ISM

I just returned from a three day "Summer Institute" run by Independent School Management (ISM). ISM is the largest independent school consulting firm and an organization with whom we plan to work rather extensively in our efforts to introduce best practices into all areas of school life. This workshop was limited only to Heads of small schools like ours and was chock full of practical information and good ideas on everything from school finances to time management. I also had the opportunity to network with other Heads of School from New Mexico to New York and from Pennsylvania to Indonesia, as well as to learn from their experiences and insights. While I was the only head of a yeshiva in our workshop, there were heads of other faith-based independent schools (Baptist, Episcopalian, Quaker, etc.). The similarity between the challenges we all face was rather amazing and, in a way, reassuring.