Mike Gwaltney

Work with Mike to strengthen your school’s strategies in:

• Academic Leadership
• Classroom Instruction
• Curriculum Design
• Faculty Culture
• Faculty Growth and Evaluation
• Online Learning
• Strategic Academic Planning
• Student Culture

In his roles at ISM, Mike:

• leads webinars and workshops in his areas of expertise;
• leads sessions at the Advancement Academy, an annual premier professional development conference from ISM for School Heads, Board members, and development, enrollment management, and marketing communications professionals;
• oversees and supports ISM Consultants and adjunct Consultants, and reviews content and ISM advice on all areas of academic programming; and
• directs and supports ISM’s online courses for school leaders.

Learn more about Mike—

Mike started at ISM as a Summer Institute faculty member in 2014 and became a full-time Consultant in 2020. His expertise is in academic programming and leadership, curriculum design, project-based learning (PBL), and assessment.

Mike is a pioneering leader in online learning within the American private-independent school community. From 2010 to 2014, Mike taught courses for students and professional development courses for teachers at the Online School for Girls. From 2014 to 2017, Mike led the development of an award-winning, blended/online program for private-independent schools in Portland, Oregon.

Through his “Chairing Your Department” workshop from ISM and consultations with schools, Mike has trained and mentored hundreds of department chairs, academic deans, and program directors.

Internationally known for his experience designing and implementing PBL, Mike has spoken at conferences and engaged in school consultations across North America, Asia, and Australia. Mike leads engaging, highly participatory workshops for teachers on topics including backward curriculum design, authentic assessment, and constructivist pedagogy, preparing them to facilitate great student learning.

Mike is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including recognition six times as “Most Inspirational Teacher” from the Mayor of Los Angeles. Mike’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, Edutopia, KQED’s Mindshift blog, and in recent books on project-based learning and online learning.

Mike received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from California State University at Fullerton.