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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Recognizing Heatstroke in Athletic Students
Business and Operations // March 27, 2014
With April just a week away, the start of spring training is promised. Eager students and coaches are ready to put a long winter behind them and get back on the field. But, as temperatures climb and the season extends, certain risks are heightened, such as heatstroke. According to the North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, the five-year block from 2005–2009 had more heatstroke deaths than any other five-year period in the past 35 years.
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Q&A With ISM’s Risk Manager
Business and Operations // March 27, 2014
Q: Are there “no-cost” ways to make our facilities safer?
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"Detoxing" Faculty Negativity
School Heads // March 25, 2014
Contract renewal season is here once again! For many of your faculty, it’s a formality. Their classes are vibrant and exciting; their students are engaged and growing; their teaching methods blossom under your school’s dedication to their professional development. You look forward to working with them for years to come. Some teachers, however, have not met your standards for retention. Keep reading for some common attributes and attitudes of toxic faculty and ways to mitigate the damage to your school and students.
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Office "Hacks" for School Heads
School Heads // March 25, 2014
“Life hacks”—or innovations to make your life easier in unexpected and original ways—are inventions of the Information Age. If you’d like some modern tips and tricks to reorganize your cluttered workspace and improve your office efficiency, read on.
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Compliant e-Mail Practices
Business and Operations // March 20, 2014
In efforts to reduce printing costs and “go green,” your school might have decided to make the switch to primarily electronic communications. As Business Manager, you probably don’t have a lot of influence over what promotional material is distributed to whom, but it is part of your job as your school’s Risk Manager to know what practices are legally compliant, reducing your risks of law suits, and which practices are not.
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Ask ISM’s Health Care Reform Expert
Business and Operations // March 20, 2014
Q: We are a small school with 15 employees. I heard we could get money back for offering health insurance to our employees.If this is true, how do we apply or qualify for this?
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Medical Bill Bankruptcy
Business and Operations // March 20, 2014
There has been a lot of change regarding health insurance and coverage since President Obama came into office. The Affordable Care Act and the laws and provisions that it entails have made a rather large impact on everyone, both personally and in terms of business. Opinions on new provisions vary; however, without venturing down that slippery slope, let’s take a look at some medical debt facts resonating for those with and without coverage.
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When Professional Development Is Useless for Your Teachers
Academic Leadership // March 18, 2014
It’s a waste of your teachers' time as well as your school's resources to provide inadequate professional development, as what happened to some unfortunate Chicago public school teachers. In a video that’s gone viral, a participant secretly recorded a full 63 seconds demonstrating this district’s take on professional development.
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Four #EdTech Blogs to Bookmark
Academic Leadership // March 18, 2014
Constant, reliable technology news about what’s important and pertinent to private schools can be difficult to find, much less rely on. (That’s why you subscribed to our e-Letters!) But sometimes you can find resources that, while only tangentially related, still help you keep abreast of conversations and imagine ways to take your school into the 21st Century. Take a look at these four ed-tech blogs and see if you’re not impressed and informed by each.
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How Donor Incentive Programs Backfire
Advancement // March 7, 2014
Tiered memberships. Financial incentives. Substantial rewards. These dangle like carrots tied to the proverbial stick, encouraging potential donors to reach for their wallets to make gifts to your private-independent school. But, are donor incentive programs really the way to drive donations?
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