Stay current with the latest private-independent school news.
What are the latest trends impacting private-independent school enrollment? How can you be the most effective in your role as an administrator? How can you help your school meet its mission and best serve your students?
Sign up to receive Community Corner, a free newsletter from ISM.
We cover such topics as how to communicate with your constituencies, work with your fellow school leaders, leverage new technology trends, utilize recommended reading and resources, implement new strategies—all to better serve your school's mission.
Join more than 30,000 private-independent school administrators and have Community Corner delivered right to your inbox.
Search
See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Registering A Food Allergic Child
Advancement // April 2, 2012
A parent registering their food allergic child has a ton of worries. They fear for their child’s safety, they fear about him/her having an episode of anaphylaxis as result of an accidental contact, and they fear how the school’s faculty and staff will react in the event of an allergic reaction. There is nothing more frightening than the fear of their child’s life being threatened. As Admission Director, you have a responsibility to assure these parents of their child’s safety—and have policies in place to enforce your word.
Read More
Understanding the Differences Between HSAs, HRAs, and FSAs
Private School News // April 2, 2012
Medical acronyms are confusing for those of us who aren’t involved with insurance procedures, claims, and policies on a daily basis. They can even be confusing for some of us who are involved regularly! Stress no more! Here's the skinny on what is what to better enable you to chose a product that works best for your school's mission—or, to help you chose what plan you should invest in for you and your family.
Read More
From the Private School Blogosphere
Private School News // April 2, 2012
Blogs, forums, chat rooms, listservs—the choices go on and on. These can be valuable resources for finding alternative opinions and information about almost anything. From general private school news to just needing a quick laugh to fuel the rest of your day, blogs can remind you that you're not alone in the all-too often chaotic world of private-independent education.
Read More
ISM’s New Faculty Evaluation Template
Private School News // April 2, 2012
During the past two years, ISM has engaged in an intensive effort to forecast the needs of schools in the rapidly evolving 21st Century environment. One of the outcomes of this effort was the recent publication of a new template for faculty evaluation, which we are pleased to publish in excerpted form this month.
Read More
Bullying the Food Allergic Student
Private School News // April 2, 2012
Bullying takes on many forms. Cyberbullying, playground bullying, and yes, even food bullying are all common forms that schools need to be aware of and in control of. Although all forms are risky, perhaps the most life threatening among them is food allergen bullying because of the reactions that can be triggered even from smelling certain trigger foods.
Read More
From the HR Blogosphere
Business and Operations // March 27, 2012
Blogs, forums, chat rooms, listservs—the list goes on and on. These can be valuable resources for finding alternative opinions and information about almost anything. From HR concerns to just needing a quick laugh to fuel the rest of your day, blogs can remind you that you're not alone in the all-too often chaotic world of private-independent education.
Read More
Green Corner
Business and Operations // March 27, 2012
It’s time to start thinking about your outdoor space again. Whether you’re a home gardener or volunteer time in your school’s garden, organic gardening tips can really help boost your patch’s volume. Here are a few tips for maintaining organic beds.
Read More
Ask Michael
Business and Operations // March 27, 2012
Q: We’re preparing for our upcoming recertification visit and are trying to tidy up our personnel files. What documents should and shouldn’t be in our personnel files?
Read More
Planning for Retirement
Business and Operations // March 27, 2012
If lack of familiarity with financial plans or fear of becoming involved are among the reasons you avoid retirement planning, this article will give you some encouragement to help your employees and yourself plan for the future.
Read More
Can Evaluation Really Drive Faculty (and Student) Performance?
Business and Operations // March 27, 2012
ISM recently published a new teacher evaluation model for private-independent schools. In that same vein, today’s lead article summarizes the key elements of teacher evaluation from ISM’s view. In many schools (and most other organizations, as well), performance evaluations are considered a waste of time or a meaningless bureaucratic exercise. What if evaluations could be used to actually increase performance—to help average teachers become excellent, and excellent teachers become even more outstanding? This can be achieved if the right things are being evaluated—and if the evaluation is communicated to the teacher in a way that helps them grow and develop.
Read More