Virtual & Onsite Consulting Services

Onsite Consulting
Onsite Consulting

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.

 

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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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.

From the HR Blogosphere

Business and Operations // May 31, 2012

As the semester winds down, we know that your schedule ramps up—often without a moment to spare. Following our recent practice, we wanted to offer a selection of quick-and-to-the-point HR perspectives culled from recent Twitter and blog postings, to encourage and support you.

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Students Teaching About Internet Safety

Private School News // May 30, 2012

Earlier this month students in Wichita set out to illustrate the power of the Internet, and the fact that what you can say and do online can have far-reaching consequences by launching the “Wonder Who’s Watching?” campaign.

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From the Private School Blogosphere

Private School News // May 30, 2012

Blogs, forums, chat rooms, listservs—the choices go on and on. These can be valuable resources for finding alternative opinions and information about almost anything. From general private school news to just needing a quick laugh to fuel the rest of your day, blogs can remind you that you're not alone in the all-too often chaotic world of private-independent education.

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2012 Recommended Summer Reading List

Private School News // May 30, 2012

Summer is nearly here. Although you’re campus is buzzing with excited graduating seniors and new student tours, you’re also gearing up for the down time that summer vacation bring. With some extra time to yourself, this is the perfect opportunity to make a dent in your reading wish list. Here are a few we recommend.

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Scheduling and the 21st Century

Academic Leadership // May 24, 2012

In the 20th century, the prime concern in scheduling was to fit everything in that adults thought was important, i.e., the classes and lunch. School was, indeed, a place where students and teachers rarely ran from one place to the other, and the schedule was just another organizational tool that helped keep everything in order. As the 20th century drew to its close and the 21st century dawned, the pace and activity of school dramatically increased. Expectations, mandates, requirements, parent demands, college competitiveness, and entrance, even economics, made traditional scheduling obsolete. The old concept of scheduling was no longer adequate to the task.

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How Cool Is This? Anacapa School Launches Near Space Probe

Academic Leadership // May 24, 2012

Students at Anacapa School in California have proven that conquering the final frontier is not reserved for the big space agencies like NASA or multimillionaire Richard Branson. On May 5, members of the Anacapa Near Space Exploration Club launched two payload capsules tethered to a weather balloon—and the on-board camera broadcast its path into near space.

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Get Ready for Summer Admission!

Advancement // May 22, 2012

Just because school is about to wrap up for the year doesn't mean admission work goes dormant. You most likely have some spaces to fill—or even a waiting pool to build. Potential families will be visiting your campus, so your challenge is to make your campus as attractive and lively as possible during the summer months. What will be lacking is the usual hustle and bustle of students and teachers, the living atmosphere that gives your campus its “vibe.” Here are a couple of tips to help put personality into your summer tours.

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Maintain Your School’s Tax-Exempt Status

Board of Trustees // May 22, 2012

A critical element in your Board’s due diligence is keeping abreast of tax law as they relate to your school’s tax-exempt status. Most of the compliance requirements (e.g., record keeping, accounting functions financial statements) are handled at the school level, primarily in the Business Office and Development Office. However, the Board must also be acquainted with the rules concerning disclosure, conflict of interest, and other areas where your school may be at risk of losing its tax-exempt status.

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Sticky Ads: Off the Paper and Onto the Fridge

Advancement // May 22, 2012

For the last few years, sticky ads have been popping up … and standing out … on newspaper front pages. It's the best, most cost-effective way to get your message on the front page, in color, above the fold. Sanford School, DE, has been using this technique since 2009. The school has used sticky notes to get the word out about big open houses as well as its drop-in series. Last year’s spring open house brought in 19 prospects.

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How Two Schools Recognize Some Key Constituents

Advancement // May 14, 2012

One of the most important groups you should focus on building relationships with is grandparents. They love to support their grandchildren’s endeavors, including their schools—by paying tuition, volunteering, and providing financial support.

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