Virtual & Onsite Consulting Services
Ensure that your school’s governance and operations support your mission.
We work together with your leaders, teachers, staff members, and students to understand your school’s unique needs, strengths, and challenges. We help you create a plan to help you meet your goals.
Your team can then put these mission-appropriate recommendations into action to achieve increased cash reserves, higher enrollment levels, and long-term stability. At the end of the day, we all have a singular purpose—advance school leadership to enrich the student experience.
We offer personalized consultations for many leadership divisions of a private school—the Board of Trustees, School Heads, the Business Office, the Development Office, Enrollment Management professionals, Marketing professionals, and Academic leaders. Select the area of school leadership you’d like to further explore.
ISM’s Consulting Services can be conducted virtually, ensuring you get the support you need, no matter the circumstances. Learn more by contacting our School Success team.
Our Consulting Services
School Head
Whether you want to ensure that all school functions run at peak efficiency or are considering implementing new strategies and initiatives, lean on a trusted source of knowledge to increase the likelihood of long-term success.
Business & Operations
Take advantage of a full range of planning, facilities, and operations consulting services that give your school a solid footing for the future. Examine where your key operations work well, and where they can use improvement.
Academic Leadership
Your programs set your school apart. Explore how to create and build programs that pull families in and give them an experience they couldn’t have at another private-independent school.
Admission & Enrollment Management
ISM’s data-informed approach pinpoints what attracts families to your school and inspires them to stay. Receive customized solutions based on your school’s unique marketplace stance, challenges, and opportunities.
Fundraising & Development
Learn how to develop successful strategies to engage and bring donors closer to your institution. No matter your school size, history, or pedagogy, explore how to plan, implement, and evaluate your fundraising strategies to realize your full potential.
Marketing Communications
Explore how to share exceptional stories of student learning, engagement, and outcomes, and illustrate how these can become differentiators that distinguish your school from your competitors.
Board of Trustees
The Board must focus its efforts on governing, planning, and financing your school's future, while leaving everyday decisions to competent administrators. To do that successfully, your Board must think, plan, and act strategically.
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One-on-One Coaching for New Heads
Work with an ISM Consultant in your first years of Headship to set you on a path to success.
•Data-Driven Diagnostics •
• Coaching •
• Customized Support •
Help Your School Thrive
ISM members receive access to exclusive, research-based strategies for every leadership division of your school. Take advantage of guidance, savings, and much more.
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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Personal Pronouns: What They Are, and Why Your School Should Care About Them
School Leadership // December 2, 2021
Adolescence is one of the great equalizers in life. No matter your background or country of origin, everyone can relate to the storm of feelings circulating in maturing minds and bodies: uncertain, awkward, insecure, and confused. One of the most basic forms of self-discovery is gender identification. Here’s what your school should know about personal pronouns.
Read MoreChange Your Financial Aid Program Strategy: Helpful FAQ
Business and Operations // November 18, 2021
The term “financial aid” typically elicits misunderstandings at best, and outdated stereotypes at worst. As schools move into financial aid season, we want to equip you with clarifications and answers to the most commonly asked questions about how a financial aid program can best support your school’s strategic plan. Here’s how you can change your financial aid program strategy.
Read MoreCaring for the Whole Child: International Student Challenges
School Health and Wellness // November 17, 2021
International students may face culture shock, language barriers, difficulty understanding their teachers, and myriad other challenges—including mental health—as they leave all they know and everyone they love behind. Being a student is a challenge; being an international student is an even bigger one. Here’s how to care for the whole child.
Read MoreFive Steps to Create a Content Marketing Strategy for Your School
Enrollment Management // November 17, 2021
Digital marketing is here to stay. And with that comes a term you’ve likely heard a time or two: content marketing. Chances are you’re aware of the impact content marketing can have on your school, but maybe you’re not sure exactly how to create an effective strategy. We discuss five steps to create a content marketing strategy for your school.
Read MoreSeven Actions You Can Take Now for Annual Giving
Fundraising // November 7, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all development staff to rethink fundraising strategies and to build the relationships critical for success. As with all things COVID-19 related, fundraising strategy can feel like a moving target. Here are suggestions to help you continue moving forward.
Read MoreSeven Steps to Avoid Hiring Mistakes
Business and Operations // November 7, 2021
Finding the right people to join your team should be simple. You have positions to fill; candidates have skills and experience that meet your hiring needs. But a lot goes into avoiding potential hiring mistakes. Here are seven steps to take to avoid hiring mistakes—starting with the interview.
Read MoreFour Ways the NPS Survey Helps Evaluate Teacher and Staff Satisfaction
Enrollment Management // November 7, 2021
Finding outstanding teachers and staff is one of the most important tasks to master when running a reputable school. Keeping those valuable teachers is another skill set that must be refined. Here are four ways the NPS survey helps you to evaluate teacher and staff satisfaction.
Read MoreSix Questions to Ask About Student Assessment
Academic Leadership // October 3, 2021
True educators know standardized tests often aren’t genuine measures of learning. But we have failed to answer, “What should schools do instead?” Consider these six questions within the present framework and requirements of your school, but also with an open mind to what could be.
Read MoreFour Ways NPS® Helps Private Schools Target Ideal Parents and Small Donors
Marketing Communications // October 3, 2021
Every new school year brings the same old problems: striving to reach enrollment numbers; attempting to meet fundraising goals; and trying to define and execute an overarching strategy to unify multiple events, priorities, and things you’ve “always done” for marketing. This year, take time to change how you approach marketing and collecting parents’ feedback. Here’s where to start.
Read MoreWhy You Should Update Last Year's COVID-19 Response Plan
Business and Operations // September 26, 2021
Traditionally, schools have been able to introduce and manage clear-cut policies and procedures to keep their communities safe. But it’s no secret COVID-19 has challenged everything we thought we knew about managing the spread of germs and navigating new regulations. The 2020–21 academic year mar...
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