When community service and service learning are an integral part of life at a school, children come to understand that their help makes a difference. Further, they appreciate that service must be a lifelong commitment. The following article is one in a continuing series on developing your school’s community service and service learning program.

Substitute teachers are essential – and good ones are difficult to find. Over the years, you, as Head, have assembled a key group of talented, reliable substitute teachers. They are the first people called because of their expertise, their teaching skills, and their knowledge of and support for your school. Similarly, your school may be their first choice for work assignments. However, as your programs change or your teachers learn and apply the latest pedagogy, these substitutes may begin to feel out of place in your faculty culture. Consider offering annual orientation and professional development to your core group of substitutes so that they, like your regular faculty members, can maintain excellence in the classroom.

ISM recently conducted its second annual nationwide survey of parents of children attending private-independent schools. Again this year, the survey was designed to address school concerns about the current economic situation and the effect it might have on re-enrollment. A total of 11,385 people responded; last year, there were 13,291 responses.

As the administrator in charge of the high school schedule, you have a moral responsibility. The schedule is not a neutral instrument, but one that dictates and sanctions the lives of children. Think about the way in which your students are living in your school—particularly the driven students.

ISM recently surveyed a random sample of 450 I&P subscriber schools to gather information about compensation for full-time faculty. The 194 responding schools answered questions concerning teacher salaries, selected benefits, and hiring. The preceding issue showed implications of the salary data; this article focuses on non-salary benefits.

The most distinctive difference between students’ educational experiences in most private-independent schools and those of students in their strongest public school competitors is the level of personalized attention they receive—attention guided by the multiple human values embodied in school mission. In lower schools, this kind of attention is fostered by relatively low student-to-teacher ratios, often in self-contained classrooms. In middle and upper divisions, the advisory program is the primary “delivery system.” The most significant, programmatic difference-maker in serving private-independent schools’ strategic interests—in both fulfillment of mission and development of competitive advantage—is the vigor, authenticity, and professionalism of their advisory programs.

ISM continues to identify the tasks of the School Head as becoming more complex and demanding. But what are the specifics and the implications? Consider Figure 1, which shows the different areas where the Head is expected to have both expertise and increasing involvement.

Spurred by competition with other schools, parental and societal demands, and the hope of enhancing their educational programs, schools have raised money, built/renovated facilities, and hired additional staff, all to give students access to technology. Now that the computers and infrastructure are in place, Boards and Heads want to know what benefits to expect from improved technology and when they can begin seeing them. Teachers want to know the expectations of the administration and Board. Everyone wants to measure whether the investment in technology has improved learning.