| Articles |
| 3 Rs and an M |
| Reading 'riting, 'rithmetic and morality |
| by:
Tony Young
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Why do we not teach ethics as a discipline?
Many academic disciplines have formal methodologies educators use explicitly to guide students in mastering subject areas. Scientific method steers inquiries in chemistry, physics and biology. Rules of grammar — despite the many exceptions — direct language development. Why, then, is so... (read article) |
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| Balancing a Consumer Community |
| Education as a commodity |
| by:
Jonathan Harris
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, School heads |
| “The customer is always right” is a mantra at the core of our consumer-driven economy. However, when the product is education and the consumers are parents, this assumption leads to complex and sometimes problematic relationships in private and independent schools. It is challenging, especially within a newer for-profit educational environment,... (read article) |
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| Blinded by the Light |
| Understand your school’s real niche |
| by:
Dave Bird
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, School heads |
| In August 2009, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office acknowledged that the American budget deficit estimate had soared to $1.6 trillion (U.S.) and that the current recession is now “the most severe since World War II.”
Unlike those “Mad Hatters” in Washington, or their Canadian counterparts in Ottawa, private schools don’t have... (read article) |
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| Choices and Consequences |
| Students must learn to be responsible for their actions |
| by:
Marisa Ferrera
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| Categories: Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers |
| As educators, we have a responsibility to do more than teach the 3 Rs. Some might argue that there simply is no time to incorporate anything else into the curriculum and that to do so would compromise the academic program. But if we do not nurture the emotional and social... (read article) |
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| Classroom Technology & Teacher-Student Interaction |
| A key challenge facing schools is how to best empower teachers to take advantage of the new technology available in their classrooms |
| by:
Jay Lakhani
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Teachers, Technology |
| With widespread investments in technology, a key challenge facing schools is how to best empower teachers to take advantage of the new technology available in their classrooms. More than 90% of students in grades 6-12 currently use computers regularly during school hours. The increase in technology creates new challenges for... (read article) |
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| Culture Of Communication |
| Save money while making your school shine |
| by:
Jennifer Jones
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| Categories: Finance, Leadership and management, School heads |
| Cut costs. Maintain services. And preserve your culture. That was the mandate delivered to Brent Hall, executive director of Discovery Academy, by the school’s board of directors recently. The therapeutic boarding school, located in Provo, Utah, charges families almost $6,000 (U.S.) a month for tuition.
Despite a rocky economy, Hall... (read article) |
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| Environmental action plans |
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| by:
Stephanie Foster
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Environment, Leadership and management, Lesson plan, School heads, Science |
| The following examples show how five independent schools that I have worked with, have moved forward in terms of developing and implementing their own environmental sustainability action plans. Each example demonstrates different approaches and tactics that have helped them to move forward with their efforts to become green schools.
The... (read article) |
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| Ethical Evolution |
| To start going forward we must first look back |
| by:
Todd Royer
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, Parents, Teachers, School heads |
| In the film The Day After Trinity, a group of scientists involved in making the atomic bomb reflect on “what happened.” How could the best educated men and women in the world work toward such destructive ends?
Robert Oppenheimer, the Trinity Project’s lead scientist points to the problem: “I have felt... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Mike Lipkin |
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| by:
Mike Lipkin
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers |
| How can independent schools achieve success through pre-eminence?
Pre-eminence it is not just about being the best; it is about being recognized as the best. What is your discipline? What is the core your school stands for? The moment I go outside these areas is when I am being less pre-eminent.... (read article) |
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| Going Global Panel Discussion |
| What is international education and how can schools work to achieve global citizenship |
| by:
Our Kids Publications , Anne-Marie Kee , Guy McLean , Kim Gordon , Mark Evans , Paul Miller , Robert Snowden
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers, Video |
| On Oct. 30, 2008, a Going Global conference was held at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario, sponsored by the school and the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI). Educators, students and parents, joined by others tuning in via a webcast, questioned a panel of experts about creating a global future... (read article) |
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| IB Impact |
| Adoption of the IB program brought a new ethical framework to this school community |
| by:
Ruth Penny
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers |
| The task of all educators is to help form fully realized human beings, who will bring skills, knowledge, empathy and courage to the world in which they live. Schools cannot teach character education as though it were a discrete subject, separate from the rest of the curriculum and unconnected to... (read article) |
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| Introducing students to risk awareness at a young age |
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| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Technology |
| Safety is everyone’s responsibility and there is no exception in educational environments. A general awareness of one’s surroundings is necessary and students can be trained to become aware of potential risks. Involving youth in risk management and making them aware of potential dangers at a young age can have a... (read article) |
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| Leader of the Pack |
| School heads set the moral tone for both students and staff |
| by:
George Rutherford
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| A number of years ago, I hired someone for a managerial position. After the successful applicant had been working with us for a relatively brief time, cracks started appearing in the working relationship between him and the people he was managing. He and I had a number of lengthy conversations... (read article) |
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| Let's Get Together |
| A collaboration model for schools |
| by:
Anita Griffiths
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Parents, School heads, Teachers |
| Collaboration has become a buzzword in the field of technology. As technology becomes ever more diverse, and the idea that “no man is an island” becomes ever more real, collaboration between schools with similar philosophies about technology is now a requirement for success. The Bishop Strachan School... (read article) |
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| Light My Fire |
| Educators can help students by pointing them in the direction of innovative programming |
| by:
Mary Lamey
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Parents, Teachers, Technology |
| Jacqueline Shaver is no slouch when it comes to teaching science to the girls of St. Clement’s School in Toronto, Ontario. A theoretical physicist by training and head of the school’s science department, she knows her stuff.
But even good teachers sometimes must step outside their comfort zones to give... (read article) |
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| Meeting the Needs Of Students Open Forum |
| Audience Question and Answer Comments |
| by:
Dr. Barb Smith , Dr. Karen Gazith , Dr. Stephan Grasmuck , James Christopher , Mary Gauthier , Rosemary Evans
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Special needs, Teachers |
| On November 13, 2007, 165 independent school educators attended an engaging evening of discussion on the topic of differentiated instruction. The event, held at Upper Canada College in Toronto, was organized by the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) and hosted by CESI and CAIS (Canadian Association of Independent Schools), with... (read article) |
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| Panel Discussion: “Are We Moving Too Slowly in Using Technology in Our Schools?” |
| Our panel of experts weighs in on how to adapt curricula to new technology integration |
| by:
Our Kids Publications , Anne-Marie Kee , Brad Ovenell-Carter , Brenda Rilling , Stacy Marcynuk , Susan Einhorn , Tim Putt , Vincent Jansen
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Teachers, Technology |
| Compiled and written by David Field, Editor at Our Kids Publications Ltd.
On April 30, 2009, the night before the CAIS Best Practices 2009 Conference, Susan Einhorn of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation provided a 30-minute presentation that expressed the need to prepare students for a future with many issues... (read article) |
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| Parent Participation as a Part of the Success of Therapy |
| Special curriculum developed for parents to reinforce school and home consistency |
| by:
The Glenholme School
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Parents, Safety and Health, School heads, Special needs, Teachers, Technology |
Therapy Success Depends on Parent Participation
The Glenholme School is a therapeutic boarding school for children situated on more than 100 acres in Washington, Connecticut. Children, ages nine to 18 who need a highly structured learning environment to prosper academically and socially, find it at Glenholme. Many Glenholme students have struggled... (read article) |
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| Prescription for Change |
| Today's schools must find a cure for what ails them |
| by:
Audrey Hadfield
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Have our schools lost their moral compass? According to some of our foremost educational thinkers, the answer is a firm yes.
Michael Fullan in The Moral Imperative of School Leadership asserts that the system is in deep trouble. In Professional Communities at Work, Richard Dufour and Robert Eaker claim that in... (read article) |
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| Protected Environment |
| A plan to retain and educate |
| by:
Simon Jeynes
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Parents, Research, School heads |
| I could hear her coming down the corridor. My secretary’s announcement, “Mrs. Chablis (not her real name) is here to see you,” was unnecessary. Mrs. Chablis’ red face, loud voice and violent gestures all proclaimed that she was unhappy and someone was going to pay.
While hopefully not a daily experience,... (read article) |
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| Question: How is your school using technology and social networking? |
| Blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter, Skype? Are these meant for classroom use or school communications? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Open House Question, Teachers, Technology |
| Everyday there are new programs, tools and online resources that emerge on the market. Information is at our fingertips and many schools are encouraging the use of some of these tools into both their operation and classroom activities. What are you doing with technology at your school? Do you run... (read article) |
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| Question: What is being done at your school to encourage sustainability? |
| There are many ways for your school to ensure it is sustainable: financial, environmental, demographic, programmatic and global. What is being done at your school? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Global education, Leadership and management, Open House Question, Teachers |
| In every issue of Dialogue Magazine, we ask a question to the independent educator community to spark dialogue about the issue's theme. We've already heard from many schools and want to feature your story. Some of the comments posted below will be selected to be published in the Open House... (read article) |
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| Question: What is Global Education? |
| How is your school teaching global education? Is there a particular activity, event or program that has exemplified what global or international education means to your school? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Leadership and management, Open House Question, Teachers |
| We asked hundreds of schools to share programs and ideas on this topic. The following were published in the 2006 edition of Dialogue magazine. Join the discussion and post your own response.
World at Lunch
Students and faculty were randomly divided into First, Second and Third Worlds as they entered the cafeteria.... (read article) |
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| Question: What is your school doing to engage parents? |
| Parents are your partners, patrons and customers. What is the view of your school? What programs are in place to engage parents? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Open House Question, Parents, School heads, Special needs, Teachers, Technology |
Open Door Policy
At Trillium School, we constantly strive to make our parents feel welcome and a part of the school community. We have a very active PTA that meets regularly and organizes pizza lunches and ice cream days for the students throughout the school year. This year, we have also... (read article) |
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| Raising a New Generation |
| Today’s computer-savvy youth are ready for tomorrow |
| by:
Don Tapscott
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers, Technology |
| Digital technology in the classroom is transforming the traditional education model and reshaping the dynamic between teacher and student.
For centuries, the educational system embraced a one-way, teacher-centred broadcast model of learning. The teacher transmitted information from the front of the classroom to students, who were supposed to absorb the facts... (read article) |
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| Reaching Our, Maturing Within |
| Social action projects bring meaningful learning |
| by:
Peter Skillen
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Teachers |
| "I am sorry Jill. I should have tried to get closer to you. I should have stood up for you, girl. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I guess I was scared, please forgive me."
- Megan, Canada, www.bullying.org
"Helping others - actually talking to other kids for this project -... (read article) |
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| Research Spotlight: For-Profit Schools Allow Principals Freedom |
| Greater personal lattitude, long-term security and stability just a few of the advantages for principals |
| by:
Linda Quirke , Scott Davies
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Research, School heads, Teachers |
| The notion of a school principal running a for-profit private school is a century-old tradition. Canada’s earliest schools were primarily run by churches, but 100 years ago religious groups began to assume less responsibility for private schools, while lone owners picked up some of the slack. According to Carol Gossage... (read article) |
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| Reviews for the iPad are In |
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| by:
Laura van Eyck
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Teachers, Technology |
 With more than 300,000 iPads sold on the first Saturday, conversation about its relevance – and its shortcomings – abound. The question of whether it is a new medium, a short-lived bridge to more revolutionary technology, or a device that... (read article) |
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| Suggest a Future Theme for Dialogue Magazine |
| Let us know what stories or topics you would like to read about |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Art, Curriculum and learning, English, Global education, Leadership and management, Lesson plan, Marketing, Math, Opinion, Opinion, Parents, Physical education, Research, Safety and Health, School heads, Science, Special needs, Teachers, Technology |
| Since the magazine’s birth in 2004, Dialogue has aimed to stimulate discussion between private and independent school educators. As always, Dialogue magazine and Dialogue Online remain the place to express your ideas and to share your expertise with your peers. Dialogue shares educator knowledge and skills, reducing the workload and... (read article) |
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| Sustaining School Identity |
| Montessori teaches about remaining true |
| by:
Pat Gere
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Lesson plan, School heads |
| In 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori opened the first Montessori classroom in a tenement just outside Rome, Italy. Here began her experiment of applying scientific observation to the education of children. Since then, Montessori has become the world’s most practised pedagogy, with more than 8,000 Montessori schools on six continents educating... (read article) |
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| Teaching the Teachers |
| How to get educators on the technological bandwagon |
| by:
Catherine Roberts
|
| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, School heads, Technology |
| First it was the whole-language movement, then it was new math. By the 1980s, when computers started to make their way into the classroom, it seemed someone, somewhere was constantly peddling a new, better way to get kids to learn. Is it any wonder that teachers were skeptical about computers?
But... (read article) |
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| The Elephant in Our Classroom |
| Let's not ignore our most important subject |
| by:
Geoff Roberts
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, Parents, Teachers |
| Stop me if you’ve heard this one. For the first time in living memory, the school’s hockey team is in the finals. The place is absolutely humming with anticipated greatness. Banners proclaiming “The Puck Stops Here” and other witticisms decorate the hallways. The head has brazenly announced that, if the... (read article) |
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| The SUV Caucus |
| Shifting to the new reality |
| by:
Anne-Marie Kee
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Parents, School heads |
| Ask any school administrator how the job has changed during the past five years and parents will make the top three list. Today’s parents want to be involved and have many opinions on their children’s progress, as well as on the schools’ programs and operations.It seems, in fact, that this... (read article) |
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| Twitter Resources for Teachers |
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| by:
Travis Allison
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Technology |
Wow, this is a great bit of information for educators. Thanks to David Ligon for compiling this resource for a conference presentation that he did.
If you are considering integrating social media in to your classroom, at any... (read article) |
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| Uncovering Tomorrow’s Leaders |
| Seven school leadership characteristics |
| by:
Courtenay Shrimpton
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| Categories: Administrators, Demographics, Leadership and management, School heads |
| According to leadership experts Paul Bernthal and Richard Wellins, “In a complex and changing world, highly skilled and experienced leaders at all levels—not just senior leaders—are becoming harder to find.” Today, two key questions face all independent schools: “Where will the next group of future leaders come from?” and “What... (read article) |
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| Walking the Tight Rope |
| Keeping balance when helicopters hover |
| by:
Steve Griffin
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Parents, School heads |
| “What did you learn today at school dear?” So goes the proverbial question parents ask in order to feel plugged in to their child’s educational experience.
But, of course, for so many parents, their interest doesn’t begin and end at the dinner table. It’s no secret that—especially at independent schools—parents often... (read article) |
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| Warm & Fuzzy Just Won't Do It |
| A moral education requires more than that |
| by:
Mark Holmes
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, Teachers |
| If, in the early 1950s, a typical parent had been asked if her child should be given a moral education in school, she would have been puzzled, “Well, I certainly don’t want an immoral education. Morality is part of the Education Act and the school program, isn’t it?” If the... (read article) |
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| Ways Educators are Using Social Media |
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| by:
Travis Allison
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Technology |
| Mashable.com (one of my reading stops many times a day) has been doing some great work on examining the benefits of social media for educators. Whether it is just some quick tips like this article or detailed ideas it is definitely worth following their "education" tag.
You should... (read article) |
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| Weighing Financial Options |
| Making the right choices during tough times |
| by:
Beth McKay
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| Categories: Administrators, Finance, Leadership and management, School heads |
| The recent economic crisis has refocused attention on the financial sustainability of independent schools. Pre-recession discussions questioned whether tuition increases above the level of inflation were sustainable in the long term or would negatively affect the diversity of our students. The Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) continues to rise by... (read article) |
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| When parents become partners, the rewards are great for all |
| A current parent speaks volumes to incoming families |
| by:
Patti Pilon
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Parents, School heads, Teachers |
| It is not unusual for parents to take a deeply vested interest in their children’s education, and at most independent schools, there is no exception. Conversely, independent schools rely heavily on the support of parents. It is a well-known fact that tuition alone often does not cover the cost of... (read article) |
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| You Who Are on the Road Must Have a Code That You Can Live By |
| Our writer talked with a group of private school students |
| by:
Peter Cheney
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Students have endless choices to make: Will it be snowboards or skis? Snoop Dogg or Green Day? What do you do when a friend tells you he has the answers to next week’s exam?
A group of students, aged 14 to 17, gathered to ponder that very question, and others like... (read article) |
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