How to Start a Private School

How to Start a Private School Starting a private school is a lengthy and complicated process. Fortunately for you, plenty of folks have done the same thing you are thinking of doing. You will find much inspiration and practical advice from their examples. In fact, you will find it extremely useful browsing the history section of any established private schools website. Some of these stories will inspire you. Others will remind you that starting a school takes lots of time, money and support. Here is a timeline for the tasks involved with starting your own private school. Todays Private School Climate Below, important information is outlined to guide you through the process, however, its important to note that in todays economic climate, many private schools are struggling. The Atlantic reports that private k12 schools saw an almost 13% decline over the course of a decade (2000-2010). Why is this? The National Association of Independent Schools reports that the growth forecast for 2015-2020 is declining, with fewer school-aged children between the ages of 0-17. Fewer children mean fewer students to enroll.   The cost of private school, and especially boarding school, is also concerning. In fact, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) published a strategic plan for 2013-2017, in which it pledged to increase efforts to help schools identify and recruit qualified families in North America. This pledge led to the creation of  the North American Boarding Initiative to address the declining enrollment in private boarding schools. This passage is taken from their website: For various economic, demographic, political, and cultural reasons, the sector has faced serious enrollment challenges during distinct periods in its distinguished history, surviving the Great Depression, the specter of two World Wars, and the social turbulence of the 60s and 70s, among other disjunctions. Always, boarding schools have adapted: ending discriminatory policies and admitting students of different races and religions; adding day students; becoming coeducational; expanding philanthropy; investing aggressively in financial aid; modernizing curriculum, facilities, and student life; and recruiting internationally.Again, we face a serious enrollment challenge. Domestic boarding enrollment has declined gradually, yet consistently, for more than a dozen years. Its a trend that shows no sign of reversing itself. Moreover, multiple surveys have confirmed that a lions share of boarding school leaders identify domestic boarding as their most pressing strategic challenge. As a commu nity of schools, it is time once again to take decisive action. Considerations In todays day and age, it does warrant careful consideration and planning to determine if creating another private school in this already struggling market is appropriate. This assessment will vary greatly on a number of factors, including the strength of area schools, the number of and quality of competitor schools, geographic area, and needs of the community, among others.   For example, a rural town in the midwest without strong public school options may benefit from a private school. However, in an area like New England, which is already home to more than 150 independent schools, starting a new institution might not be quite as successful.   Identify Your Niche 36-24 months before opening: Determine what kind of school the local market needs. (K-8, 9-12, day, boarding, Montessori, etc.) Ask parents and teachers for their opinions. If you can afford it, hire a marketing company to do a survey. It will help you focus your efforts and ensure that youre making a sound business decision. Once you determine what kind of school you will be opening, then decide how many grades will actually open the school. Your long-range plans may call for a K-12 school, but it makes more sense to start small and grow solidly. Establish the primary division, then add the upper grades over time as your resources permit. Form a Committee 24 months: Form a small committee of talented supporters to begin the preliminary work. Include parents with financial, legal, management and building experience. Ask for and get a commitment of time and financial support from each member. This important planning work which will demand much time and energy. These people can become the core of your first board of directors. Co-opt additional paid talent, if you can afford it, to guide you through the various challenges, indeed, roadblocks, which will inevitably confront you. Incorporate 18 months: File incorporation papers with your Secretary of State. The lawyer on your committee should be able to handle this for you. There are costs associated with the filing, but he should donate his legal services to the cause. This is a critical step in your long-term fundraising. People will give money much more readily to a legal entity or institution as opposed to a person. If you have already decided to establish your own proprietary school, you will be on your own when it comes to raising money. Develop a Business Plan 18 months: Develop a business plan. This should be a blueprint of how the school is going to operate over its first five years. Always be conservative in your projections. Do not try to do everything in the first five years unless you have been lucky enough to find a donor to fund the program in its entirety. Develop a Budget 18 months: Develop a budget for 5 years. This is the detailed look at income and expenses. The financial person on your committee should be responsible for developing this critical document. As always project your assumptions conservatively and factor in some wriggle room should things go wrong. You need to develop two budgets: an operating budget and a capital budget. For example, a swimming pool or an arts facility would fall under the capital side, while planning for social security expenses would be an operating budget expense. Seek expert advice. Find a Home 20 months: Locate a facility to house the school or develop building plans if you will be creating your own facility from scratch. Your architect and contractor committee members should spearhead this assignment. Think carefully before you leap at acquiring that wonderful old mansion or vacant office space. Schools require good locations for many reasons, not the least of which is safety. Older buildings can be money pits. Investigate modular buildings which will be greener as well. Tax-Exempt Status 16 months: Apply for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Again, your lawyer can handle this application. Submit it as early in the process as you can so that you can begin to solicit tax-deductible contributions. People and businesses will definitely look at your fundraising efforts much more favorably if you are a recognized tax-exempt organization.Tax-exempt status might also help with local taxes as well, though I do recommend your paying local taxes whenever or wherever possible, as a gesture of goodwill. Choose Key Staff Members 16 months: Identify your Head of School and your Business Manager. Conduct your search as widely as possible. Write job descriptions for these and all your staff and faculty positions. You will be looking for self-starters who enjoy building something from scratch. Once IRS approvals are in place, hire the head and the business manager. They need the stability and focus of a steady job to get your school open. You need their expertise to ensure an opening on time. Solicit Contributions 14 months: Secure your initial funding - donors and subscriptions. You will need to plan your campaign carefully so that you can build momentum, yet are able to keep pace with actual funding needs. Appoint a dynamic leader from your planning group to ensure the success of these initial efforts. Bake sales and car washes are not going to yield the large amount of capital which you will need. Well-planned appeals to foundations and local philanthropists will pay off. If you can afford it, hire a professional to help you write proposals and identify donors. Identify Your Faculty Requirements 14 months: It is critical to attract skilled faculty. Do so by agreeing to competitive compensation. Sell them on the vision of your new school. The chance to shape something is always appealing. While it is still over a year until you open, line up as many faculty members as you can. Do not leave this important job until the last minute. An agency such as Carney, Sandoe Associates will be helpful at this stage in finding and vetting teachers for you. Spread the Word 14 months: Advertise for students. Promote the new school through service club presentations and other community groups. Design a website and set up a mailing list to keep interested parents and donors in touch with your progress. Marketing your school is something which has to be done consistently, appropriately and effectively. If you can afford it, hire an expert to get this important job done. Open for Business 9 months: Open the school office and begin admissions interviews and tours of your facilities. January before a fall opening is the latest you can do this. Ordering instructional materials, planning curricula and devising a master timetable are just some of the tasks your professionals will have to attend to. Orient and Train Your Faculty 1 month: Have faculty in place to get the school ready for opening. The first year at a new school requires endless meetings and planning sessions for the academic staff. Get your teachers on the job no later than August 1 in order to be prepared for opening day. Depending on how lucky you are at attracting qualified teachers, you may have your hands full with this aspect of the project. Take the time needed to sell your new teachers on the schools vision. They need to buy into it, or else their negative attitudes could create a host of problems. Opening Day Make this a soft opening at which you welcome your students and any interested parents at a brief assembly. Then off to classes. Teaching is what your school will be known for. It needs to begin promptly on Day 1. The formal opening ceremonies should be a festive occasion. Schedule it for a few weeks after the soft opening. Faculty and students will have sorted themselves out by then. A feeling of community will be apparent. The public impression which your new school will make will be a positive one. Invite local, regional and state leaders. Stay Informed Join national and state private school associations. You will find incomparable resources. The networking opportunities for you and your staff are virtually limitless. Plan on attending association conferences in year 1 so that your school is visible. That will ensure plenty of applications for vacant positions in the following academic year. Tips Be conservative in your projections of revenues and expenses even if you have an angel who is paying for everything.Make sure real estate agents are aware of the new school. Families moving into the community always ask about schools. Arrange open houses and gatherings to promote your new school.Submit your schools website to sites like this one so that parents and teachers can become aware of its existence.Always plan your facilities with growth and expansion in mind. Be sure to keep them green as well. A sustainable school will last many years. One which is planned without any consideration of sustainability will fail eventually.

Checking Immigration Case Status With USCIS

Checking Immigration Case Status With USCIS The  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  (USCIS) agency has upgraded its services to include checking case status online  and using a virtual assistant online to answer questions. Through a free, online portal, MyUSCIS, there are multiple features. Applicants can submit an online request, get automatic email or text message updates when a case status changes and practice the civics test. Being that theres  a multitude of immigration options from applying for U.S. citizenship  to green card residency status and temporary working visas to refugee status, to name a few, MyUSCIS is the one-stop  site for all applicants requesting U.S. immigration. The USCIS Website The USCIS website has directions for getting started on MyUSCIS, which allows an applicant to review their entire case history. All an applicant needs is the applicants receipt number. The receipt number has 13 characters and can be found on the application notices received from USCIS. The receipt number begins with three letters, such as EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC. Applicants should omit the dashes when entering the receipt number in the web page boxes. However, all other characters, including the asterisks, should be included if they are listed on the notice as part of the receipt number. If missing the application receipt number, contact the USCIS Customer Service center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TTY) or submit an online inquiry about the case.  Ã‚   Other features of the website include filing forms electronically, checking office case processing times, finding a doctor authorized for completing a medical exam for adjusting status and reviewing filing fees. A change of address can be recorded online, as well as finding local processing offices and making an appointment to visit an office and speak with a representative. Email and Text Message Updates USCIS allows applicants the option of receiving an email or text message notification that a case status update has occurred. The notification can be sent to any United States mobile phone number. Standard cell phone text messaging rates may apply to receive these updates. The service is available to USCIS customers and their representatives, including  immigration lawyers, charitable groups, corporations, other sponsors, and you can register for it online. Create an Account It is important for anyone who wants regular updates from USCIS to create an account with the agency to ensure access to case status information.   A helpful feature from USCIS is the online request access option. According to the agency, the online request  option is a web-based tool that allows an applicant to place an inquiry with USCIS for certain applications and petitions. An applicant may make an inquiry on selected forms that are beyond posted processing times or selected forms where the applicant did not receive an appointment notice or other notice. An applicant can also create an inquiry to correct a notice received with a typographical error.

Facilities Operations and Management Assignment

Facilities Operations and Management - Assignment Example The researcher states that through the exploration of the responsibilities of the facility’s manager, the reader will be presented with a practical understanding to the myriad of responsibilities and the activities that are covered in the management of restaurant chains. Through the exploration of the responsibilities of the manager of the facility, more light will also be shed to the issues, concerns and the practical aspects of the manager, in supporting the business, towards making it profitable and improving its profitability. Through the review of the four main areas identified, the paper will point out the management best practices employed by a facility in the hotel and hospitality industry, aimed at creating a sustainable competitive advantage. The main importance of managing a facility effectively is that it enables it to keep its best employees and to satisfy its customers; the two groups are the most important stakeholders in a business. The first major role of a fa cility’s manager in a hotel is that of acting as the standard bearer for the hotel business. The roles covered under this area of responsibility include communication, promotion, facilitating performance and maintaining the different aspects of the staffs of the facility. This area of responsibility requires the (facility) hotel manager to practice management by objectives, where he/ she employ a performance appraisal system characterized by a variety of traits. The first trait is that of taking the actions and completing the documents that help to evaluate the performance of staffs, with the aim of improving it, reducing the challenges they face and improving their satisfaction within the workplace.

Criticism of Absorption Cost System Math Problem

Criticism of Absorption Cost System - Math Problem Example As common sense would have it, fixed cost remains fixed no matter what the level of production is. Hence, in such a case managers often tend to over produce thinking it’s better to allocate the fix overhead over a wider range of output and reducing the cost per unit (since spreading fixed cost over greater units tends to drive down fixed cost per unit and when fixed costs per unit go down then so does the overall costa per unit), thus seeking an increase in profit per unit of output. The lower fixed cost per unit does of course increase the level of profitability. But a couple of factors need to be considered while making the overproduction decision. While over producing tends to allocate fixed cost over a greater units of output, we need to see whether we really need to over produce. Many factors would need to be considered including the demand for the excess produce, storage and handling costs, cash flow situation etc. There would be no point going for over production if the re is no sales market for additional units or the storage costs are high as such a step might actually cost more than the saving done by allocating the fixed overheads on excessive production. It also needs to be considered that what would happen to the excess inventory that would be produced. If the company has not taken care of the market conditions and consequently it produces in excess of its projected sales, then such an exercise would result in excessive stock piling. Clearly the company wouldn’t be profitable in such a scenario. Another key question that needs to be answered is whether the incentive to overproduce allows over producing stock irrespective of stock piling or storage conditions. The excessive inventory that would be produced would be visible to everyone, reflected on managerial accounts as well as in the company’s audited financial statements. It is no doubt important for managers and decision makers to consider here whether the allocation of fixed overheads provides an incentive to overproduce or not. However the danger reflected by the incentive to over produce should not be made the basis of decision making about the allocation of the fixed overheads. I agree with your view that over production results in excess inventory. Yes, sometimes it does happen that excessive production is done at the year-end so that the production costs can be driven down and financial statements are efficiently window dressed to show a good position of the company. However you need to know that there are some products that take a lot of time to be produced and their fixed costs are extremely high. In such a case, I personally think that over production is justified provided there are adequate storage facilities and there is an active sales market. Student’s Response: â€Å"In my experience allocations which are confined to fix overhead is the catalyst to overproduce a less than desirable product. There are two things that definitely go w rong. 1. When management have an incentive to decrease the cost of product, usually this is a force step toward decrease quality of all resource used to make a final product with less capital and in less time.

Fruitless Unions from 1875 - 1900 Essay Example for Free

Fruitless Unions from 1875 1900 Essay Late 19th century America was a time of both industrial prosperity and poverty among workers. It was run by grasping corporations and proprietors. Workers found themselves alone, amidst the rest of the nation, merely individuals under the control of the lavish Rockefellers and Carnegies. Entire families found themselves working 10 hours a day, 7 days a week in unsanitary conditions just to have enough money to pay for simple necessities like food and rent. The issue of lowering working hours, increasing wages, and humanizing working conditions quickly became indispensable. While organized labor groups such as the National Labor Union, The Knights of Labor, and the American Federation of Labor all strived to resolve these issues, victories were seldom. The crusade towards organized labor from 1875-1900 was unsuccessful in improving the position of workers vastly because of the initial failure of strikes, the grueling feelings of superiority of employers over employees and the lack of support from the government. Beginning in the 1860’s, labor unions began to sprout in hopes of making reforms by unifying workers to fight for higher wages, and 8 hour work day, and various other social benefits. The National Labor Union (1866) was the first assembly established to take part in this fight. Strikes would have to be effective in order to initiate any major changes but at a time like this, more harm was being done than good. In 1877, many workers participated in the first great American strike which resulted in mass violence and little reforms. Afterwards, an editorial in the New York Times stated that â€Å"the strike is apparently hopeless, and must be regarded as nothing more than a rash and spiteful demonstration of resentment by men too ignorant or too reckless to understand their own interests†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Document B) This editorial, which clearly favored labor unions, was acknowledging that nothing would be achieved through fighting and violence. Their failures so early on should have given them the signal to cease and, but year after year, strikes were arising and little was being down in the workers favors. Their failures would surely set the stage for future unions to come. In 1892, workers at the Homestead Steel Plant near Pittsburgh walked out on strike and took the lives of at least two Pinkerton detectives and one civilian (Document G). The violent acts at Homestead not only failed to gain rights but since non-strikers were killed it led people to think of laborers in a negative light. With the conditions only worsening after each and every strike, it was clear that organized strikes were not the way to improve conditions for workers. The industrial era gave more power to employers than ever before. With the introduction of the Scientific Management method designed by Frederick Taylor, autonomy among workers was even less common. By means of Scientific Management, there was no longer a need for workers of one particular trade, now; workers would only know how to make one particular part of a whole. The fact that many employees had to band together to face one employer displayed a great deal of inferiority. In 1883, in a testimony before the Senate Committee on Labor and Capital, a machinist said that 100 men are able to do now what it took 300 or 400 men to do fifteen years ago in trying to explain his insignificance to the company he worked for (Document D). Thus, workers felt even more inferior because it took fewer workers to make products; fewer workers amounted to easier management by the employers. In addition to inferiority to the employers, workers would also put restrictions on themselves by giving in and signing things like the Western Union Telegraph Companys employee contract that forbid them from joining unions (Document E). These yellow-dog contracts simply dragged the workers further down into the ground. The ineffectiveness of unions was shown in that the unions that were formed werent strong enough to even overcome their own benefactors which in turn only put them at a lower level in the end. I. Another main contributor to the ineffectiveness of labor unions was the lack of support from the government. With the involvement of the federal government, labor unions could have been much more successful in churning out better conditions for workers.

lighthod Barriers in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Barriers in Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness is a book that explores many different ideas and philosophies regarding human life. How people see each other and connect with each other is one of the larger aspects of human life covered in this tale. During his journey, Marlowe meets many different types of people that he is able to decipher from the good and bad personal characteristics. These people all contribute to Marlowe’s growth as a person as he breaks down barriers inside himself that deal with race, loyalty, and the way people interrelate with each other. The first site that Marlowe sees on his expedition puts an instant stereotype into his head. The sight is one of skinny, black laborers at the Outer Station. Marlowe sees a young boy who is hungry and feeds him a biscuit. Marlowe sees these images of people and how they’re living, and consciously or unconsciously, makes a note in his mind that this is the way Africans are. This initial impression of the Africans had formed a barrier that Marlowe would change within himself by the end of the story. Immediately after his encounter with the laborers, Marlowe meets the accountant at the station who provides Marlowe with his first real distinction between the races. The accountant presented himself in a gracious manner. He was Caucasian, wore fancy clothes, had oiled hair, sported varnished boots, and he had a starched white collar. This all made the man look oddly out of place given that he was in the middle of the jungle and surrounded by filthy laborers. Marlowe wasn’t sure about what to think of this man at first, but when a sick man was brought into the accountant’s office, the accountant gripes about the inconvenience to himself. "The groans of a sick person distract my attention, and without that it is extremely difficult to guard against clerical errors in this climate" (Conrad 22). This cruel and cold side of the typical European ivory trader shows through very clearly to Marlowe. This was his first, but not only experience on the journey with a greedy white male. The white manager on the boat is another character that speaks to Marlowe’s intellect by way of his actions. Marlowe gains some of his most significant self-growth in the story through his encounters and his analyzing of the manager. Marlowe is constantly hearing about ways that the manager and his crew are trying to take over the ivory ring and how they are trying to stop Kurtz from continuing his dominance in this trade.

Qualitative, quantitative, and outcomes research Essay

1. What are the main differences among qualitative, quantitative, and outcomes research? Under what circumstances is each type of research most appropriate? Support your answers with specific examples. Qualitative research is used to give meaning to life experiences and conditions. It’s an individual approach and logical. It is â€Å"interpretive, humanistic, and naturalistic and is concerned with understanding the meaning of social interactions by those involved†(Burns & Grove, 2011). Qualitative research is most appropriate when conducting research to promote understanding of human experiences and circumstances and develop theories that describe these experiences. Qualitative research seems to be an effective method of investigating human emotional responses. An example would be interviewing 100 elderly patients to find out what their main health concerns are. Quantitative research â€Å"is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world†(Burns & Grove, 2011). Quantitative data is any data that is in numerical form such as statistics, percentages, etc. An example of this would be determining the rate of a DVT in post-op patients. Outcomes research focuses on the outcomes of care for the patient. It requires four areas to examine including: patient responses to nursing care, improvements in physical functions, healthcare financial service outcomes, and patient’s overall satisfaction with staff, nursing care and services. This research is most appropriate when doing research on improving quality of care(Burns & Grove, 2011). An example would be doing research on what ice pack is most effective, easy for the patient to use and still cost effective. Burns, N., & Grove, S. K. (2011). Understanding nursing research: Building an evidence-based practice (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.