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.
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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.
LinkedIn for Administrators, Part One: Spruce Up Your Profile
Private School News // July 10, 2015
Not so long ago, we wrote about why Business Officers should be active on LinkedIn. Then it occurred to us: Every private-independent school administrator should be using LinkedIn, especially since it’s expanded beyond a simple job search site. Today, we’re going to talk about one of the most basic—and most important—aspects to your professional persona on LinkedIn: Your personal profile.
Read MoreThree Podcasts for School Heads
School Heads // July 9, 2015
What’s playing over your headphones lately? Music, or a favorite morning talk show? You could use your spare time as a way to find out what’s going on with your peers and learn new techniques through podcasts! Podcasts are pre-recorded radio shows you can download to your phone, music player, or computer. This month, we’ve found three we think School Heads will appreciate.
Read MoreThree Podcasts for Division Heads
Academic Leadership // July 8, 2015
What’s playing over your headphones lately? Music, or a favorite morning talk show? You could use your spare time as a way to find out what’s going on with your peers and learn new techniques through podcasts! Podcasts are pre-recorded radio shows you can download to your phone, music player, or computer. This month, we’ve found three we think Division Heads will appreciate.
Read MoreCognitive Scientist Says Erasers Are “Instruments of the Devil”
Academic Leadership // July 8, 2015
Encouraging students to be confident in their abilities—even while they make mistakes—must be one of the most herculean feats teachers are asked to accomplish. Some cognitive scientists, however, believe the key to solving this conundrum is to ban the eraser.
Read MoreRedefining Loyalty
Business and Operations // July 7, 2015
When it comes evaluating employees, or, even reenrolling vested families, often loyalty is taken into consideration. The longer their tenure, the more vested they are, the more irreplaceable they are. If an employee stays onboard, he/she must live and breathe the mission and vision of your school, right? If a family reenrolls, they must believe in the culture of your school, right? Not necessarily.
Read MoreAsk ISM’s Risk Manager
Business and Operations // July 7, 2015
Q: We have employees who are not paid over summer break and who are not actively working with us during that time. If they work on average less than 30 hours per week because of the break, do we have to offer them health insurance?
Read MoreClassroom Apps, Technology, and Privacy Concerns
Board of Trustees // June 22, 2015
As classroom technology becomes more prevalent, especially with teachers using computer apps to track student performance, student privacy issues also become a concern. Teachers are now integrating interactive whiteboards, tablets or electronic readers, and even handheld devices like smart phones in their lesson plans. This does not come without risks, however. Providers of online educational services and apps can “harvest” personal student information (email addresses, phone numbers, and numerous other data points) that can be used for marketing and analysis, or even shared and used inappropriately.
Read MoreAcquiring Enough Land, Part One
Board of Trustees // June 22, 2015
To maintain the trust, your Board must ensure the school can fulfill its mission and meet its goals without having land values and the lack of space limit program or planning decisions—not just now, but 100 years in the future! If your school does not have a land-acquisition plan. Now is the time to develop one. Acquiring land now that you may need in the future is of strategic importance to your school. With this in mind, you must (1) determine your school’s needs, and (2) take action if necessary. In this article, we will discuss how to ascertain your school’s needs. In the next issue, we will discuss how to move forward if you decide more land is required.
Read MoreAsk ISM's Health Care Reform Specialist
Business and Operations // June 19, 2015
Q: How should we be tracking the hours for coaches? Do we have to include substitute teachers as part time employees? We are thinking of hiring an intern and paying a stipend. Do we have to offer the intern health insurance? Do we count Summer Camp employees? How do we keep track of Part-time employee hours?
Read MoreStanding Desks Combat Student Obesity, Inactivity
Business and Operations // June 19, 2015
2014 was a landmark year for American couch potatoes, according to the Physical Activity Council’s 2015 Participation Report. Researchers saw the highest level of inactivity out of the last six years. While school-aged children seemed to be the most active of any age group surveyed, about 20% of students indicated a lack of substantial, committed physical activity. One proposed solution to student inactivity—at least in part—is a radical new classroom arrangement featuring “standing desks.”
Read More