13 Ways to Stay Sane and Relieve Stress

Academic Leadership // February 24, 2016

Springtime is scheduling time for many Division Heads, adding a new bundle of stressors on top of an already hectic work schedule. To support you, our stressed-out readers, we gathered quick and easy ways to help you de-stress at work and achieve the necessary zen to complete those vital tasks.

Read More

College Board Releases a “Wordier” Exam

Academic Leadership // February 24, 2016

College prep assessment company College Board recently released details on the latest iteration of its Scholastic Aptitude Test (the SAT). The new exam has several new features, but the renewed focus on reading comprehension has most educators’ attention. As the new format becomes more widely know, nervous students may need reassurance—and maybe reading glasses.

Read More

The New Board President and the Head-Elect: A Working Relationship

Board of Trustees // February 23, 2016

An incumbent Board President often steps down as a new Head takes over. It is seen as a logical time for the transfer of power—allowing a long-term relationship to develop between the new Head and a new President. The next President is selected by the Trustees without the Head-elect’s input. (What input could be knowledgeably given?) However, the new Head may well have been influenced to accept the job based on the “chemistry” demonstrated with the existing President and key Trustees on the Search Committee. A new President changes all of this. Moreover, if other leading Trustees move on at the same time, the team envisioned by the new Head is greatly altered.

Read More

When a Parent Approaches You in the School Parking Lot …

Board of Trustees // February 23, 2016

You, a new Trustee, walk across the school parking lot for a meeting with the School Head. You’re approached by a mother who immediately launches into a tirade about the fourth-grade teacher. “Tom, my child isn’t being treated fairly, and I expect you to do something about it!” Sound familiar? In some schools, parents often contact Trustees with their complaints. They see Board members as the top of the power structure and, therefore, the best path to results. In turn, Trustees—out of an understandable desire to be cooperative and helpful, or an inability to say “no” to a concerned and demanding parent, or a basic misunderstanding of their role in the life of the school—often leap into the fray.

Read More

Snow Days for the Business Office

Business and Operations // February 22, 2016

While students and faculty can relax during serendipitous snow days, the Business Office’s work never rests. Deadlines and requirements remain, even when the wind howls and ice beads on sidewalks. So this month, we’d like to talk about four things the Business Office must keep in mind to continue working—despite the season’s foulest weather.

Read More

Ask ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist

Business and Operations // February 22, 2016

Q: As we finish up Form 1095-C and turn to the transmittal of 1094-C, I keep receiving questions on Line 22: Certifications of Eligibility. What are these, and do we need to complete them?

Read More

Providing Financial Information to Parents

Business and Operations // February 22, 2016

Your school thrives on engaged parents. However, some families can request information from your office that exceeds your expected level of engagement. Recently on the Business Manager e-list, one school asked how to handle an uncommon financial request from one of its parents: five years’ worth of “financial records.” While transparency with the community is to be encouraged, as a way for the school to demonstrate responsible stewardship of resources, vague requests that come from parents seemingly out-of-the-blue prompt some second-guessing of assumed policy.

Read More

The One Question School Heads Must Answer to Guarantee Re-enrollment

School Heads // February 18, 2016

As School Head, you play a crucial part in your school’s advancement goals—particularly re-enrollment. There is no one else who can speak on behalf of your school quite as comprehensively and authoritatively as the School Head, which means you personally can wield a great deal of power and persuasion when it comes to student retention. So, while the Admission Office works on accepting new mission-appropriate students, take a moment to address one vital question that no one else can answer.

Read More

Managing Romancing Employees

School Heads // February 18, 2016

In this, the most romantic of months, love is in the air for student sweethearts—and maybe in your administrative ranks, as well. When people spend most of their waking hours together, it’s natural for crushes to form for admirable, available peers, regardless if your school’s policies frown on it or not. If you find that love is swamping your school’s halls and offices, here are some ways in which to keep everyone’s “head in the game”—instead of Cupid’s clouds.

Read More

School Spotlight: Bethany Academy’s “Half-Shot, Half-Tuition” Community Building Fundraiser

Private School News // February 17, 2016

December 2015’s Source for Development Directors featured Bethany Academy’s remarkable viral fundraiser, in which the school’s top fundraising parent made a “miraculous” half-court shot and won half off her daughter’s tuition for the 2016-17 school year. We had a chance to talk with Bethany Academy’s Development Director Rochelle Platter, and discuss what went on behind the scenes to create such a successful fundraiser for the school through a community building event.

Read More