School Lunch Programs: Up Quality and Reduce Cost

Business and Operations // May 6, 2016

School-provided lunches are notorious for their unappealing presentation and tasteless “mystery meat”—at least, at most public schools. Up the ante on your school’s lunch program by increasing meal quality through smart investments that ultimately save your school’s bottom line while encouraging students to eat in the cafeteria.

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Ask ISM’s Health Care Reform Specialist

Business and Operations // May 6, 2016

Q. I am new to this school. On our calendar, I have a reminder to “file IRS Form 720 by July 31.” My understanding is that Form 720 is a quarterly return that the school does not file—why would I file it in July?

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“How Did We Do This Year?” —End-of-Year Evaluations

School Heads // May 5, 2016

As your school approaches the home stretch of the academic year, evaluations of teacher (and administrator) performances become a high priority before school breaks for the summer session. Some School Heads may approach these meetings with dread, especially if there are low-performers within your ranks. However, an end-of-year evaluation doesn’t necessarily need to be scary—particularly when approached from the coaching model of evaluation.

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Don’t “Raise Your Salary": Defending Your Pay as a Development Director

Advancement // May 5, 2016

At private schools and other nonprofit organizations with Development Offices, there can be an expectation—written or understood—that a Development Director must raise a certain amount of money above his or her salary to be considered “good” or “worth the school’s investment.” This logic is toxic and encourages a flawed approach to fundraising that can fundamentally interfere with your ability to fulfill your job.

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School-Based Student-Leadership Programs: An Overview

School Heads // May 5, 2016

As one school year winds down to a close, the next looms only a few months away. That means it’s the perfect time to consider additions to your school’s programming that, come fall, can provide additional opportunities for your students to demonstrate leadership within the context of your school’s mission and priorities.

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Three Steps to Scoring Profitable Items for Your School’s Auction

Advancement // May 4, 2016

School auctions can be a fun—and profitable!—way to connect with donors while raising money for school programs. However, not all auction items are created equal, either in terms of monetary value or their popularity with donors. So this month, we'd like to offer a three-step process to securing the items your school community truly wants to bid on.

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Three Ways Graduating Students Support Advancement

Advancement // May 3, 2016

Graduating season is fast approaching! The entire school should be abuzz as it prepares to wish your senior students well on the next step of their academic careers—including your Admission Office. Graduating students represent vital advancement opportunities that your office should be grabbing with both hands.

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“Fair” Admission Practices: The School and the Applicant

Advancement // May 3, 2016

Most children go through a phase in which they are obsessed with what’s “fair,” with an almost martial adherence to rules and equitable division of resources. As they grow older, though, children slowly realize that true fairness is often an impossibility—or rather, that “fairness” means different things to different people. So, if “fairness” does not mean the same thing to everyone, what does a “fair” private-school admission process look like at a mission-driven school?

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Bullying: Seven Ways to Protect Your Students

Academic Leadership // May 2, 2016

We’ve talked about digital harassment in the past, but recent events have reminded us that physical bullying is still alive and well. On April 21, a 16-year-old lost her life after a fight (allegedly over a boy) in the girls’ bathroom of a public school in Wilmington, Delaware. Rev. Sandra Ben of Pray Ground Community Church told the Delaware News Journal, “We know [violence] is happening in the streets. But now we are talking about violence happening in a place that normally should be a safe haven.” Parents choose to send their children to your school, in part because they consider your community safer than the public alternatives. Still, bullying can occur anytime, anywhere—and occasionally, despite your best efforts to educate. (In a moment of cruel irony, this incident occurred in the middle of the school’s anti-bullying campaign season). So this month, let’s talk about the effective ways in which you can keep your school a predictive and supportive space for every student.

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Four Hilariously Ineffective Anti-Drug PSAs

Academic Leadership // May 2, 2016

Children are smarter and more intuitive than many adults give them credit for. They know when they’re being sold to, no matter the window dressing on it. Therefore, advertising campaigns to help young people avoid addictive substances have occasionally… shot wide of the mark. This issue, enjoy a countdown of some of the most hilariously incompetent efforts to educate our children on the dangers of drugs.

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