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.
Stress Is Contagious: Don’t Let It Spread in Your School
Private School News // October 26, 2017
Recent research shows that stress can indeed be contagious within your school. Researchers from the University of British Columbia conducted a study of more than 400 elementary school students from different grade levels. They examined students’ cortisol levels, finding that students who tested higher for the stress hormone also had teachers who reported higher levels of burnout.
Read More3 Tips for Giving Productive Feedback as a Mentor
Private School News // October 26, 2017
Most administrators at a private-independent school take on the roles of mentors at one point or another. Whether that’s working with members of the faculty or staff, helping a new hire come up to speed, or managing a department, giving effective and useful feedback can greatly impact your school culture.
Read MoreHow Are Your International Students Adjusting?
Private School News // October 26, 2017
As November quickly approaches, it is a good time to start evaluating how your international students are acclimating to their new experiences. Students should be settled into their routine and aware of elements that are uncomfortable or hindering to their progress.
Read MoreOnline Courses: How Do You Compete?
Board of Trustees // October 24, 2017
Keeping up with technology has become a chief concern for many schools, often representing a major portion of their budgets each year. Private-independent schools, competing with public and charter schools that typically have greater available funding, find this particularly troublesome.
Read MoreRespectful and Constructive Board/School Head Relationships
Board of Trustees // October 24, 2017
When new Trustees come to the Board, part of their orientation process must be to understand the special relationship the Board has with the Head.
Read More5 Strategies for Your Professional Development Initiatives
Academic Leadership // October 18, 2017
It’s critical for Division Heads to help faculty members increase their knowledge and sharpen their approaches through professional development. Your school’s professional initiatives must be designed to help teachers navigate the rapidly evolving world of education to meet the needs of today’s students.
Read MoreRecommended Resources for Academic Leaders
Academic Leadership // October 18, 2017
It’s always important to continue pursuing your professional development initiatives. That could mean diving into a good book, listening to a podcast on your way to school, or watching a video between meetings or other tasks.
Read MoreWhat to Know About Sharing Salary Information
School Heads // October 11, 2017
The School Head is privy to a great deal of private information, including salaries for the entire administration, faculty, and staff. From time to time, you may find that various Board Members inquire about salaries of certain individuals.
Read MoreSibling Discounts: Should You Use Them at Your School?
School Heads // October 11, 2017
It’s a common question: Should we offer sibling discounts to families who send more than one of their children to our school?
Read MoreThe 30-Day Rule Impacting Your International Student Program
Business and Operations // October 9, 2017
Once you’ve made the decision to enroll international students and have gone through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification process, you must become knowledgeable about and adhere to SEVP’s rules and regulations.
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