You, as School Head, contend daily with periods of rapid change in society and schools. Your ability to create a readiness for change and for understanding its impact will continue to be critical components in the success of your headship.
The School Culture Team
ISM has long advised School Heads to survey their faculty and students in grades 5 and up annually to measure and monitor the extent to which both groups are experiencing adequate levels of predictability and support. Predictability and support are consistently, positively correlated with enthusiasm, satisfaction, and performance for both the faculty and the students.
Faculty Evaluation: Corrective Action
ISM’s faculty evaluation framework is based on a set of Essential Expectations that teachers are meeting or not meeting. Regularly meeting all expectations is required to remain employed by the school. Meeting nine out of 10 of them or sometimes meeting them doesn’t cut it. While this may sound severe, teachers actually report that knowing the expectations provides a great sense of clarity, transparency, predictability, and security because:
It’s Time to End the Culture of More
As schools attempt to achieve greater excellence, provide more value to parents for their tuition dollars, and better prepare students for the future, the three most common tactics rooted in a “culture of more” include devoting more time, expanding program requirements, and scheduling curricular and cocurricular elements to allow students to “do more.”
Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many hardships for schools and families. However, a small silver lining of this time has been the moments of reflection it has afforded. When the pandemic drastically changed the very basics of education delivery, everything was upended. Now, nine months later, teachers and leaders can reflect on what does and does not work in schools today. As we share the silver linings we’ve discovered, we encourage you and your team to reflect on your own experiences to plan for the future.
The Critical Importance of a Well-Crafted Daily Schedule
When schools shifted to crisis-driven distance learning in response to COVID-19, we surveyed parents about school responses to the crisis and the virtual learning experience. Parents gave schools positive ratings for their response, leadership communication, teacher communication, and the virtual learning experience. Given no one was prepared for or anticipated the immediate campus closures and shifts to remote learning in March 2020, earning B’s for the remote learning experience should be viewed as a success.
Your Questions Answered: What Disruption Has Taught Us
We’re back to answer more questions we’ve received from teachers and academic administrators about the pandemic’s impact on teaching and learning. Many want to know what has changed since the pandemic began and where private schools are going from here.
Teachers' Report: What They Want—and Don't Want—From Their School Leaders
We worked with over 1,000 teachers in the summer of 2020 to help them strengthen their approach when it comes to distance or hybrid learning. Teachers continue to crave the same support, even in distance or hybrid learning environments. Here’s what our teachers shared about administrator actions that did (and did not) work to help them in their job roles.
How to Modify Your Expectations for Teachers in Light of COVID-19
ISM has long touted a two-pronged approach for effectively supporting teachers. One element of a supportive and predictable environment is that teachers know what is expected of them. They know the norms they’re supposed to follow—we call them Essential Expectations. The COVID-19 pandemic added uncertainty to the mix. Many of your Essential Expectations can still apply, but you may need to clarify certain elements.
Your Questions Answered: Supporting Teachers Right Now
Burnout continues to be a top concern for school leaders and teachers alike. In this unusual year, everyone is busy with both their day-to-day responsibilities and strategic concerns of the future.
Remember, the primary job of academic leadership is to take care of teachers. This is especially important now. What can academic leaders do right now to support their teachers? We asked teachers and here’s what they had to say.