Running a Private School

Safe schools are everybody's concern these days. Years ago you worried about keeping the dormitory doors locked at night and making sure the trip to New York City was properly chaperoned. It was so simple.

Now parents, teachers, and students have to deal with cyber-security, stalkers, substance abuse, bullying, suicide, and a host of other really tough issues. How does a school community cope with safety? Let's take a look.

Improve your communications

In a very small school (100 students or less) you might be a are all syndromes that resultble to get away with the old-fashioned telephone tree where one person calls five others and so on. The problem with this method of alerting the community is that there are always a few people who don't get called. Install a web-based mass notification system and most of your worries will be over. Web-based mass notification systems use text messages, email, and websites to communicate news instantly to every member of your community. Whether the news is a weather-related closing or an accident involving one of your teams, it is received instantly. You can alert your community to whatever the bad news is before it hits the media. Google "web-based mass notification systems" to get an idea of the wide variety of systems available. Then have your IT consultant get two or three proposals for you and your board to review. A web-based mass notification system will help prevent the spread of misinformation when things happen. It's critical

Great Organizations have Great Plans

In simplest terms, an organization undertakes strategic planning to reaffirm or modify its mission – why it exists, what its purpose is, what it now does – and to agree on its vision – what it wants to be and do in the coming years. The purpose is not to decide what should be done in the future but to decide what should be done now to make desired things happen in an uncertain future.

In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.

The real value of strategic planning in a school is more than simply the outcome of having a blueprint that guides future leadership decisions. It is a powerful and effective way to build consensus and motivate resource support and is particularly useful in defining priorities for the Board, the Head of School, and the administrative team who are charged with the implementation of the plan.

Pitfalls of Strategic Planning

How many times has your organization embarked on a strategic planning process, only to build a plan that ends up on the shelf? If your organization is like many others, it's because they have failed to avoid the major pitfalls of strategic planning. The main pitfall of planning is falling into the delusion that planning can

What is the state of technology in private schools? In most private schools teachers and students have been using computers since the mid 1990s. Tablets are the norm. Wireless networking and electronic presentation devices such as whiteboards, LCD displays, and projectors are all part of the private school teacher's bag of tricks. In the old days, technology was a curious somewhat fascinating add-on. You went to a computer lab and taught keyboarding or used programs such as MathBlaster. In the 21st century technology supports and enhances all aspects of the curriculum and teaching. Everybody has their own portable computer with the flexibility and efficiency such mobility encourages.

How important is technology in schools?

American University makes the case succinctly as follows: " How important is technology in education? The COVID-19 pandemic is quickly demonstrating why online education should be a vital part of teaching and learning. By integrating technology into existing curricula, as opposed to using it solely as a crisis-management tool, teachers can harness online learning as a powerful educational tool.

The effective use of digital learning tools in classrooms can increase student engagement, help teachers improve their lesson plans, and facilitate personalized learning. It also helps students build essential 21st-century skills."

This TEDTalk discusses how technology makes learning more dynamic and engaging.

Teaching the digital generation

Most students live in a digital world. They have never known analog devices such as calculators

State Regulation of Private Schools provides a brief description, by state, of the legal requirements that apply to private schools. In addition, each state entry includes statistics on private schools by type in the state. This manual is intended to serve as a reference for public and private school officials, state policy makers, and researchers. This manual is an update of a 1993 publication by the (then) Office of Private Education, The Regulation of Private Schools in America: A State-by-State Analysis.

To ensure the accuracy of the analysis, contact persons in each state were designated by the Chief State School Officer. Each state summary was submitted to the appropriate state department of education for their consideration and approval. The individuals in each state who reviewed and amended these summaries were key to the timely and accurate updating of this information and their participation, cooperation, and expertise are most appreciated. For the first time, legal requirements regarding home schooling are included in each state. s summary. Additionally, state data on private schools from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, are included for each state.

This document is intended to provide helpful guidance. It creates no new rights or responsibilities. Additionally, nothing in this study reflects the position of the U.S. Department of Education as to the meaning or effect of any state legal requirement. Readers are encouraged to consult state constitutions and the full text of relevant case law, statutes, and regulations.

Under the United States