Ten Essential Rules for Productive Meetings

Board of Trustees // March 15, 2013

Meetings are talked about too little and carried out too much. Most schools spend a great deal of time in meetings of one kind or another—e.g., Board committees, the School Head and the Management Team, the Division Heads together with Department Chairs or grade team leaders, the Student Response Team, and faculty meetings. Of course, it is valuable and often essential that people come together in a formal sense and talk about difference-makers in the lives of children. Group networks aggregate information and can examine it more critically. Group members often will determine better solutions and/or outcomes than isolated individuals—but only if the group meets in a way that allows these things to happen. Here, then, are ISM’s Ten Essential Rules for Productive Meetings.

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Choice Programs in Private Schools

Board of Trustees // March 15, 2013

The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice recently released a report focusing on school choice programs in 2013, including vouchers, education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, and individual tax credits/deductions. The report describes programs throughout the United States, listed alphabetically by state.

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The ABCs of School Choice Guide Just Released

School Heads // March 12, 2013

The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice has just released its 2013 edition of The ABCs of School Choice, a comprehensive guide to every kind of private school choice program available in the United States. Currently, 21 states and Washington, DC offer some formass of private school choice.

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Coaching the Coaches

School Heads // March 12, 2013

During the past year, ISM’s Consultants have been writing and speaking on the primary role of academic leaders as building the capacity of their faculty—that is, coaching, mentoring, supporting, and guiding faculty toward delivering your mission with excellence every day, with every student. This is a lofty goal, of course—but one that we passionately believe is vital to the success of private schools in the 21st century. This begs the question: If academic leaders (e.g., Division Heads and Department Chairs) are coaching faculty, who coaches the coaches?

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Trip and Volunteer Protocols

Business and Operations // February 27, 2013

Spring is right around the corner. With warmer weather, field trips are likely to start springing up on calendars in an effort to connect theory and practice. With any off-site trip, you need to follow safety policies to reduce risks. This is a good time to review your school’s policies for faculty and volunteers accompanying students off campus. Start by defining what a field trip is. Some schools consider any event that takes students off-site as a field trip, while others define them as travel greater than 10 miles from campus. Once you have your school’s definition determined, the following guidelines may help you polish your school’s protocols.

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Revising Antiharassment and E-Mail Policies

Business and Operations // February 27, 2013

Sexting—sending or receiving sexually explicit images or texts—incidents have been on the rise since 2008. In 2010, sexting concerns in schools started making headlines on a regular basis. Now in 2013, schools are still trying to gain control of harassment lawsuits and negative media. The truth is, no one in your school has the power to control each individual. You will never be able to eliminate the risk completely. But you can protect your school by revising antiharassment and e-mail policies to include cell phones, cameras, IMs, and texts. Whether you have one policy that covers both students and employees or separate policies for employees and students, it needs to be updated to reflect new risks that these devices represent.

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Architecture to Inspire, Attract, and Promote Wellness

Business and Operations // February 27, 2013

Optimizing your schools space takes a considerable amount of thought, meditation, and planning. Adequate space is valuable—especially for inner-city schools. Well-planned space that incorporates green spaces as well as modern adaptations for 21st Century learning inspires, motivates, and promotes the learning environment not just for your students, but also for your school’s faculty and staff.

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Financial Aid Award Notifications

Advancement // February 27, 2013

Financial aid applications are rolling in. Formulas are being tested. Your committee is working in overdrive, reviewing and organizing applicants. Decisions are being made. Final decisions are being made. Now, it’s time to send out notifications to those receiving financial aid, and to those not qualifying.

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D&O Q&A

Business and Operations // February 27, 2013

Q: I have a good idea what type of claims employees can bring against schools (for wrongful termination, harassment, and the like). What type of claims do you see parents bringing against schools? Do Directors & Officers (D&O) policies generally cover these claims?

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Green Corner: Where Does Your City Rank With GHG? Emissions

Business and Operations // February 27, 2013

Attention science lovers: The EPA recently released a report on 2012 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from large facilities around the nation. It is important to note that this report does not reflect total US GHG emissions, but yet demonstrates findings based on reporting facilities.

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