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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Eight Steps to Transforming School Culture: Real Talk on Race and Diversity
School Leadership // April 11, 2021
For some schools, 2020 was the year that leaders got honest about diversity in their schools. Whether it was the first time your team dealt with challenging conversations, or another year of continuing progress, use these concrete steps to transform your school’s culture.
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School Spotlight: How Serviam Girls Academy Supports Its Students With Strategies From ISM
School Spotlight // April 11, 2021
Serviam Girls Academy is rooted in the rich tradition of the Ursuline Education Network. Their mission is to cultivate the potential of young women through a challenging, holistic education. This is a tuition-free private middle school in Wilmington, Delaware, providing an exceptional, holistic education to under-served students.
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Questions About Your Enrollment, Marketing, and Advancement for Next Year? Help Is on the Way!
Enrollment Management // March 30, 2021
The impact of COVID-19 has irrevocably changed how schools interact with constituents, recruit and retain families, and fundraise. Now is the time to learn the latest methods to help you meet your goals. Each year’s curriculum offers new learning opportunities and is refined to deliver a uniquely individualized experience, allowing for maximum team collaboration and deep engagement.
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How to Find (and Manage) Agents for Your International Student Program
International Student Programs // March 28, 2021
With normal travel impeded and educators feeling challenged around the globe, International Student Programs have faced a unique set of struggles and trials over the past year. Looking forward, these programs not only have the ability to survive—they can flourish and grow. Whether a school is loo...
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You Are NOT Your Target Market: Three Steps to More Effective Communications
Advancement // March 28, 2021
When working on advertising materials and donor stories, sometimes a specific headline or case study piques your interest more than the others. However, when you show it to a parent representative you trust, they don’t react to it as strongly as you had hoped or anticipated—thus changing the course of your prospective marketing or advertising campaign. This example illustrates the need to have quantitative data to back up your marketing decisions. You, as the administrator of a private school, are not (necessarily) your target audience; neither is every family with a school-aged student or every philanthropic business person in the neighborhood. To ensure the solicitation of mission-appropriate donors and prospective families, you must put yourself in your audience’s place while identifying (and acknowledging) personal bias.
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Forget Morning Coffee—Growth Coaching Is Your New Perfect Blend
School Leadership // March 21, 2021
Academic success is not measured solely by test scores and report cards. To get the full picture of a child’s development, you take into account the entire student experience. Teachers go through a similar assessment. Quantitative data is measured via an evaluation process, while qualitative information is revealed—and nurtured—through a comprehensive growth plan.
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Three Cyberthreats to Your School and Smart Solutions
Business and Operations // March 21, 2021
Schools have faced cybersecurity risks for some time now, and cyberattacks have increased significantly during the pandemic. Even long after COVID-19 is behind us, educational institutions will remain vulnerable because they are online—as schools expand their online presence, criminal activity will become more threatening. Avoiding cyberthreats is essential.
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Ten Jobs for Classroom Helpers, Even in a Blended Model
Academic Leadership // March 21, 2021
It is increasingly difficult to predict what students’ future needs will be as we live in an era of hyperchange. Our overall response to this educational dilemma—exacerbated by remote learning during a pandemic has been to "cover" everything. We try to do this despite evidence students retain a smal...
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Do Schools Need to ‘Catch Kids Up’ After COVID?
School Heads // March 14, 2021
As education thought leaders, we have observed with interest recent debates about how to “catch kids up” from their “academic learning loss” after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. We certainly agree students have missed out on powerful and lasting learning from hands-on social activities that have been drastically modified or canceled altogether over the last year.
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Five Signs Your School’s Faculty Evaluation Isn’t Working
Academic Leadership // March 14, 2021
A yearly faculty evaluation is not like a walk in the park—whether you’re the academic leader implementing it or the teacher on the receiving end. When properly constructed and enacted, however, a comprehensive faculty development framework that includes an evaluation piece can improve staff culture, reduce legal risks, and bolster school enrollment.
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