Hello! I’m Mike Gwaltney.
I’m an educator, school leader, consultant, speaker, and writer.
I help schools strengthen teaching and learning, and the leadership practices that make that work sustainable. Today, my work centers on school-wide strategic and academic leadership: helping boards, heads, division leaders, and teacher-leaders build clarity and coherence across the entire school, from curriculum, assessment, and instruction, to advancement and school culture.
What I do
I partner with schools and leadership teams to:
- Design and implement school-wide strategic plans: mission-aligned planning, stakeholder engagement, and clear, executable roadmaps that translate vision into priorities, timelines, and accountability.
- Lead academic strategy and change: vision-to-implementation planning, academic priorities, and practical roadmaps.
- Improve curriculum, assessment, and instruction: alignment, quality, authentic assessment, inquiry/project-based learning.
- Develop leaders and teams: coaching, facilitation, management systems, culture and expectations.
- Design professional learning that is mission-aligned, actionable, and respectful of educators’ time.
I’m known for helping schools translate big ideas into clear choices, usable tools, and repeatable practices without losing sight of humanity, relationships, and the daily realities of school life.
A little background
I have worked in and with independent schools since 1990. Now in 2026 I am a Head of School and an ISM Adjunct Consultant, and before that I spent 2020-2025 as a full-time ISM Consultant focused on strategic academic planning, coaching school leaders, and leading workshops and institutes.
I spent many years in the classroom leading student-centered learning experiences. Over time, that work expanded into broader school-wide design questions:
- How do we know what students truly understand?
- How do we assess meaningfully?
- How do we build learning experiences that students love and that align with a school’s mission and values?
Speaking, writing, and service
I’ve worked with schools and organizations in the U.S. and internationally, and I’ve presented at national and regional conferences on academic leadership, faculty culture, assessment, and school improvement.
I’ve also served on nonprofit and education boards, volunteered for civic causes (including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), and I occasionally write about citizenship and public purpose in education.
Want to connect?
If you’d like to talk about a school project, a workshop, or leadership coaching, contact me via email by clicking here.
Mike Gwaltney 