The Getty Gets the Art of Customer Service

Historically, arts and education organizations have not focused on customer service, perhaps because they did not see themselves competing with other attractions. But they do compete for discretionary spending, and some have begun to recognize the value in providing an excellent visitor experience. Excellent customer service helps turn visitors into donors.

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Categories: Corporate Culture | Customer Service | Philanthropy | Education

2 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 12:49 AM

Thoughtful Toys for Every Child

Have you seen the Toys"R"Us toy guide for differently-abled kids? If not, click the link and check it out. As the company website explains, "For nearly 20 years, we have published the annual Toys"R"Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, an easy-to-use resource featuring specially selected toys that aid in the development of children with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities."

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Categories: Education | Disabilities | Optimism

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 11:57 PM

When Addition Becomes Subtraction

Public education supporter Jamie Vollmer notes that during their first 260 years, public schools played a very narrow role: "they were created to teach basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, and to cultivate values that serve a democratic society (some history and civics implied)."

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Categories: Education | Leadership | Family

19 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 7:30 AM

Guest Post: Recess First

by Laurel Anderson, Youth & Schools Manager, The Orfalea Foundations

Schools set a good example for students when they apply new knowledge in practical ways. We have learned, for example, that rescheduling recess just before lunch improves the eating habits and classroom behavior of children, providing a better environment for learning, and builds better habits for healthy kids.

Several Santa Barbara schools have acted on this information, including Washington Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Cesar Chavez Charter School, Adams Elementary, the Santa Barbara Community Academy, and early adopter McKinley Elementary, which started with this new schedule at the end of last year.

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Categories: Education | Nutrition | Family

7 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 8:57 PM

Develop An Eye for Opportunity

Because I couldn't read well as a youngster, I learned from direct experience. Experience is a harsh teacher, since the test comes first and the lesson follows. Still, I embraced every chance to participate in life. I started businesses, like my vegetable stand. I skipped school to watch my father's stockbroker at work. One thing I saw for myself was that to succeed in school, you had to be good at everything, but to succeed as an adult, you only had to be good at one or two things.

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Categories: Creativity | Education | Disabilities | Entrepreneurialism

6 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 3:37 PM

Ethical Quandaries Build Ethical People

We take it for granted that schoolroom assignments, quizzes and tests improve a child's education by forcing him or her to practice skills. Why, then, do we go out of our way to prevent children from experiencing the sort of daily conflicts and challenges that test and improve their judgment and ethical development?

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Categories: Education | Ethics | Family

9 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 8:24 PM

How to Improve Every Business Document

According to an op-ed piece in The New York Times, the Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner's office received a complaint from a cancer patient who could not figure out why his insurance company denied his claim for chemotherapy charges. When the office inquired on behalf of the patient, the insurance company explained, "...they were still sorting through the policy; they believed Kevin's claim was not covered, but they needed more time to figure it out. ...Even the insurance company had trouble understanding its own contract."

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Categories: Corporate Culture | Customer Service | Education

4 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 10:51 AM