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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
What to Do This Summer About Your Listservs and Forums—Etiquette for Staying in Touch Electronically
Private School News // July 14, 2010
As many of you take off a week here or there from the office shuffle to spend time with family, sun, and, most important, yourself, you're probably not thinking about the listservs and forums you've joined to stay current with private-independent school news. Here are a few rules of electronic conversation platforms that may prevent you from being blacklisted by moderators or disliked by fellow members.
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Hosting a Healthier BBQ
Private School News // July 14, 2010
What does summertime mean? For many of us, it means it's time to break out the backyard grill, throw a new tablecloth on the picnic table, and gather some friends for a weekend BBQ. You don't have to sacrifice your healthy habits, however, to have a successful BBQ gathering. Take these healthy condiment alternatives into consideration before setting the table.
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8-Hour School Days?
Private School News // July 14, 2010
From time to time we hear rumors about schools moving to longer days as a way of expanding their learning programs. It has certainly been thrown into conversations that revolve around four-day school weeks. Now, however, it seems that public schools in the Chicago area could be taking action on the idea.
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How Your Campus Can Help Recycle e-Waste
Private School News // July 14, 2010
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 2.6 million tons of e-waste ended up in landfills in 2007. That's 86.4% of the total discarded electronics! If Americans alone recycled their old cell phones (more than 100 million are no longer in use), the amount of energy saved would be enough to power approximately 194,000 U.S. households for one year.
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Summer Reading Suggestions
Academic Leadership // July 1, 2010
Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov (Amazon.com $16.34) This is the product of a decade of research going into classrooms and videotaping teacher practice. Don't expect high-sounding theory or clever philosophy. Lemov states that his litmus test is whether students sit up and pay attention to a teacher, and then do well academically (are prepared well for college). Great teachers, he says, do these things.
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Make Your Faculty Evaluation Meaningful
Academic Leadership // July 1, 2010
Is your faculty evaluation system based on showing up in the classroom for observation? Is it something your faculty dreads? And does it truly give you a picture of how each teacher impacts the students—and the school? Summer is a great time to really examine just HOW you make sure your faculty members are delivering your mission and contributing to your school culture.
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Notes from the HR Blogosphere
Business and Operations // June 23, 2010
Just about everything we do in developing each HR e-letter is directed toward helping you understand how HR issues apply in schools. At the same time, we recognize that fresh ideas from other fields are often helpful in spurring creative thinking—and what better time to let the mind wander and be creative than summer? To that end, we wanted to highlight a few HR blogs that cover a range of HR topics that might be of interest—with interesting twists and perspectives to keep things fresh:
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Part Two: Top 12 HR Tips and Action Items for Summer 2010
Business and Operations // June 23, 2010
Last month, we offered the first six tips from a Top 12 list of tips and action items to help you enhance your HR practices this summer. We'll present the final six this month before taking a break for the summer.
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11 Tips for Summer Recruiting: Prep Your Campus!
School Heads // June 21, 2010
Your campus may seem quiet during the summer months, when your students and faculty are away; however, your Admission Office is probably looking to fill those last few seats for the fall. That means summer admission and campus visits. If you have a summer program, your campus will have some activity, but it's not what goes on during the school year. Here are some tips to prepare your campus for summer visits that will give your prospective families an idea of what they will experience when school is in session!
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Filling Your Shoes … Defining Your Assistant Head's Role
School Heads // June 21, 2010
The term "assistant" logically denotes "aide." Your Assistant Head can take the pressure off you by tackling some of the many—and growing—demands on your time. Unfortunately, the role of the Assistant Head is often somewhat nebulous which hampers success.
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