How Evaluations Can Help Prevent EPL Claims

Business and Operations // March 26, 2012

In 2011, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 99,947 charges of employment discrimination. In any given year, as many as 25% of schools might experience an employment-related claim against their Directors and Officers/Employment Practices Liability (D&O/EPL) insurance policy. An individual claim might result in judgments of hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more.

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The Transition to Adulthood

Board of Trustees // March 22, 2012

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released its report America’s Youth: Transitions to Adulthood, which examines numerous aspects of the lives of youth and young adults, ages 14 to 24, in the United States over the last several decades. The report features status and trend data from multiple surveys on the distribution of youth and their family structure; on school-, employment-, and health-related factors; and on future plans.

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Wildlife Cams Give Students a Chance to See Animals in Nature

Academic Leadership // March 21, 2012

Not often does anyone get to see an American Bald Eagle nesting in real time. After all, the nest is situated in a tree 80’ in the air. But thanks to sharp, clear cameras and the live streaming service UStream.com, you can watch a nesting pair of Bald Eagles take turns sitting on the eggs, bring food back to the nest, and ultimately, watch the eggs hatch … and the eaglets grow.

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Am I In the Right Job?

Academic Leadership // March 21, 2012

ISM believes that the primary responsibility of an academic administrator is to develop the capacity of faculty to deliver the mission with excellence. Here’s the rub: Most academic leaders entered the education field because they love helping children learn, grow, and develop. At a certain point, though, you switched over from teaching to administration, whereby you traded one constituency (children) for another (faculty). In doing so, you are still responsible for helping people learn, grow, and develop—the only difference is, now the people you are directly helping to grow are adults, who in turn help develop the children. These are very different jobs. Both are very important; you just need to be sure that you’re doing the one that you really want to do.

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Pinterested?

Advancement // March 20, 2012

The latest buzz word in the social media world is Pinterest. According to the Pinterest video by L2 Think Tank posted on vimeo.com*, this two-year-old site is the fastest-growing social media site on the Web, with nearly 11 million total visits in the week that ended December 17, 2011, which was nearly 40 times more than six months before. Pinterest’s users are 70% women, 60% college-educated, and generally between the ages of 25-44. These users could be your alumni, your school’s parents, and potential donors.

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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Advancement // March 20, 2012

Your job as Development Director is to connect your donors’ and prospects’ passions to your school’s mission, students, and programs. First, of course, you need to know your donor or prospect, know what will excite them about your school. Then you need to communicate that connection.

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Handling the Needs of a Student With Life-Threatening Allergies

School Heads // March 5, 2012

The headlines are common, like this one: “Student’s Death Spotlights Food Allegies in School.” Just a couple of months ago, a seven-year-old girl in a Virginia school died when she suffered from a severe allergic reaction to a peanut product. This tragedy brought into question responsibility. According to county school and health officials, the parent must provide the medication. According to the girl’s mother, she provided the school with an “allergy action plan” to administer Benedryl if her daughter had a reaction. She said she tried to provide an EpiPen (epinephrine) to the school but was told to keep it at home.

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Characteristics (of Professional Excellence) Aren’t Just for Hiring

School Heads // March 5, 2012

In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey recommends that we “begin with the end in mind.” This maxim holds true for Heads seeking to enhance their school’s hiring process.

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Evaluation Reforms Are Changing Schools Nationwide—Public and Private Alike

Private School News // February 29, 2012

Teacher evaluation has been a hot topic for the past few years. Schools—both public and private—are starting to change the way they not only evaluate teachers, but how they hire, provide professional development, and establish their leadership systems.

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How ‘Evaluation’ Can Help Attract, Develop, and Inspire Faculty

Private School News // February 29, 2012

In your school, teacher evaluation may be … … a “necessary evil” (like eating one’s vegetables as a child) … a painful, meaningless exercise … something you do but no one is quite sure why … not done at all.

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