?To Permit or to Ban: Revisiting Cellphone Policies, Part One

School Heads // April 23, 2015

Cellphones have evolved in the past decade from comparatively crude communication devices little better than walkie-talkies to miniature computers more powerful than the machines that put two men on the moon in 1969. With great power, however, comes great responsibility. While schools that historically banned the devices experiment with classroom use, certain critics claim that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. This month, we’ll take a look at some of the arguments in favor of allowing students to use their personal cellphones during school hours.

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Atrocious Tattoos and “Unnatural” Hair Colors: Dress Code Policy Particulars

School Heads // April 23, 2015

Can dress codes go too far? Recent viral stories of ridiculous-looking tattoos and one UK student’s banishment from school grounds over an “unnatural” hair color have revived conversations about how much influence dress codes can have on a community. Today, we’ll take a look at the potential impact that detailed dress codes can have in a private-independent school.

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Reaching Realistic Deadlines

Business and Operations // April 22, 2015

Deadlines are to your school what cogs are to a watch: both keep the overall machine ticking and running regularly. They’re necessary for everything to work seamlessly. Many thrive in an environment that sets clear, constant expectations through deadlines, but some may feel like they can’t keep up as due dates whiz by. If you or your office has trouble reaching its deadlines, try these steps.

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Write Job Descriptions by Answering Questions

Business and Operations // April 22, 2015

Finding new talent to add to your school’s faculty and staff can invigorate programs and inject new ideas to counter old problems. But how do you attract the best candidates to your open positions? Why, with your job posting, of course! Your listing is your first chance to attract and impress the sort of teachers and administrators your school desires. But the first step in writing a job description isn’t writing at all. First, you must collect all the important information job seekers care about, and present it in a way that’s easily understandable and attractive to the best candidates. So, before you set your fingers to the keyboard to craft your job description, make sure you can answer these crucial questions.

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Ask ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist

Business and Operations // April 22, 2015

Q: We are changing our eligibility for our health insurance from 20 hours per week to 30 hours per week. We were told that we must change our Flexible Spending Account (FSA) definition of eligibility, as well. We still want to let our part-time employees pretax their out-of-pocket expenses, but we’re told that this is not allowed. Can only our full-time employees participate in our FSA plan?

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Assets and Liabilities of the Advisory Board

Board of Trustees // April 15, 2015

Community and business leaders, revered alumni, and distinguished individuals are often asked to serve on Advisory Boards. Most such Boards are essentially honorific—established by schools to keep in contact with people whose names, experience, and funds can be of assistance on occasion. Members might include Trustees who have served your school long and faithfully, major donors of the past, and people of outstanding talent who may refuse full Board membership. Despite the form and membership of the Advisory Board, the potential for good or bad is about the same. Members of such groups must be constantly cultivated and their ideas solicited. If this does not happen, the Advisory Board becomes meaningless, the “honor” nonexistent, and feelings turn negative. In fact, this is the prevailing pattern at many schools. Use the following strategies to avoid this pitfall.

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Cheating On the Rise, At Home and Abroad

Academic Leadership // April 14, 2015

Cheating on tests has reached new heights over the years. Or, at least, it has for parents in Bihar, India, who actually scaled the walls of the local test centers while their children toiled over notoriously difficult standardized board examinations. But cheating isn’t confined to Bihar. One online conversation led to hundreds of people admitting to creative and (occasionally) effective ways to cheat on exams, as observed by students and teachers. So sit back, grab a cup of joe, and enjoy the stories of oddball cheaters shared by your compatriots.

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Aftershocks: Dealing With Trauma in the Classroom

Academic Leadership // April 14, 2015

For Bostonians, justice was served on April 8th, 2015, when a federal jury declared Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on 30 charges related to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The sentencing reminds many communities of that spring day two years ago, when three spectators were killed and dozens injured when a homemade pressure bomb exploded in the crowd in what some call the “worst terror attack on American soil since 9/11.” But for the local town of Waterford, Massachusetts, it's not the bombing itself they remember with dread, but the intense manhunt that ensued for the suspected bombers. For the students in this community, the task wasn’t to treat the trauma of seeing limbs and bodies scattered on an asphalt road. Rather, the trauma lay in a new world perspective—a world that could become dangerous even during the most innocent of events.

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Online Donation? Snail Mail a Thank-You!

Advancement // April 13, 2015

Seems a little counterintuitive, doesn’t it? After all, the donor made the gift online, and it stands to reason that he or she would be comfortable continuing to communicate screen-to-screen rather than face-to-face. Often, your online donation program generates a thank-you email the instant the payment clears, seemingly making additional need for contact obsolete. But wait a second! Let’s consider what the goal is (or should be) with this new donor. You want to build a relationship with this person. Now that the ball’s in your court, you have an opportunity here to strengthen the tenuous initial connection with a little effort, attention, and the lick of a stamp.

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The Hidden Costs of Fundraising Events

Advancement // April 13, 2015

When you're trying to raise money for school programs and upgrades, it's important to keep resources funneled to where they can do the most good. Consider large fundraising events like golf tournaments, live auctions, and banquets. While these events certainly can—and do!—raise a lot of money toward a school’s capital campaign or annual fund, hidden costs lurk among your guests.

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