Admission Offices face new challenges every year, from meeting enrollment targets to the pressure of balancing selectivity while expanding access to students and families with unique profiles. A well-run admission department should yield an incoming student class whose academic priorities and values match the school’s mission.

Your teachers are central to your school’s success. However, despite their importance and the platitudes our society espouses for teachers, it has become a profession fewer teachers desire to practice. The data making the case for a “teacher shortage” are alarming.

In a recent I&P article, ISM recommended that schools consider adding “Core Values” to their Purpose and Outcome Statements because it is becoming more difficult for schools to avoid a core values position. There are several reasons for such a recommendation. They include protecting the school’s value perception, safeguarding the faculty culture, and assuring that institutionally agreed-on values, rather than individual values, are the public norm.

There is no doubt every private-independent school needs an engaged Board. As a nonprofit organization, the formation of a Board is an IRS requirement. “The Internal Revenue Service encourages an active and engaged board, believing that it is important to the success of a charity and its compliance with tax requirements. Governing boards should be composed of persons who are informed and active in overseeing a charity’s operations and finances.