Cash Management
Financing
Consumer debt has reached a new high, $12.7 trillion, surpassing the previous high set in 2008. While mortgage debt has declined since 2008, car loan debt has increased $388 billion and student loan debt has risen nearly
Academic rigor, an emphasis on "deep content" and testing for mastery and matriculation built BASIS Independent Schools into a highly regarded chain of 27 schools (private, public charters and international) — but also h
Enrollment
Human Resources
A growing list of small, struggling, liberal arts colleges are pinning their fiscal turnarounds on the development of a distinctive campus-wide experience that, they hope, will distinguish them from competitors. The late
U.S.-based independent schools and other organizations seem to have largely avoided the "WannaCry" ransomware attacks that hit thousands of computer systems last weekend, but the incidents underscore the importance of fo
Roughly 88 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen at private U.S. colleges and universities received some kind of a scholarship or grant in the 2016-2017 academic year, according to new research from the National Asso
A high-profile, foundation-funded effort to abolish grades and course names from high school transcripts is backed by more than 100 independent preK-12 schools that want colleges to evaluate applicants based on competenc
What can schools do to attract students from abroad? Offer high-quality instruction and make their campuses feel welcoming, according to the 62,000 students who responded to the fifth annual International Student Survey
Leadership
Risk Management
Detailed and public responses to allegations of sexual abuse at independent schools reflect what many believe is a "sea change" within a sector that for decades, and sometimes even generations, was known for quietly hand
Facilities
Risk Management
Forget about fingerprint IDs, let alone laminated cards bearing photos and bar codes. Iris recognition is one of the new technologies college campuses are pursuing to verify students' identity while moving them quickly t
Sixty-one percent of nonprofit organizations experienced an increase in charitable giving in 2016, down from 65 percent in 2015 and the lowest percentage overall since 2010, according to the Nonprofit Research Collaborat
As independent schools consider changes to bathrooms and locker rooms to accommodate transgender and gender-nonconforming students, at least two are converting formerly single-sex dorms into gender-neutral housing. Effec
Trump's “Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” issued on Thursday, May 4, mandates that the IRS not enforce the Johnson Amendment, which forbids tax-exempt religious nonprofits from engaging in
Under the Obama administration, the Office of Civil Rights sought to strengthen the reinforcement of Title IX, but the OCR's newly appointed acting head, Candice Jackson, is unlikely to do the same. The new leadership wi
Medical research has long shown that good nutrition leads to better cognitive development in children, but until now had not established direct links between school lunches and academic test scores. A new study of Califo
Can a revamped academic focus strengthen rural schools — and their local economies as well? Independent schools that are struggling to attract new generations of students to their rural or small-town campuses might find
More international students attend the overseas satellite campuses of British independent schools than attend schools in the UK proper, according to the annual census of the Independent Schools Council. With a growing pr
Despite offering steep tuition discounts to more students, many small, private colleges are not only losing net tuition revenue but also failing to yield sufficiently large enrollment increases to make up for the losses,
Boards and Trustees
Risk Management
Two former heads of school at Choate Rosemary Hall resigned as "life trustees" from the school's board late last week in response to a report alleging sexual abuse by 12 former faculty during the heads' combined tenure f
Risk Management
Technology
From phishing scams and ransomware attacks to many other unauthorized data breaches, dozens of security breaches involving public schools are detailed on "the K-12 Cyber Incident Map" of the United States. The map tracks
It's not just the admissions office that should be reaching out to prospective students — nor just during the late-winter and spring yield season. From "the signage that directs visitors to parking on campus or the strea
