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.
What School Marketers Need to Know About Generation Alpha
Marketing Communications // September 11, 2022
Generation Alpha—children born in or after 2010—is projected to be 2 billion strong by the year 2025, the largest generation in history. This new generation of students is proving a combination of their predecessors, while also necessitating updates to systems, processes, and engagement strategies.
Read MoreSchool Spotlight: Marketing Audit Helps Escuela Americana Improve Enrollment
School Spotlight // September 11, 2022
Director Dr. Polly Parker tells prospective students, “We want your experience at Escuela Americana to last a lifetime. You will build friendships and connections with teachers that last for your whole life. We want you to be able to connect purposefully with everyone in the community, and we want you to create whatever you want, follow your passions, and explore the world.”
Read MoreConcerned About Monkeypox in Your School? Start Here
School Health and Wellness // September 11, 2022
As you head into the new school year, you may be concerned about the most recently identified infectious disease—monkeypox. As a private school leader, you may wonder what exactly monkeypox is, precisely the signs and symptoms of the disease, how your school should handle an outbreak, and more.
Read MoreA Little Kindness Goes a Long Way: How to Keep Your Donors Happy
Fundraising // August 21, 2022
A friend who reaches out only when they want something—never texting or calling to say “hello” or to see how you’re doing—is not a true friend. One-sided friendships aren't worth maintaining, and eventually you’ll stop taking their calls.
Read MoreSubstance Abuse Prevention: What You Need to Know Right Now
School Health and Wellness // August 21, 2022
Researchers have observed increases in substance abuse and drug overdoses in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic also presented unique challenges for people with substance abuse and those in recovery.
Read MoreFour Elements of a Comprehensive Enrollment Growth Plan
Enrollment Management // August 21, 2022
A strategic enrollment management plan is a comprehensive process designed to help your school achieve and maintain optimum recruitment, retention, and student graduation rates. A plan helps you develop a holistic understanding of your enrollment environment and provides you the ability to deploy actionable steps toward your goals.
Read MoreSuccessfully Penetrate Your Target Market—Including Public School Families
Enrollment Management // August 7, 2022
The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all schools in many ways. It has also caused parents and guardians to reevaluate how and where their children attend school.
Read MoreYour School's Guide to Marketing: Traditional Versus Digital
Marketing Communications // August 7, 2022
Marketing your school in an effective and lucrative way is not easy. It requires constant evaluation and flexibility to keep up with the changing demands of your school and your audience.
Read MoreHow to Define and Differentiate Your School to Gain a Competitive Edge
Marketing Communications // August 7, 2022
In most markets, today’s public schools adequately prepare students for higher education, which has traditionally been a key differentiator for private schools. Now it’s more important than ever to determine what your competitive edge is and how that differs from your local public schools in your area.
Read MoreThree Ways to Ensure Your Marketing Budget Can Support Your Goals
Marketing Communications // July 24, 2022
Marketing and Budgeting—two essential tools that most definitely correlate. Thanks to the recent pandemic and a little something called inflation, creating (or modifying) your school’s marketing budget has become more complicated in recent years—for example, consider this budget item: the cost of paper has risen over 20% recently!
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