ISM has written extensively about the characteristics of 21st century education. The educational landscape has the potential to be vastly different from what it was a few years ago—enhanced technology, pedagogy, facilities, calendar, schedule, etc. When adopting 21st century educational changes, recognize that your school will have a parent education “opportunity” of significant proportions. As School Head, take control of this effort.
Letters of Reference: Navigating Dangerous Waters With a Prudent Process
For many years, employers have been advised to respond to reference requests with nothing more than dates of employment and positions held. This well-meaning advice was intended to help avoid lawsuits brought by former employees unhappy with what they see as a subjective or defamatory reference. However, this “see no evil, speak no evil” approach creates at least as many issues as it solves in both the moral and legal realms.
Kids’ Random Acts of Kindness
December always produces acts of generosity, charity drives, and feel-good stories. The big so far this season that exploded virally is the photo of NYPD Officer Lawrence Primo giving a new pair of boots to a homeless, barefoot man on the street. (Posted to the NYPD Facebook page by the tourist who captured it on her cell phone produced 1.6 million views and 275,000 likes)
Team Professional Development Adds Value to Lessons Learned
Professional development, learning opportunities, training—whatever the name, it is designed to keep your school and your school community moving forward. For your administrators, your faculty, and your staff, attending workshops and seminars provides professional and personal growth, the opportunity to network with their private-independent school peers, and hopefully fresh ideas and perspectives that will enrich your students’ experience. And, of course, professional development should help strengthen your school’s viability overall.
How Much Do You Value Your Development Director?
Recently in her Fundraising Wisdom blog, consultant Carol Weisman outlined five ways to ensure your Development Director leaves your organization in less than five years. While she is directing her barbs more at nonprofits overall, her wisdom certainly applies in many ways to private-independent schools.
New Surveys on Community College CEOS, Chief Development Officers Reveal Gaps in Fundraising Perspectives
Parallel surveys of Chief Executive Officers and Chief Development Officers at community colleges reveal significant gaps in perspectives by these senior leaders with respect to fund-raising goals, resources, and their respective roles.
Teacher Induction That Supports and Inspires
A well-planned introduction to the school’s policies, processes, mission, culture, and values helps new faculty members get off to a good start. Many private-independent schools put much time and energy into carrying out upbeat, friendly, and informative “new-teacher orientation” programs each fall. Effective induction, however, must be more far-reaching in scope than simply having an engaging orientation meeting. This article provides a framework for an induction effort that has long-lasting effects on teacher performance and career satisfaction. In this way, a broadly conceived induction process will benefit not only the new teacher, but also your students and the life of your school.
Tablets for Learning Roundup
From the beginning, the apple of Apple’s eye was the education market when the first Apple IIs started blanketing school computer rooms. And now, the iPad is the “standard” in the classroom. In July, edweek.com reported that schools bought 1 million iPads in the second quarter of 2012, outselling Macs 2 to 1. It’s the powerhouse of the education market, as more and more schools see tablets as a replacement for textbooks and netbooks. They can be more cost-effective than constantly purchasing new textbooks. Plus, they are user-friendly and have the "cool" factor that a textbook doesn't.
A Conversation About Financial Aid, the Second Biggest Budget Item
When was the last time you looked at the Financial Aid line on your budget? I mean, really looked.
Financial Aid seems like a stepchild in school finance circles— too big to ignore, and yet, because its inner workings are carried on behind closed doors to protect the identity of families, never really brought out into the light of day and really talked about. And it IS too big to ignore.
Surveys: What You Really Know Makes You Stronger
What you hear through your school’s “whisper down the lane” network may give you an incomplete, exaggerated, or just plain inaccurate picture of what the school community is thinking. While murmurings may tip you off to a potential problem, need, or strength, the opinions of the loudest parents are not necessarily shared by the majority.