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What are the latest trends impacting private-independent school enrollment? How can you be the most effective in your role as an administrator? How can you help your school meet its mission and best serve your students?
Check out Community Corner, a free blog from ISM.
We cover such topics as how to communicate with your constituencies, work with your fellow school leaders, leverage new technology trends, utilize recommended reading and resources, implement new strategies—all to better serve your school's mission.
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Beyond the Checkbook: Successful Development Planning for Your School
Fundraising // June 20, 2021
Raising money to deliver the school’s mission with excellence is a primary goal of a private school’s Development Office. But “big asks” aren’t everything. A truly compelling development agenda digs deeper, with long-term goals leading the way.
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How to Analyze Your Website Like a Marketing Pro and Increase Admission Fast
Marketing Communications // June 20, 2021
You may not be a trained marketing expert—and there’s nothing wrong with that! But if you find yourself wearing the marketing hat, you’re not alone. Many administrators must think like marketers—at least when they plan to use their websites to increase admission.
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How to Keep Kids Safe Online
Academic Leadership // June 6, 2021
The days of handing kids a device and telling them to “be safe” are long gone. Online safety has evolved, even in the last year, and, as educators, you must adjust your guidelines, advice, and protection to accommodate even your school’s youngest digital citizens.
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A Year Like No Other Sheds Light on the Year to Come for International Student Recruitment
Enrollment Management // May 23, 2021
As the final term descends toward exams and graduations, there is no better opportunity for an honest look inward to put those lessons to use: what worked, what didn’t, and how can the collective academic community employ best practices for ushering in a thriving international student program.
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5 Must-Know Trends for Raising Major Gifts Post-COVID-19
Fundraising // May 23, 2021
More donors may be willing to engage in annual giving, with just a few others interested in capital gifts. An even smaller number of those donors may plan a transformational gift (possibly as a part of an estate planning process). With these limitations in mind, you can adjust your approach using these five trends to help you engage with donors post-COVID-19.
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9 Reasons ISM’s Summer Institute Is the Only Professional Development You Will Need This Year
School Leadership // May 23, 2021
You need concrete tips, road maps, and specifics on how to recover from and flourish in a post-pandemic education system. Every summer ISM offers 20+ topic-focused online workshops as a part of our Summer Institute. Here’s why this real-life, expert, and data-led professional development will be the only one you need all year.
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Website First Impressions—Much Like Job Interviews,You Only Get One
Marketing Communications // May 16, 2021
Websites come in all shapes and sizes. Whether a large budget was allocated or costs were reduced by in-house development, a website is often the first interaction a consumer has with a business or organization. As the proverbial first impression, there is little room for error—second first impressions simply don’t exist. Many private schools consider their website to be a marketing tool. After all, the product—the school itself—is the main focus. In business, websites are indeed the star of the marketing plan. A persuasive retail site attracts visitors with flash and discounts, and increased traffic typically results in a boost in sales.
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How to Connect With and Teach Gen Z Learners
Academic Leadership // May 16, 2021
In a previous post, we talked about understanding the way your students have been raised. You need this background information to design effective education methods. That post went over their backgrounds and perspectives. Now we’ll look at how to best teach them. Generation Z encompasses most of the children in school right now; they were born between about 1997 and 2014.
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Chaos Is So 2020—Planning With Intention Is What’s in Style
Business and Operations // May 16, 2021
As the weather gets warmer and COVID-19 vaccinations are on the rise, private schools are looking toward the fall with a healthy dose of cautious optimism. First, a reality check: COVID-19 is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. For the sake of stability and sanity, any reopening roadmap should start from that vantage point. If there’s any lesson to be had from the past year, it’s that flexibility and contingency plans aren’t simply good ideas—they’re a blueprint for survival. Every school must create a reopening structure that works within the confines of the next phase of the pandemic, whatever that may be. Now is the time to be intentional and put the knowledge and experiences of this year to good use.
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How Should Schools Assess Students Within a Blended Learning Environment?
Academic Leadership // May 9, 2021
We anticipate that many schools will use a combination of online learning and on-campus instruction—blended learning—for the 2021–22 school year. If your school is among those considering blended learning, what grading system will you use? We outline our suggestions below.
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