ISM has long advocated using the conceptual framework of the Comprehensive Development Model as a foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of development programs. Its six elements—the Strategic Board, Professional and Volunteer Leadership, Case for Giving, Prospects and Donors, Plan of Action, and Donor-Centered Programs—drive program excellence and success.
DEIJB and Curriculum
A modern curriculum is incomplete without a current Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB) review. Applying a generalized DEIJB framework to any sort of curriculum review and design is a daunting task for many reasons. Foremost, the curriculum serves as a foundational component of a school’s identity.
SUCCESSion Planning
Discover how you can plan for successful change, avoid pitfalls, and seize opportunities.
In today’s challenging employment environment, succession planning has become a vital part of organizational sustainability. Independent schools operate in unique ways that reflect the rich mosaic of skills, talents, styles, and passions of those who lead. But, despite the uniqueness of each school culture, there are universal do’s and don'ts when planning for succession for any role.
Focusing on Culture IS Focusing on Teaching
Discover the best way to confirm the effectiveness of your teachers’ methods.
Ensuring teacher effectiveness and student learning is essential to sustain your school’s primary purpose: education. For decades, school administrators have used classroom observation as their primary method of judging teachers’ success. These classroom visits, however, often force teachers to shift their practice to satisfy the observation protocol.
5 Steps to Creating a Coaching Program to Ensure Faculty Growth
Discover how to foster and support a growth-focused faculty culture—without doing all the faculty coaching by yourself.
Growth-oriented teachers are a hallmark of a great school. Conversely, teachers who do not model the growth they want to see in their students often fail over time.
Explore how to build a team of faculty leaders who coach and support each other. This creates a collaborative and collegial faculty community that grows in their professional practice every school year.
Your Parent and Alumni Associations’ Partnerships With Development
Private schools enjoy the benefits of a close-knit community with constituents who share a belief in the school’s values and mission. These shared values frequently become strikingly apparent within two organizations formed to support the school’s constituencies—namely, your Parent and Alumni Associations.
Purpose and Outcomes Statements 2.0
For years, ISM has encouraged schools to base their marketing communications strategy on three pillars—Mission, Portrait of the Graduate, and Characteristics of Professional Excellence—which ISM calls Purpose and Outcome Statements.
Keep Your Board Compliant and Independent
The IRS has established requirements for private school Boards, recognizing schools as nonprofit businesses. Your Committee on Trustees should periodically review IRS regulations to ensure your Board complies with these requirements. Failure can jeopardize your school’s tax-exempt status.
Define Your Competitive Niche to Set Your School Apart
Year after year, families have an increasing variety of school choices. Not only has the total number of private-independent schools increased, but there also has been a rise in virtual, charter, and homeschool options.
A Conversation on Social Brain Theory and School Size
What size should student classes and faculty groups be within schools? Join us for a lively discussion on “Dunbar’s Number” and our thoughts as it relates to independent schools.
In a 1993 study, Robin Dunbar, a British anthropologist, theorized that humans could have no more than 150 meaningful relationships, a measure that became known as “Dunbar’s Number.”