head. Between implementing your school’s strategic plan, creating a safe and welcoming environment, and ensuring every decision falls in line with the mission, you have a lot on your plate. Therefore, it’s imperative that you’re able to rely on your direct reports—your Leadership Team—help support you on a day-to-day basis.

A new study shows that social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can have a tremendous impact on students’ overall academic performance and well-being. SEL programs focus on helping children develop positive emotional skills, and participants showed higher graduation rates, more social and emotional competencies, and were less likely to have anxiety and behavior problems.

One of the most important aspects of a strong international student program is the transition process. Many schools have strong international student programs but aren't sure how to assist with their international students’ transitions. Attending school in the United States is remarkably different from the visiting student’s life at home—and the school does play a role in helping the student become accustomed to their new surroundings.

During our 2017 Summer Institute, private-independent school administrators from around the world gathered in Wilmington, DE to develop effective strategies, create action plans, and network with their peers and colleagues. It was an extremely successful event with administrators participating in 26 different workshops throughout the four-week conference.

It’s time to start thinking about preparing for the fall semester. And whether you’ve spent the summer relaxing or hard at work, there is still time to get through a good book or two before the school year begins.

August is rapidly approaching and you know what that means—it’s time to put your school year planning into high gear. Starting the school year with a clean slate is an opportunity to set new goals and take on fresh challenges. Whether this is your first year in your position or you’re a seasoned pro with decades of experience, everyone can use these strategies to begin the year on the right foot.