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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Ask Michael
Business and Operations // January 24, 2013
Q: Our school is thinking about instituting a merit pay plan. How would you recommend putting this in place?
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2013: Renewing Your Passions
Business and Operations // January 24, 2013
Those who are drawn to HR work in schools generally are givers by nature. This is a wonderful characteristic and should be duly celebrated. Sometimes, though, givers give to everyone else without remembering that they occasionally need to give to themselves, renewing their own energies and passions. As 2013 begins, we want to offer a few words of encouragement along these lines.
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Building Confidence and Taking the Pressure Off
Business and Operations // January 24, 2013
We know that part of a school leader’s job is to build up the confidence of faculty and staff—helping “set them up” for success. A recent story reminded us, though, that sometimes we also need to build up the confidence of those whom we assume are already very confident: the Head’s direct reports and other senior professionals at the school.
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2012 ISM Re-enrollment Survey Results
Board of Trustees // January 23, 2013
In this report, just released in December, we describe the results of the 2012 Re-Enrollment Survey, an instrument administered by Hanover Research on behalf of ISM. The survey, which was taken by independent schools throughout the U.S., serves as a follow-up to the National Private School Parent Survey, and is aimed at determining whether the intentions captured in the parent survey matched the “reality for schools.”
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Wait Pools: Not All About the First in Line
Advancement // January 22, 2013
Admission at your school is either fixed date, rolling, or a combination of the two. Whatever your method, you are going to be sending each applicant a letter of acceptance, a deferral until some criteria is completed, a regret, or placement into the waiting pool of candidates.
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Parent Lawsuits
Business and Operations // January 22, 2013
Part of your job as Risk Manager (or Business Manager, or School Head) is to protect your school from lawsuits—and there are so many ways your school can be the center of a lawsuit.
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Staying Creative in a Routine Role
Advancement // January 22, 2013
As Admission Officer, your position requires you to always be thinking outside of the box. You’re constantly looking for new ways to connect with potential families, to virally spread your school’s mission, and keep your current families engaged. Perhaps your role includes managing social media, or working parallel with the Development Office on its mission, or both, plus any number of other possible work combinations.
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The Skinny on the “Crowd”
Advancement // January 14, 2013
In 5 Things That Will Change the Way Nonprofits Work in 2103, the Chronicle of Philanthropy listed “crowdfunding” first. “Tools like Catapult, Gofundme, Indiegog, and Kickstarter have made it easy to issue appeals for financial support. Increasingly, nonprofit workers may need to demonstrate savvy when it comes to using such ‘crowdfunding’ networks.”
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Re-recruiting Your Donors at Small Events
Advancement // January 14, 2013
When it comes down to it, your school depends on current families returning year after year. The first grade you offer should be the only grade where, in effect, you are recruiting an entire class. After that year, you are filling available seats. Logically, your school needs to actively re-recruit your current families to maintain full enrollment.
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