Private School Review Blog

IT Director answering her phone: "Hello, Yvonne here. How can I help you?"

Finance Assistant: "Yvonne! My computer's got something wrong with it. Everything's frozen and I can't access QuickBooks. And there's a message on my screen saying it's been hacked. What do I do?"

This scenario is a lot more common than you think. Ransomware attacks strike large organizations and small ones. While you wouldn't think private schools would be vulnerable to such attacks, they are just as exposed as a Fortune 500 company. Although I have earned IT certifications over the years, you and I are going to listen to what the experts in the IT security field have to say about ransomware, and, most importantly, how to protect your school from these unwelcome attacks.

What is ransomware?

The United States Government's Stop Ransomware website defines ransomware as follows: "Ransomware is a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption."

This video explains ransomware.

"It couldn't happen in my school."

Why should your private school be concerned about ransomware? After all, your school is such a small organization. Why would anybody attack our school? Another security expert tells you why.

cWatch explains why hackers do what they do: "Some common reasons for hacking include basic bragging rights,

Private schools finance their operating expenses with tuition and fees. In other words, a school's income from tuition and fees offsets salaries, utilities, and all the other line items in a school's operating budget. Assuming that the admissions staff fill all the places and that the finance people have calculated projected income and expenses correctly, the school hopefully will break even at the end of the fiscal year. But remember that running any enterprise like a school also includes anticipating unexpected expenses. It's much the same situation that you and I find ourselves in when we suddenly have to pay for an unbudgeted expense. When that happens, you and I dip into our savings or charge the expense to our credit cards. That's fine for you and me; however, a private school doesn't operate that way. Instead, the treasurer maintains a rainy day fund or funds held in reserve. That's where endowing a teaching position comes in.

Giving during your lifetime

Discuss your idea with the school. Begin by speaking with the head of school, even if he or she is someone you do not know very well. The head of school can and will champion your proposal. He will also facilitate meetings with your financial people and his business manager to draw up a memorandum of understanding for your gift.

Discuss your proposal with your financial and legal advisors. You have been successful throughout your career because you listen to advice from professionals. Do the same thing

It's very easy to get side-tracked as you work your way through the process of choosing the right private school for your child. That's because there are so many considerations for you to ponder. Consequently, you can detour into many sidebars as you explore schools online. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with getting side-tracked. Indeed, you may find answers several levels down from the top page. Just make sure that you get yourself back on track after scanning that granular information. So, I will show you how to stay focused and organized while you look at schools.

First, develop a shortlist of three to five schools for you to explore in-depth and visit to confirm your findings. This shortlist will generate lots of observations, evaluations, assessments, and questions. So, make sure that you have checked all the boxes listed below.

1. Location

The location of the schools on your list is essential simply because travel these days is never easy. For example, getting your child to school can involve driving her to school and picking her up at the end of the school day. Or you may be able to contract with a transportation service to handle that. Or you might want to carpool with another family.

Review the logistics involved carefully. Ideally, you don't want to be more than a 20-30 minute drive from the school. So draw a circle 3-5 miles out from your residence. Use the search engine on this website to find schools within

Traveling in uncertain times is a challenge for most of us adults. So, imagine how many dangers, real and imagined, a young person will face when she travels alone.

Increased Anxiety

Teens may face heightened anxiety due to the uncertainty of travel conditions, such as changing health guidelines and travel restrictions.

Flight Cancellations and Disruptions

Flight cancellations and travel disruptions can be stressful for young travelers, requiring them to adapt quickly to new situations.

Be Streets Smart

Teens should be aware of their surroundings, avoid speaking to strangers, refrain from accepting items from unknown individuals, and maintain situational awareness to stay safe in unfamiliar places.

Technological and Digital Risks

With increased reliance on technology for travel, teens must also be aware of digital safety risks, such as online scams or data breaches, while traveling.

The young traveler

Whether you send your child off to visit her grandparents or send her back to school, you know she has to travel safely.

• After all, you have experienced just about every situation and glitch you can imagine during your travels.
• But remember that you were traveling as an adult.
• You had the financial resources to book a hotel room the minute the airline canceled your flight, and your flight out was early the following morning.
• You knew what to do to comply with TSA requirements as you made your way through airport security.

Most importantly, you were street-smart, aware of your surroundings, and ready with an

We parents who send our children to private school have a lot in common.

• Most of us want our children to think critically, analyze information, and read widely.
• For example, Nancy and I wanted to stretch our girls academically. That's why we sent them off to private school.
• Those poor kids never stood a chance because my late wife read to her daughters almost from birth.

Nancy was a voracious reader. She read real books made out of paper, not books on an iPad or Kindle.

• She had earned an honors degree in French language and literature and Spanish language and literature.
• She attended private schools in New York City. Academic excellence was simply a given from her point of view.

I was passionate about music and made a career in church music as an organist and choir director.

• I mention these facts about us because I know your upbringing and educational experiences have shaped you and your views.
• Those will shape how you plan your child's schooling at every level.

Many of us also have public schools that are considered very good or excellent.

• In our case, we were fortunate to have excellent public schools.
• However, we didn't like the large class sizes and the limited curriculum that they offered.
• So those were among the reasons we started looking for other options for our girls' elementary and high school educations.

Here are seven cases that look at some of the reasons parents choose a private school education for their children.