Virtual & Onsite Consulting Services

Onsite Consulting
Onsite Consulting

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.

 

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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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.

Where Do Your Teacher Salaries Fit In?

School Heads // December 10, 2009

Teachers don't go into their profession expecting to get rich. However, they do want to be paid "fairly"—by their definition. A primary measure of that "fairness" is how your school's salaries stack up against the public and private schools in your area. Do you know? Do you collect this information annually?

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Forget Swine Flu—It's Senioritis!

Academic Leadership // December 10, 2009

No doubt you've noticed there's an infectious disease spreading among your upper division's graduates-to-be—the dreaded "senioritis". Characterized by high spirits, low motivation, and short attention spans, the condition has rarely proved fatal. However, the consequences this year may be more serious. In fact, students whose academic standing drops may face having a college acceptance withdrawn.

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Ask Michael

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

Q: Sadly, we recently had to let a few employees go due to the economy (i.e, enrollment has declined for next year). This was a hard decision, and to make sure we did things the right way, we hired both an attorney and an HR consultant to guide us through the process. We don't want to have to have to pay for more legal advice, but we've just recently been alerted to several blog posts from one of former employees which slanders our mission and misrepresents the grounds for our decision. What are our options?

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Some Private-independent Schools Are Rising Above the Recession

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

If you were to look at the recent headlines for private-independent schools across the country, you might find yourself perplexed, curious, wondering why seemingly every other article contradicts its predecessor. Nationally, cities are reporting different statistical finds—stirring up different projections. However, with report findings of an increased interest in financial aid, it seems that private-independent schools are still being heavily considered and incorporated within family budgets—rising above the recession fears in some regions of the U.S.

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The Battle for Private-Independent Admissions

Advancement // December 10, 2009

Current data-driven findings speculate private-independent schools will rise above this recession as they have in the past. Past statistics show private school enrollment numbers don't change, and most have sustained their enrollment, tuition, and fund-raising levels despite the shaky market and families' financial conerns. Students might not be wearing new athletic uniforms, and campuses may not be expanding their facilities, but most private schools stay strong.

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Ask Michael

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

Q: How can I encourage obese employees to lose weight, without offending anyone?

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Virtual Students Speak Up

Advancement // December 10, 2009

At the North American Council for Online Learning in October, virtual school students spoke up about what they feel are the biggest rewards of learning from home. And their opinions made the news! eSchool News wrote an article on the responses from attendees. Here is what was reported:

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Ask Michael

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

Q: Due to the budget cuts, we need to reduce our benefits costs for this year. We know that there are some benefits that employees don't use very often. Is it a good idea to "survey" employees on which benefits plans they would prefer to keep?

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The D.L. on Those Itchy Mites Disrupting Your Classroom

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

Head lice and scabies are two constant pests for schools and daycares. Because children play in close range of one another, often touching, and are more likely to share clothing and toys, they're more likely to attract these mites.

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