Q&A With ISM’s Risk Manager

Business and Operations // February 25, 2014

Q: I’ve heard the term “Reverse Evacuation.” What exactly does that mean?

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School Is Five Days a Week (Except When It's Not)

Academic Leadership // February 21, 2014

There can be little doubt that most—if not all—schools east of the Mississippi River have lost required class time, thanks to a spate of winter storms and arctic vortexes determined to keep everyone at home and off the roads and playgrounds. Schools across the country are scrambling to compensate for the lost class time, but how they do it varies from place to place.

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Prep for the Test!

Academic Leadership // February 21, 2014

Private-independent school students are blessed in many ways. One of their advantages is the lack of state-mandated standardized tests that plague the public school sphere. Still, your students will serve their time filling in bubble sheets with #2 pencils when they take the SSAT or the ISEE for future private schooling, or even the SAT I & II and ACT tests for their college applications. (Side note: More students have taken the ACT than the SAT since 2012!)

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Marijuana: A Legal Drug on Campus

School Heads // February 20, 2014

As more states move to legalize marijuana, it's surprising not to find more chatter about how schools are affected. In fact, until Education Week published an article about it in its January 8, 2014, issue, we hadn’t found much at all outside the norm of statistics and headlined, random stories.

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Ammo for Your Conversations With Disappointed Financial Aid Families

School Heads // February 20, 2014

Financial aid season is upon us. Applications are pouring in, taxes are being verified, acceptance and rejection letters are being sent, and your school’s future classes are being determined. Your Admission Office is in high gear, and your Financial Aid Committee is running in overdrive. All of this is happening as most of us are trying to recover from the holiday excitement and fight off those wintertime blues that tend to creep in from fewer daylight hours. There’s a lot of energy on campus this time of year, and as Head, you’re right in the midst of it all.

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Winter Health Tips: Shoveling Safety

Business and Operations // February 18, 2014

It might be spring-like temperatures in Sochi where the winter Olympics are being held, but for most of us in the States, it’s a snowy, blustery cold winter. Much of the country has faced one snowstorm after an other, causing not just an overabundance of missed school days but also a great deal of shoveling back pain.

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Ask ISM’s Health Care Reform Specialist

Business and Operations // February 18, 2014

Q: We have a medical insurance plan that renews July 1. Is it true that I don’t have to worry about the employer penalty until July, 2015?

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Snow Days Are Ancient History

Business and Operations // February 18, 2014

With technology keeping us virtually connected from wherever we go, snow days shouldn’t be an issue for schools or students facing important placement tests and evaluations. (At least, that’s the rumor.)

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"Going Once! Going Twice!" Awesome Auction Ideas

Advancement // February 17, 2014

For private-independent schools, big or small, an auction can be one of the most exciting (and profitable!) ways to raise large sums at a single time. Our e-List for Advancement Professionals recently fielded an inquiry on the top auction items people have sold. We thought it’d be great to share some original ideas for items to go up on the block and some tricks and tips to remember when running your own.

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Working With Parent Associations

Advancement // February 17, 2014

In our last e-Letter, we talked about how development and admission should work together to accomplish the same goal of building and growing your private-independent school. Today, we’ll take a look at working with your Parent Association.

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