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Teachers Sell Lesson Plans for Extra Income
Academic Leadership // May 27, 2015
Who owns your teachers’ lesson plans—the teachers who write them, or the school that employs them? The answer might be more complicated than it seems, especially when teachers begin selling their classroom resources online for extra income.
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8 Must-Have Student Resources for Writing and Researching
Academic Leadership // May 27, 2015
Writing and researching are two of the most important skills students can learn before their college years. Yet, everywhere—from brief op-eds in Psychology Today to full-fledged debates in The Atlantic—discussions on our students’ poor literacy rates and declining academic integrity abound. Some demonize technology for the declining ability of students to compose a paragraph, but why not embrace the new tools available that grant access to some of English’s deeper mysteries? We’ve found eight great resources that—with a little guidance—could greatly enhance your students’ writing and research skills, both at your school and in their future communicative endeavors.
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Join the Conversation: Best Online Education Conversations to Follow
Private School News // May 6, 2015
The “social” half of “social media” is more than the latest cat videos crowding your home feed or posting your child’s birthday party pictures in a public album for every second cousin to like. A lot of earnest, constructive conversation occurs on online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, tackling everything from the latest news headlines to standardized testing. If you’re like to be a part of the latest conversations surrounding education and stay up-to-date on the latest best practices, we’ve curated a list of what we think are some of the most active and productive conversations online.
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Viral “I Wish My Teacher Knew” Exercise Builds Trust, Community
Private School News // May 6, 2015
How do you build a rapport with students? Fairness, kindness, and constancy all build a young person’s trust in the adults he or she works with. One third grade teacher in Denver, Colorado, decided to offer an empathetic ear to her students—and the results were nothing short of heartwarming.
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Defining “Normal”: Double-Edged Diversity Initiatives in Private Schools
Private School News // May 6, 2015
The death of Freddie Gray not only revitalized discussions of race relations in America, but also engendered the re-emergence of the “diversity dilemma” at private-independent schools around the country. Many schools work hard to promote diverse campuses, believing that a homogeneous community of staff and students will stagnate without infusions of fresh perspectives and diverse experiences. Still, diversity extends beyond race or income level. We found a TEDx talk given by education consultant Derrick Gay that brings a refreshing perspective to an old topic. Listen to his talk, and see if any of his experiences echo your own.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Newsletters
Advancement // May 5, 2015
Once upon a time, school newsletters were little more than Xeroxed to-do lists for parents, reminding them of upcoming deadlines and maybe including the next week’s lunch menu. Since then, newsletters have evolved quite a bit, becoming a powerful piece of emailed or web-hosted marketing—if they’re properly formatted. To get you started, we’ve got a list of the must-do’s (and must-don’t’s!) that every successful school newsletter editor should check off.
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Buzzfeed and the Admission Office: One Plagiarist’s Case Study
Advancement // May 5, 2015
As an Admission Officer, you’re asked to wear many different hats—one of them requires that you create original content for your various marketing initiatives. The demand for original content grows with each passing year, requiring dedication and consistent publishing. The temptation to “borrow” an idea or the turn of phrase from another article, thus saving you time to devote to other things, can be strong. Should you not cite or annotate properly, however, you could be held to the same standards as former Buzzfeed “viral politics” editor, Benny Johnson. Johnson’s case demonstrates that ignorance will not protect you or your school should you unwittingly copy someone else’s ideas. Understanding the many forms of plagiarism—and how to properly cite your sources—is crucial as you implement any content-creation strategy. We’ll go over how, exactly, Johnson plagiarized his content, and how you can still adopt online resources for your content without crossing the line from resource to plagiarist.
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Ask ISM’s Risk Manager
Business and Operations // May 1, 2015
Q: Our School Head received your recent flyer about student accident coverage and asked me to look into this insurance for our school. She believes by covering our students we’re meeting our due diligence as a school. I’m sorry, but I’m struggling with this rationale. Our students should be covered under their parent’s policies, right?
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Returning To School Life After Substance Abuse Treatment
Business and Operations // May 1, 2015
For HR Managers, only part of their job is complete once employees enter substance rehabilitation treatment. You may have had to encourage a faculty or staff member to enter treatment—this could have even been a last chance at saving the person’s life and career. But, after treatment, there is still a great deal of HR effort that must go into helping that person transition back into the daily flow of your school.
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Our Favorite New Health Apps: Some Old, Some New
Business and Operations // May 1, 2015
Last year, we published an article highlighting a few of our favorite health apps. This year, we’re taking another look at some of the hottest health apps to hit the app store. Instead of sorting through 97,000, this time around we’re weeding through more than 100,000! A lot has happened—and been developed— these past 12 months. But, with summer right around the corner, the time for flash fitness is upon us. No more excuses—find an app that’s right for you and set yourself up for a 30-day challenge.
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