For over a decade, ISM has connected professional growth and renewal with evaluation. We are now publishing the ISM Standards for Professional Growth and Renewal, which private-independent schools can use to assess whether their investment in faculty professional development is focused clearly on students, articulated as a systems activity (or framework), contextually meaningful in building professional relationships among teachers, and a measure of the results achieved.

With your unique mission as the foundation, there are educational benefits for moving beyond Advanced Placement, including: freeing up your exceptional faculty to optimize their skills and exercise appropriate educational autonomy; and creating a curriculum that fits your school’s culture, mission, history, geographic, and political modalities. A third strategic benefit is: distinguishing your school from its competitors to improve your profile (over time) from a college-counseling standpoint.

ISM recommends that private-independent schools provide one-year contracts to faculty members to: support and enhance the faculty culture by providing employment safety and security to faculty for the academic year; and maximize continuity of instruction for students by creating a mutual obligation between the school and the member, reducing the potential for disruptive mid-year faculty departures.

ISM uses a tripartite classification for examining a private-independent school’s marketing platform: price-value: We offer a transformational (nearly always religious) experience for your child at a cost you can afford; product: We offer the best academic "product" (graduate) in our market area; or process: We offer "more" for your child (more electives; more levels of electives; more teams; more levels of teams; more individual attention, and/or a unique pedagogy) than others in our market.

The ISM Standards for Professional Growth and Renewal provide private-independent schools with a way to assess whether their investment in faculty professional development is focused on students, articulated as a systems activity, contextually meaningful in building professional relationships among faculty, and accountable for the results achieved. This article, the last in the series, recommends a set of metrics related to the Content Standards.

In a recent issue of I&P, ISM provided a historical perspective about past economic downturns and the amount of time that passed before the economy recovered. In addition, the article provided information about the enrollment, tuition, and endowment experiences of 10 schools during the 1987 downturn. The issue also contained 10 dos and don’ts for schools to follow to ensure future stability.

Given the effect on your school’s operating budget, the Board has a vital interest in enrollment numbers. The School Head has assigned you, the Admission Director, the task of providing him/her a clear, concise report—perhaps on a monthly basis—concerning the status of enrollment at your school. Your information will prepare the Head for making direct reports to the full Board at certain times (e.g., re-enrollment season) and at most other times reporting through the Head Support and Evaluation Committee (HSEC).

Evidence in support of an alleged teacher shortage has floated about for years. Whether such a shortage develops or not in the private-independent school world in general or in your school’s specific locale, the real question may not concern the quantity of teachers in your pool of candidates.

Deciding to dismiss a faculty or staff member is one of the most emotionally difficult decisions a School Head must make—a situation that is only exacerbated if the Head is uncertain about the potential legal ramifications of the decision (e.g., "If I decide to let this person go, will we be sued—and will we lose?") as well as the impact of the termination on the faculty culture (e.g., how many faculty members will be wondering, "How could they do this to Jim?" and "Will I be next?"). Prior to reaching that point, however, all efforts should be dedicated toward communicating performance standards and providing active support for those with performance deficiencies to help them meet and exceed these standards. Accordingly, we recommend that schools establish and publish a Corrective Action Policy to address these issues—one that is designed to support your mission, culture, and values while providing significant legal protection to the school.

One of ISM’s longest-standing recommendations is to entrust to a Board committee the sole responsibilities of supporting and evaluating the School Head. Like all Board-level committees, the Chair and members of the Head Support and Evaluation Committee (HSEC) should be selected annually by you, the Board President, because they have the qualities necessary to excel in this governance area. Following is a checklist of the qualities you seek during your review, designed to allow you and your Committee on Trustees Chair to ensure that this crucial committee stays precisely on its proper course.