Community Corner
Community Corner

Stay current with the latest private-independent school news.

What are the latest trends impacting private-independent school enrollment? How can you be the most effective in your role as an administrator? How can you help your school meet its mission and best serve your students?

Check out Community Corner, a free blog from ISM.

We cover such topics as how to communicate with your constituencies, work with your fellow school leaders, leverage new technology trends, utilize recommended reading and resources, implement new strategies—all to better serve your school's mission. 

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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.

Trustee Visibility: Strategies for Seeing and Being Seen

Board of Trustees // September 24, 2018

Trustees are busy people. Many feel that the time given to committee and full-Board meetings satisfies their commitment to the school. However, those who don’t consider visits to campus and attendance at school events a part of Board membership leave out a very important component of their responsibilities.

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The Importance of a Strategic Scheduling Meeting

Academic Leadership // September 20, 2018

Your school’s daily schedule is an incredibly important aspect of how you deliver your mission to students. It defines how long students spend on each subject, with each teacher, and in each classroom. It can enhance academic performance or become a source of stress for students and faculty. That’s why it’s important to hold an annual strategic scheduling meeting to assess what’s working and what isn’t within your school schedule.

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Why You Should Rethink Your Parent Education Program

Academic Leadership // September 20, 2018

Your parent education program aims to engage your students’ families and help them feel like true members of your community. Your school puts hard work into holding events and creating materials, so it can be disappointing if only a small percentage of your families participate on a regular basis.

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Creating a Safe School Environment

Business and Operations // September 11, 2018

Creating a safe school environment for students, faculty, and staff is no simple endeavor in today’s world. Addressing both physical and psychological safety is a complex undertaking and requires care and attention to many facets of school operations.

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A Summer Program Risk Checklist

Business and Operations // September 11, 2018

Summer programs are distinctly different from your school-year offerings—and they propose different risks. The Business Office, along with the Summer Program Director and School Head, will need to consider how to approach your summer program.

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Three Dimensions of Meaningful Professional Development

School Heads // September 10, 2018

The beginning of the school year adds many duties and tasks to your to-do list—welcoming students and families back to campus, hosting Back to School Night and other events, ramping up classes, and much more. This is also when the School Head begins planning the year’s professional development for faculty and administrators. Quality professional development that’s carefully planned and focused can directly correlate to higher levels of student engagement, satisfaction, and performance.

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How to Spur a Successful Survey Initiative

School Heads // September 10, 2018

You make important decisions every day in your school. From deciding what actions will support the strategic plan to creating a quality experience for students, families, and employees, you want to truly understand what your constituencies want before implementing any new initiatives.

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Student Visa Denials: How You Can Help

Private School News // August 24, 2018

Summer 2018 saw student visa denials—nonimmigrant F-1, M-1 and J-1— like never before. Scores of schools and international students reported this phenomenon and it will likely impact 2018–19 overall enrollment numbers.

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Remembering ISM’s Founder, Rod Snelling

Private School News // August 21, 2018

Rod Snelling made a difference in the world through his devotion to private-independent school education. His leadership at Independent School Management will be sorely missed. He pioneered innovative concepts that led to the founding of our company, the first analysis firm in the United States dealing exclusively with private-independent schools. Since ISM’s inception, thousands of administrators and schools in North America and abroad have benefited from his theory, research, and analysis.

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