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.
How Will You Recognize the Qualified Interim Head?
Board of Trustees // April 24, 2018
Your School Head of 20 years is about to retire and your Search Committee has been unable to find a new Head who “fits” your school’s current strategic goals. You’ve decided to select an Interim Head, a temporary position for the upcoming school year, until a new Head can be found for the following year.
Read MoreNine ‘Icebergs’ That Can Sink Your Ship
Board of Trustees // April 24, 2018
As an experiment, ISM suggests that your Board list the top strategies or actions you would take if you wanted your school to fail utterly. Then put systems and processes into place to avoid these scenarios. The following nine ‘icebergs’ are likely to sink your ship, resulting in insolvency, weakened organizational stability, and increased bureaucracy.
Read MoreThe Importance of Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships
Academic Leadership // April 17, 2018
Teachers and parents provide a vital support system to help students flourish. Both groups are important. But, when parents and teachers communicate and work together effectively, it can significantly impact each student’s long-term success.
Read MoreFour Strategies to Strengthen Your School’s Student Council
Academic Leadership // April 17, 2018
If your school’s mission includes an emphasis on leadership and community involvement, a student council is often a great way to help students learn and share these skills. A student council can be a key driver in cultivating leadership skills for students in the middle and upper levels
Read MorePreparing Your School for an Active Shooter
Business and Operations // April 9, 2018
There have been 306 shootings on school campuses in the U.S. since the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, according to Everytown For Gun Safety. As horrible as it may be to think of an active shooter at your school, it can happen. This type of event is usually random and can occur with little or no warning (or where warning signs were missed).
Read MoreWhat Should Vendor Contracts Include?
Business and Operations // April 9, 2018
Your school probably uses vendors in some capacity to help support your operations. This could include transportation, food service, contractors or builders, coaches, outside facilities management, medical professionals, office suppliers, and more. While most schools engage with vendors, many do not use best-in-class contracts or agreements to solidify their working relationships. This can expose the school to significant risk and potential financial loss.
Read MoreHow to Manage Expectations When You’re Out of the Office
School Heads // April 3, 2018
There are certain times when your duties as School Head will cause you to be out of the office or otherwise interfere with your regular routine. You may be hard at work cultivating donors for an upcoming major gifts campaign or creating a new strategic plan with your Business Office and Board.
Read MoreUse This Summer Program Checklist to Protect Your Students and School
School Heads // April 3, 2018
As April arrives and you prepare for your school's summer program, ensure you’re following a risk management protocol to protect your students and your school. Give this risk-management checklist to your Summer Program Director to help you maintain the safety of your campus and your students.
Read MoreInternational Travel Tips to Keep in Mind This Spring
Private School News // March 28, 2018
Spring can be a busy travel season for many people. Whether you’re planning a spring break trip or a summer getaway for yourself or your family, or chaperoning a school-sponsored outing, there are certain suggestions we recommend everyone know before they go abroad. We’ve compiled a list of tips that U.S. travelers should keep in mind when leaving the country. Perform your due diligence and share these tips with other travelers to ensure your trip is a seamless and easy experience.
Read MoreFour Recommendations for Surveying Your Parent Body
Private School News // March 28, 2018
It can be easy to assume that your entire parent body “wants a new technology center” or “won’t pay more in tuition” from anecdotes or a small, highly vocal group. But the only way to truly understand what your parents want is through a well-designed survey. This tool enables you to gather the honest opinions of your entire parent body, not just those whose voices rise above the rest.
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