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.
Time Management For Heads: Four Items to Prioritize
School Heads // November 6, 2019
Defining priorities and keeping a to-do list can help you recognize where to focus your efforts. Here are the four top priorities for the School Head.
Read MoreStrengthening the Relationship Between the Head and Business Manager
School Heads // November 6, 2019
When it comes to school finances, two voices are primarily in charge—the School Head and the Business Manager. These two roles must be on the same page and work together efficiently to protect the school’s viability. Use the following tips to strengthen your relationship so you’re able to protect the long-term interests of the school together.
Read MoreInternational Student Agencies: What Your School Must Know
Private School News // October 24, 2019
Many schools want to build an international student program—one that welcomes mission-appropriate international students to campus and provides a quality education while also supporting the school's admission and enrollment goals. So where do you start? Many schools turn to agencies.
Read MoreWhen the Outgoing Head Stays in the Community
Board of Trustees // October 22, 2019
A Head who leaves your school and takes a position elsewhere is the most common scenario, but not the only one. Be wary of the situation created by the chief administrator who leaves the school but remains in the community—particularly a long-term and beloved Head who is going into retirement.
Read MoreWhen Should the Business Manager and Development Director Attend Board Meetings?
Board of Trustees // October 22, 2019
The School Head should always attend Board meetings. But what about other key school administrators?
Read MoreWhat’s a Data Team and How Does It Support Your School?
Academic Leadership // October 18, 2019
Data is one of the most vital things your school can collect. It’s easy to make assumptions about what students, parents, faculty, and staff actually want. But data, collected often and pragmatically, provides insight into what your constituencies really want and need.
Read MoreInboarding Versus Onboarding: Know the Difference to Help Your Leaders Succeed
Academic Leadership // October 17, 2019
You may have heard the terms inboarding and onboarding—and assumed they were the same. But these two terms refer to how to bring a person into the fold of your school, depending on their experience. Whether you’re starting a new role yourself or are supporting someone as they take on a leadership position, know the difference between these terms to help your leaders succeed.
Read MoreThe 6 Factors That Matter to Students When Choosing a School
Advancement // October 10, 2019
You must align your school's messaging with what parents and students want, as both groups play a vital role in the recruitment and retention processes. These are the six top factors that matter most to students when choosing a school.
Read MoreSocial Media Guidelines for Private Schools
Advancement // October 10, 2019
All schools can create a social media policy that dictates its answers to these questions and can be referred to when situations arise. This policy should go beyond how school channels will be used, and answer questions about what is and isn’t acceptable around social media use in your community.
Read MoreCan You Raffle Off Tuition as a Fundraiser?
Advancement // October 10, 2019
Coming up with innovative ideas for fundraisers can be challenging. You want to pique your community’s interest, offer something that’s of value to them, and raise money for your school in the process. One idea might be to raffle off partial tuition as a fundraiser, perhaps as the ultimate item during your Auction Gala.
Read More