What Makes A Great School Board?

Hello:

I’m sending today’s eNewsletter from the Incheon Airport in Korea waiting to fly home to Vancouver. I’m returning from my trip to Ulaanbaatar (UB), Mongolia where I provided a school evaluation and board governance workshop for a K-12 International School and then stopped in Seoul to visit my good friend at Seoul International School (great school by the way). UB was an amazing experience; both the weather and the landscape. There is so much happening there with so many opportunities for growth; and the school I worked with recognizes this.

I enjoy the opportunity to visit other schools to see how they ‘package’ their educational program to meet the needs of their community. There are so many ways educators can connect with students and parents and allow them to reach their own personal levels of excellence.

I also like working with school boards to help them improve the mechanics of their school leadership. Research indicates that “great” schools have “great” boards. Is your board functioning at its peak ability? Perhaps you’d like me to provide a great one-day workshop on moving your board from “good” to “great.”

Today I want to continue in our eNewsletter below sharing more tips on more effective private school board governance.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group Inc.

>> TWITTER ->> Receive our updates by clicking here.

P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store for our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.

IN THIS ISSUE

1. In The News

2. Focus On Our Key Services

3. More Tips On Better Board Governance

4. Products At Our Online Store

1. IN THE NEWS

>> USFK MORE POSITIVE ON SCHOOL PLAN WITH KOREA

Korea Times - As for the pending International School Songdo, which will be the first educational institute in the Incheon Free Economy Zone, Ahn said the ministry is…

2. FOCUS ON OUR KEY SERVICES

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. That’s why you need a firm with experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of your school’s Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for school improvement.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our informative online self-assessment survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member, are you sure your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our “In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan.”

(E) BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS

HEG and our certified Brokerage Associates assist buyers and sellers with the purchase and sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, Career Colleges, and Schools throughout Canada, United States, and Internationally. HEG and our Professional Licensed Brokers are experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools, and have a Broker relationship with other Brokers internationally who assist us to locate and sell Schools.

3. TIPS ON BETTER BOARD GOVERNANCE

Will Rodgers said “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” I’m a big believer in both great board governance and the continuous board education.

Do you have a “great” board? You can see it…exceptional boards stand out. But what makes them tick…what’s their secret sauce? Great boards have a set of common attributes that clearly separates them from others. In my board governance workshop I share with you the 12 pillars of “great” boards and help you determine where you’re at now and develop an action plan to move your forward.

Great boards must “govern more” and “manage less.” You need to focus on:

• Develop a strategic plan & follow it
• Link current agenda to strategic agenda
• Monitor the success of the school’s initiatives
• Develop clear expectations & plan of action for Trustees
• Direct CEO to prepare strategically
• Structure meetings to policy & strategy
• Assess the performance of the board annually
• Focus on policy objectives, organizational strategy, & relationship between budgets & priorities

Does your board experience any of the following:

• Trustee behavior that’s unproductive & misaligned with mission
• Board agenda controlled by crisis rather than vision
• Lack of a plan or goals that results in no board agenda, committee goals, or operational plan
• Board committees that exist only because they’ve always been there, not because they’re needed
• No link between budget, programs, or strategic plan
• Blurring of boundaries & channels between roles of the Board & Administration
• Board commitment is greater than trustees would like it to be & become too taxing & stressful
• Inability to attract or keep trustees
• Poor turn-out at board meetings and AGM’s

Your board needs to understand not only their role but how to strategically structure their performance to maximize their strengths and direct your Head of School and board committees in unison. Great boards uphold & articulate a compelling mission-vision, & ensure congruence between strategy, values, & operations. Great boards engage in strategic thinking that focuses the direction of the organization & uses their strategic plan to drive decision making.

Remember the following adages from Harvey MacKay:

A goal is just a dream with a deadline

A goal will remain a dream unless you create & execute a plan of action to accomplish it…

Every goal that gets accomplished has a plan behind it.”

To find out more about our firm’s private school board governance workshops, or learn more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs in more detail.

4. ONLINE STORE

Here are 2 popular Toolkits to help you to either start your own school or develop your own strategic plan, step-by-step.

(1). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all here to help you develop your own plan.

(2). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share how they started their own school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your strategic plan.

To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group Inc

Which Strategic Planning Approach Is Right For Your School?

Hello:

I’m pleased to share with you that HEG’s Inner Circle Newsletter membership cracked the 3,000 mark yesterday. Thank you for your continued interest and support in our eNewsletter. We now reach out to 32 different countries, connecting with thousands of teachers, builders, founders, educators, and school leaders.

I was reading Don Southerton’s blog today on Korea and watched a great video developed by Dr. Nelson, Head of International School Songdo. Our firm was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Nelson and the staff of Gale International Korea to support the development of their state-of-the-art K-12 International School in the new planned city of Songdo, Korea. In his video, Dr. Nelson shares their educational vision, which is also cutting edge. If you’d like to watch the video online, click here.

Do you have a vision for your school? More importantly does it drive everything you do at your school? The staff you hire, the facilities and resources you acquire, the student’s you accept? Dr. Nelson recognizes that at his new school they need to set a vision for the future of learning at their school, which drives everything they do. What's more, it match their mission and core values. Does your school’s strategic plan do this? Do you have a plan for your school’s future that you can operationalize annually with your staff and board to ensure that your direction is set and everyone is on the same page?

In our Strategic Planning Toolkit, which is available at our Online Store, we define the Vision Statement and Strategic Plan as follows:

“In simplest terms, an organization undertakes strategic planning to reaffirm or modify its mission - why it exists, what its purpose is, and what it now does - and to agree on its vision - what it wants to be and do in the coming years. The purpose is not to decide what should be done in the future but to decide what should be done now to make desired things happen in an uncertain future.”

Our firm’s strategic planning web pages receive close to 1,000 visitors a month. The question most visitors ask is what type of strategic planning process fits their school or non-profit needs and their budget. What I’ve done is created an overview document that outlines three different planning approaches HEG can apply to your organization to fit your price point, and still deliver a quality strategic plan. Our three levels are titled:

1). Fast-Track;
2). Streamlined; and
3). Comprehensive.

If you’d like to read the overview for each of our strategic planning approaches, click here.

Today I want to continue in our eNewsletter below sharing more tips on the strategic planning process.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.

Receive our updates by signing on @ www.twitter.com/halladay


P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store for our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.

IN THIS ISSUE

1. In The News

2. Focus On Our Key Services

3. More Tips On Strategic Planning

4. Products At Our Online Store

1. IN THE NEW

>> STATE SUSPENDS LICENSE FROM CENTRAL OREGON SCHOOL FOR TROUBLED TEENS
OregonLive.com: By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian State officials have told parents to remove their children from a central Oregon boarding school after investigators found …

2. FOCUS ON OUR KEY SERVICES

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL
Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. That’s why you need a firm with experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING
We can lead the development of your school’s Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for school improvement.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS
Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our informative online self-assessment survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS
A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member, are you sure your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our “In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan.”

(E) BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS
HEG and our certified Brokerage Associates assist buyers and sellers with the purchase and sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, Career Colleges, and Schools throughout Canada, United States, and Internationally. HEG and our Professional Licensed Brokers are experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools, and have a Broker relationship with other Brokers internationally who assist us to locate and sell Schools.

3. TIPS ON STRATEGIC PLANNING – FROM OUR TOOLKIT

The strategic planning process is disciplined and requires a sequence and pattern to keep it focused, productive, and effective. The process raises a progression of questions that helps planners examine, test assumptions, gather and incorporate information about the present, and anticipate the environment in which the organization will be working in the future. The process is about fundamental decisions and actions since choices need to be made in order to answer the sequence of questions below. The plan is ultimately no more and no less than a set of questions and answers about:

• Where are you now?
• Where do you want to be?
• How do you get there?
• How do you measure your progress and know you’ve gotten there?
  

I realize that strategic planning will consume your resources; a precious commodity for any organization. As a process that defines the critical direction and priorities of your organization, it can sometimes be an overwhelming and daunting task. Despite the overpowering nature of the process, the benefits of planning will far outweigh the hardships, so carry on reading.

What Can Strategic Planning Accomplish?

There are many benefits to be gained from the actual planning process, as well as from the final planning document. The very activities that staff and boards conduct as part of the planning process empower them to be more effective in their roles; more informed leaders and decision makers. In addition, the final planning document becomes a tool that can be used to effectively and efficiently manage the organization’s resources and decision making; at all levels.

As you begin the process of educating your organization on the merits of strategic planning, here are a few nuggets:

• Determines the school’s priorities
• Strengthens Head-Board partnership
• Defines measurements of success and accountability
• Forms the basis for yearly Head-Board evaluation and criteria
• Builds energy and momentum
• Broadens participation, creating a shared vision and sense of ownership
• Builds stronger programs and energizes them
• Improves finances and projections
• Analyzes critical issues (Finance, Enrollment, Fundraising, Human resources, Academic programs, Campus and grounds
• Focuses on excellence
• Enhances constituent investment and a common language for communication
  

To find out more about our firm’s strategic planning services and which approach suits your school or non-profit, or learn more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs in more detail.

You can read more about our approach and testimonials at by clicking here.

Or go to our Online Store and invest in our Strategic Planning Toolkit.

4. ONLINE STORE

Here are 2 popular Toolkits to help you to either start your own school or develop your own strategic plan, step-by-step.

(1). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)
Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all here to help you develop your own plan

(2). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)
Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share how they started their own school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your strategic plan.

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President
Halladay Education Group Inc.

How To Create A Surge In Your Private School Marketing Funnel

Hello:

I’m recovering today from my “men’s only” yoga (torture) class last night. I’m rediscovering what the word “flexibility” means. Please understand that I try to place my mat at the back of the class to keep a low profile, however that darn “downward dog” position doesn’t let me hide. We go through exercises designed for former Eastern European gymnasts and Cirque du Soleil performers, but I persevere (low lighting has its benefits) Well, what doesn’t kill you…

Before I jump into today’s eNewsletter I wanted to share with you an incredible customer experience I had last week when buying a new desktop computer for our firm. We deal with a lot of vendors when developing new schools and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Last week I decided to order another computer and called Dell Canada to see what they’d offer in the way of a top notch desktop and pricing. I was pleasantly surprised by the call I had with Dell Canada rep’ Keith Ellis. He knew his computer products, what we needed, and the price he gave blew away anyone else. I was so impressed that I told him I’d share his name with you in case your school or business was looking for new computer technology and wanted a competitive prices, quality service, and products. Here’s my free plug for Keith:

Keith Ellis| Account Manager

Dell Canada Inc.

Office Direct Line: 416.758.3667

Toll Free 1.800.387.5757 ext.3667

keith_ellis@dell.com

Now down to business. Today I wanted to write you a quick eNewsletter on a private school marketing strategy that I started using about 10 years ago, and I just noticed in our local paper an ad by a school that reminded me again of its value. If done right, it can create a surge in your marketing funnel and not cost you much to do it. Click here to have a look at this link and then read more below.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

Click here to receive our updates.

P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store for our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.

================================

IN THIS ISSUE

================================

1. Focus On Our Key Services

2. Is Your Marketing and Admissions System Working?

3. Products At Our Online Store

==================================

1. FOCUS ON OUR KEY SERVICES

==================================

(A) STARTING FORMATION

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. That’s why you need a firm with experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of your school’s Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for school improvement.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our informative online self-assessment survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member, are you sure your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our “In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan.”

(E) BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS

HEG and our certified Brokerage Associates assist buyers and sellers with the purchase and sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, Career Colleges, and Schools throughout Canada, United States, and Internationally. HEG and our Professional Licensed Brokers are experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools, and have a Broker relationship with other Brokers internationally who assist us to locate and sell Schools.

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2. HOW TO CREATE A SURGE IN YOUR ADMISSIONS FUNNEL

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This school has full enrollment and extremely altruistic intent to attract above calibre students to their school, who otherwise may not be able to afford it. However what if you could build on this marketing strategy to create a surge in your admissions funnel?

The strategy I’m referring is your ability to generate “new” leads for potential enrollment at your private school by placing ads like this whereby you seek a student in a specific grade based on their academic merit. In many cases, schools are not fully enrolled, so an empty desk doesn’t cost you any more, and you end up with the following:

• A top-notch academic student to bump up your standardized testing scores (which helps your marketing again);
• A surge in families that are interested in your programs who may now have thought of enrolling at your school before, but are now thinking of it;
• An increase in your marketing funnel database that you can reach out to now and in the future; and
• Enhanced public perception of your school’s brand in your marketplace.

This strategy isn’t for every school, but it works and can jump start your private school marketing campaign.

To find out more about our firm’s marketing and admissions services, or learn more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs in more detail.

=====================================

4. ONLINE STORE

=====================================

Here are are 2 popular Toolkits to help you to either start your own school or develop your own strategic plan, step-by-step.

(1). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all here to help you develop your own plan.

(2). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share how they started their own school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your strategic plan.

=======================================================

To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Do You Want To Buy Or Sell A School?

Hello:

HEG is pleased to announce that we’ve added an additional service, “Buying and Selling Private Schools.” We’ve been engaged in the past by clients on an as needed basis to assist them with acquiring post secondary institutions in Canada and K-12 private schools in the USA and Internationally. Now we want to share this unique service to you.

Are You Looking At Selling Your K-12 Private School or Career College? Are you Interested in Buying a Career School or Post Secondary Institution?

There’s considerable interest in K-12 Private Schools, Language Schools, Colleges, and Career Schools by investors, individuals, and school owners. Education has truly earned itself a position as a rapid growth, international business.

Halladay Education Group and our certified Brokerage Associates can assist buyers and sellers in the purchase and sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, Career Colleges, and Schools throughout Canada, United States, and Internationally.

HEG and our Professional Licensed Brokers are skilled in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools, and have a Broker relationship with other Brokers internationally who assist us to locate and sell Schools.

HEG’s Associates can assist owners and prospective owners make informed and educated decisions about the sale and purchase of a School. We will work with you, to sell or buy the School you want and we assist you with all parts of the sale and purchase process.

Are You Thinking of Selling Your School?

Our services are tailored and designed to directly work with K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, Language Schools, and Career College owners as a representative in the brokerage and sale of your school to qualified third party buyers.

Our process allows the sale to be handled with strict confidentiality and minimum intrusion into the schools operation. We assist with the transfer of property, investment analysis, negotiation, and closing of the transaction.

HEG and our Brokerage Associates possess a thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by owners in these types of transactions. By leveraging our broad industry knowledge and expertise, our clients are better prepared to navigate through the complexity of listing, marketing, and selling your school to obtain the best possible offer when it is time to sell.
HEG and Associates follow a unique and proven approach that offers school owners the most comprehensive marketing tools and resources, along with an extensive network of potential buyers.

Are You Thinking of Buying a School?

Whether you are an individual, private buyer, or represent an investment group that is considering buying a school, college, or university, we can support you. Our team can work with you to define your acquisition objectives and financial requirements to potential sellers. Our in-depth search process and network lets you know about schools that are actively on the market and search for K-12 schools, career schools, colleges, and other post secondary institutions that meet your specifications.

When we are engaged as a buyer's representative we assist the buyer in the analysis, negotiations, due diligence, and closing details necessary to buying the school. In addition, we can support in the transition and operation for buyers who are new to the K-12 and/or post secondary career school sector. This includes assistance in change of ownership, continuity, compliance, licensing, accreditation, management, marketing, or other school operation and management services.

Your Next Step

To find out more about buying, selling, merging, or relocating, K-12 private schools, post secondary institutions, colleges, or any educational business, or finding out what your school could be worth in today’s marketplace, please contact HEG by phone or email. All information submitted will be held in the strictest confidence.

To your success,

Douglas Halladay, M.A.

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.
P: +1-604-868-0002
E: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com





P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store for our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.