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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Newsletters: Important for Prospective, Current, and Past Parents
Advancement // April 10, 2015
Your school newsletter offers past, present, and prospective parents—all subscribers, in fact—a chance to be part of the day-to-day school life, even though they’re not in the classrooms on a daily basis. Each segment of your potential audience values your newsletter in a different way. By knowing your audience’s various interests, you can leverage your newsletter to your school’s greatest advantage.
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Ask ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist
Business and Operations // April 2, 2015
Q: I have been reviewing the employer reporting form and have a couple of questions about Form 1095-C line 14. Does Code 1A mean that $1,108.65 is the most that an employee can contribute to the cost of his/her premium payment for the year to comply with the regulations for a minimum value plan? It currently looks like each of our employees pays $1,188 of his/her premium which would be $79 over the limit to qualify for the minimum value plan right?
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Unmask Impostors and Avoid Fraud
Business and Operations // April 2, 2015
While the Internal Revenue Service battle impostors this tax season as fraudsters prey on panicked, ill-informed victims, fraud happens all year round. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) named impostor scams as the third most common consumer complaint in 2014. Even schools are targets for such scams, as our Business Officer e-List reported this month. Apparently, a spate of emails impersonating School Heads to lower-level Business Office employees requesting wire transfers. With a little common sense and basic protocols, these schools avoided potentially costly and untraceable mistakes—and so can yours.
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How to Correct Someone Without Provoking Fireworks
Business and Operations // April 2, 2015
Think back to a time when a colleague has made a suggestion or a statement that you were certain was completely inaccurate and would derail a conversation, project, or meeting. You knew that, if left uncorrected, the process will become confused and muddled. At the same time, if you simply said, "Jesse, you're wrong," it would cause sparks to fly. So today, we'll talk about how you can correct someone without a fireworks-worthy display of temper.
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“Race-Congruent” Teachers May Help Boost Student Scores
Private School News // March 31, 2015
There’s a copious amount of research on the effect role models have on developing minds, but a new study raises the bar for what kind of role models might be most effective in the classroom. Researchers from the University of Arkansas, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Harvard University have joined forces to discover that students may perform better on exams if their role models—their teachers—are of the same ethnicity.
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Rooting Out Nervousness
Private School News // March 31, 2015
Nerves show up when we least need them. Presentations, conversations with parents, meetings with donors—nervousness kills confidence and interrupts the flow of rational thoughts. The next time you feel anxiety popping up, beat it back with these tips.
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Maasai Warriors, Live Poetry, and The Pursuit of Ignorance: TED Talks Truths and Dares
Private School News // March 31, 2015
(Primary image credit to GP3/The Every Day Athlete News) For anyone wondering what the online fuss was about in the middle of March, the 2015 TED weeklong conference convened in Toronto, Canada. Billed as a "platform for ideas worth sharing" and known for its inspiring 15-minute "talks" circulated on YouTube, TED's theme this year was “Truth and Dare.” For those unable to enjoy the talks in person, we’ve created a playlist of TED talks on education that speak occasionally harsh truths while daring our schools and our society to transcend the current, self-imposed boundaries.
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The GREAT DREAM: International Day of Happiness
Business and Operations // March 27, 2015
On March 20, 2015, the world celebrated International Day of Happiness by answering the question, “What really makes me happy?” Take a moment to think about that question. Does more than one answer pop into your mind? We’re going to guess that several things danced to the forefront of your thoughts because when you really stop to think about what matters most, your personal recipe for happiness probably isn’t as simple as one ingredient.
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Securing Student Files
Business and Operations // March 27, 2015
Some of the most sensitive files your office manages are your student files. Grades, personal information, and health information pertaining to each of your students must be as secure as your employee files. Yet, unlike your employee files, certain student records also need to be accessed regularly by key faculty and staff.
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Ask ISM's Risk Manager
Business and Operations // March 27, 2015
Q: Our school carries several insurance policies. We’re trying refocus our risk management protocols. Is there one insurance policy that you think is essential?
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