Grade Level
Middle
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From Annual Sprint to Year-Round Discipline
For many independent schools, the annual financial audit feels like a stressful sprint, gathering documents, reconciling accounts, and responding to auditor requests while keeping day-to-day operations running. But the most successful schools treat audit readiness as a year-round discipline, turning it from a stressful event into a strategic advantage. A clean audit is not just […]
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When AV Equipment Fails, So Does Productivity: A Practical Guide to Fixing It
Outdated projectors, tangled cables, and glitchy displays cost businesses and schools time, productivity, and credibility. Learn how to spot the signs it’s time to upgrade, practical steps to improve your AV setup, and proven standards to follow. AttronicaAV offers resources and guidance to help your technology just work.
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The Emotionally Intelligent Head of School
There is strong agreement that Heads of Independent Schools and other leaders are facing more pressure than ever to navigate complex environments, partner with employees and clients who are increasingly transactional, manage diverse teams, and achieve results while balancing their own well-being with the well-being of their school communities. Emotional intelligence has become a vital […]
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Recruiting Senior Administrators: Own the Process … And Don’t Hire Resumes!
Many schools form a faculty lead search committee to run the search. They vet resumes with the search firm, conduct preliminary interviews, and present the Head with candidates to bring to the campus. While this feels like a democratic and inclusive process, it is a terrible idea! This person will report to YOU. You need […]
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Full Board Engagement Leads to Successful Head of School Searches
While we have yet to conduct a formal longitudinal study on the matter, our extensive experience guiding head searches across the independent school landscape points to a concerning trend: when trustees cede control over key decisions in the search process—whether to the search committee, the school community, or external influences—the results can be destabilizing. Clarity […]
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Strategic Search: Designing and Executing Senior Administrative Searches with Intention
Each time a school initiates a search for a senior administrator—whether a division head, CFO, academic dean, or enrollment leader—there is an opportunity to do more than fill a position. A well-designed search process can be a moment of strategic alignment, community engagement, and institutional growth. Too often, though, these searches are reactive or rushed, […]
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Restorative Practices Toolkit
At the Great Schools Partnership, we believe that restorative practices in education (RPE) promotes healthy school cultures by building a sense of belonging, fostering community, and promoting healing. How can we foster belonging and inclusion so that every student feels valued and connected? What does it look and feel like when we value learning and […]
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Why Podcasting Is the AI-Resistant Assessment That Builds Confidence in Middle School Classrooms
In an era where artificial intelligence can generate essays in seconds, educators are increasingly searching for authentic, engaging, and AI-resistant ways to assess student learning. Enter oral assessments—and more specifically, student podcasting—a powerful tool that not only resists the influence of AI but also builds critical communication skills and boosts student confidence. Podcasting gives middle […]
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Guiding Beliefs of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a framework that leverages data and instruction in increasingly targeted and responsive ways to support the development of academic, behavioral, and life skills in every learner. When designed to be proactive and responsive, tiered interventions foster student engagement and belonging with the ultimate goal of providing just outcomes for […]
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Donor Recognition: Strategy to Inspire Gifts to Facilities
A donor recognition strategy is critical to encourage contributions, maintain donor engagement, and create lasting legacies. By providing a variety of recognition opportunities that range from highly visible, large-scale spaces to smaller, yet meaningful rooms and nooks, you can ensure that all donors feel valued and appreciated, no matter the size of their gift. Check […]
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Reaching Prospective Private School Parents at the Awareness Stage
Every marketer knows the Customer Journey is important, but breaking it down into actionable steps can feel overwhelming. In private and independent school marketing, the process can feel especially daunting given the long timeline from first awareness to enrollment – and the significant investment families are often considering (think: choosing 12 years of $50,000 tuition […]
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5 Ways to Market Effectively to Millennial Parents
Millennials – born between 1981 and 1996, but often labeled as “young adults” – are stepping into a new phase of life. Now in their thirties and forties, this generation is now navigating the challenges of parenthood, including making important decisions about where their children will go to school. Millennials are quickly becoming the dominant […]