In the ever-evolving landscape of K-12 education, school district leaders constantly seek ways to improve student outcomes, improve teaching practices, and foster a positive learning environment for all students.

Independent education consultants can guide schools as they evolve, offering expertise, strategies, and support to achieve meaningful change. However, navigating the process of hiring an education consultant for your school district can be daunting. With so many options available and varying levels of expertise and experience from consulting firms, it’s essential to approach the process thoughtfully and systematically.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the steps involved in hiring an educational consultant, ensuring that you find the right fit for your district’s needs to maximize the impact.

What is an education consultant?

An education consultant is typically someone with teaching or administrative experience now serving as an advisor in the field of education. Their focus is in advising and training district leaders, school boards, teachers, and staff for instructional, climate, and institutional change.

Educational consultants stay up-to-date with developments in the education field, including changes in curriculum standards, the latest research, and educational trends.

By offering an independent view of the school’s practices, education consultants can provide new ways of thinking and implementing best practices that result in high-quality teaching and learning for all students.

Download our education consultant hiring scorecard

We have created this education consultant hiring scorecard to help you better rank potential consulting firms when you are in the hiring process. Also check out the 9 essential questions to ask during your interview process below.

Why hire an education consultant?

As a school or district leader, you face the difficult challenge of maintaining student and staff well-being while ensuring the acceleration of learning and achievement and balanced budgets. Your school must improve education in the aftermath of the pandemic amid increased levels of parent and community scrutiny and fast-changing technology, all while exploring innovative educational approaches and addressing widening access and opportunities causing achievement gaps.

Leading a school district is increasingly complex and full of high-pressure decisions that impact individual children, families, and society. Unsurprisingly, emotions often run high in parent conferences, school board meetings, and other public forums.

That’s why hiring an independent consultant may be helpful for your district. Education consultants leverage data, research, best practices, and proven implementation strategies from other schools to help support K-12 school systems and district leaders in their goals.

Because they are less personally involved in the situation, they can offer a fresh perspective on the problems you face every day and look at the numbers and data through a new lens.

Hiring an educational consultant can help your school district measure and analyze learning outcomes, child well-being, inclusive practices, and collective teacher efficacy and recruit, develop, and retain high-quality teachers and administrators.

Understanding your district’s needs

Before diving into the search for an education consultant, you must take stock of your school’s and/or district’s priorities and goals. By identifying your needs upfront, you can narrow down your search and find a consultant with the right expertise and approach.

Consider which of the following areas you are looking to analyze and improve:

• student achievement/achievement gaps
• graduation rates
• attendance rates
• literacy achievement
• math achievement
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
• special education
• teacher effectiveness and collective teacher efficacy
• inclusion and equity in your school
• leadership development for school administrators, school board training, and principal preparation
• educational policy development
• and district strategic planning and finance.

To understand the full breadth of your needs, we recommend hiring a firm to perform a school district evaluation or equity audit. This process brings awareness and understanding of your current practices and data compared to best practices and goals.

The evaluation process should engage a variety of stakeholders across all identities and their intersections, including teachers, school administrators, school board members, demographically representative community members, and demographically represented students at the middle and high school levels.

What are the different types of educational consultants?

The field of education includes many types of educational consultants, including equity consultants, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) consultants, and school improvement consultants. When hiring a consultant, it is essential to understand the expertise, experience, and process each practice has before making a decision.

While there may be some overlap in the services they provide, each type of education consultant has distinct focuses and objectives. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

School Improvement Consultants:

• Focus: School improvement consultants specialize in helping schools and school districts identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance student learning outcomes and overall school performance.
• Target Audience: Their primary clients are schools, school districts, and educational leaders (such as principals and other administrators).
• Services: They conduct needs assessments, analyze data, facilitate strategic planning processes, provide professional development for educators, and offer ongoing support and monitoring to ensure the successful implementation of improvement initiatives.
• Examples: School improvement consultants may work on initiatives such as curriculum redesign, instructional coaching, school culture and climate improvement, leadership development, and data-driven decision-making.

Educational Equity Consultants:

• Focus: Educational equity consultants focus on addressing issues of equity within the education system. Their goal is to reduce opportunity gaps and ensure that all students have access to equitable opportunities and resources across identities and their intersections.
• Target Audience: Equity consultants may work with schools, school districts, educational organizations, teachers, staff, and community groups to design and implement more equitable schools for all.
• Services: They help organizations identify barriers to equity, develop inclusive policies and practices, provide cultural competency training for educators, and facilitate conversations around systemic oppression.
• Examples: Equity consultants may work on initiatives such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, culturally relevant curriculum development, restorative justice practices, and community engagement efforts to address disparities in educational outcomes.

DEI Consultant for Schools:

• Focus: DEI consultants for schools concentrate specifically on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the school community.
• Target Audiences: DEI consultants often work with individuals such as school leaders,  teachers, and staff to identify their own biases.
• Services: They assess the school’s culture, policies, and practices to identify areas for improvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially around racial and ethnic identities. They may offer policy recommendations, develop training programs, facilitate discussions, and provide guidance or coaching on creating inclusive environments through recruitment, hiring, and retention practices.
• Examples: DEI consultants may provide anti-bias professional development training for teachers or staff or examine recruitment and interview practices to mitigate biases

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Consultant:

• Focus: A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) consultant helps educational institutions implement and continually improve their MTSS framework by assessing student performance, behavior, and attendance data to identify improvement areas.
• Target Audience: MTSS consultants collaborate with school leadership and staff to maximize student achievement and support students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs from a strengths-based perspective.
• Services: They are hired to design and implement a comprehensive MTSS framework tailored to the school or district’s needs. This includes establishing tiered levels of support, defining and designing interventions, and creating systems for progress monitoring.
• Example: MTSS consultants provide training and professional development opportunities for educators and staff to ensure they understand the principles of MTSS and are equipped to implement the framework effectively. This may include workshops, seminars, and ongoing coaching sessions.

Literacy Consultant:

• Focus: A literacy consultant might be a former teacher or reading specialist with expertise in literacy instruction who works with educators to improve literacy outcomes for students. Their focus is on enhancing reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills among students across various grade levels.
• Target Audience: The target audience for literacy consultants includes classroom teachers, reading specialists, literacy coaches, and other school staff involved in literacy instruction.
• Services: Literacy consultants help schools analyze literacy assessment data to identify trends and areas for improvement. Literacy consultants may provide professional development to educators on best practices in literacy instruction, including strategies for teaching reading comprehension, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and writing skills. Example: They assist schools in developing or refining their literacy curriculum to ensure alignment with research-based practices and educational standards. This may involve selecting appropriate instructional materials, observing classroom instruction, and providing feedback to improve teaching practices.

Researching potential consultants

Once you clearly understand your needs and the different types of consultants, it’s time to start researching potential candidates. Begin by using online resources and directories to identify professionals in your area. Seek recommendations from trusted sources, such as other educational professionals. Personal referrals can provide valuable insights into a consultant’s expertise, professionalism, and effectiveness.

As you research potential consultants, be sure to evaluate their qualifications and expertise. Look for individuals with experience as well as any certifications or credentials that demonstrate their expertise. Additionally, review testimonials and case studies to gauge their track record of success.

Initial consultation and interview

Once you’ve compiled a list of potential consultants, reach out to schedule initial consultations or interviews. Meet with each K-12 education consulting firm and be clear about what you are looking for and what the firm needs to consider to partner with you.

Prepare a list of questions to ask during the interview (see our suggestions below), covering topics such as the consultant’s experience, approach to consulting, and track record of success. Additionally, pay attention to their communication style and rapport, as these factors can impact the effectiveness of your collaboration.

Evaluating proposals and plans

After meeting with potential consultants, review their proposals and plans for addressing your needs. Pay close attention to the proposed strategies and approaches, ensuring they align with your goals and objectives. Consider the feasibility of their proposed plans and whether they offer a clear roadmap for achieving your desired outcomes.

Be sure to seek clarification on any ambiguities or questions you may have about the proposal.

Checking references and credentials

Before making a final decision, take the time to check the consultant’s references and credentials. Request references from previous clients and reach out to ask about their experiences working with the consultant. Additionally, verify any qualifications or certifications that the consultant claims to have.

Conducting thorough due diligence at this stage can help ensure that you’re partnering with a qualified and reputable consultant who can deliver results.

Finalizing the agreement

Once you’ve selected a consultant, it’s time to finalize the agreement. This involves negotiating terms and conditions, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication channels.

Work with the consultant to draft a contract or agreement outlining the scope of work, timeline, pricing, and other relevant terms or expectations.

>> Our Take: What to look for in an educational consultant

If district leaders are looking for long-term school improvement, it is crucial they understand that any work done with a consultant is just a starting point.

Improving education is life-long work at the individual and organizational level. There are no quick fixes. A partnership to eliminate educational disparities in a school district could take years to implement initially, and – to be truly successful – the district will continue to build on and deepen the work forever.

The superintendent and district leadership team need to understand why the work is needed, what the work will be, and expect to lead the work throughout the district. They will need school board support to do so, which is why the board members should be involved in the hiring process.

While there may be instances where hiring a focus area specialist for professional development can be effective, districts should partner with a consulting firm whose ultimate goal is high-quality teaching and learning for all students.

This type of work simply cannot be accomplished with a one-off school board training, a stand-alone book study, or a series of professional development sessions.

In the long run, hiring a consultant to put a quick-fix “Band-Aid” on a broken system will waste your school’s precious time and resources.

When hiring an educational consultant for your district, we recommend looking for a comprehensive process that:

1. Addresses systemic district disparities across all programs and services (e.g., special education, advanced/gifted learners, MTSS, alternative education, etc).
2. Addresses all student identities and their intersections.
3. Provides a clear implementation process to every educator in the district including the administration and school board.
4. Addresses all staff and the district office and school board.

The best school consultants will analyze the root cause of the problem you are trying to fix, determine which systemic issue is in place that perpetuates that problem, and target your resources and training at fixing the system – not the symptom.

Hiring an education consultant with the right experience and approach can be a transformative experience, providing valuable guidance and support to help you achieve your school district’s goals. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can confidently navigate the process of hiring a consultant.

Ideally, as a result of the consultant’s work, you can build collective capacity within your leadership teams so you don’t need to rely on an outside consultant to continue improving education at your school.

For more details on finding the right education consultant, please see our scorecard and 9 essential questions to ask during the interview process.

Written by Dr. Colleen A. Capper, Dr. Elise M. Frattura, and Nasif Rogers. Learn more about the education consulting firm team at ICS Equity.

9 essential questions to ask when hiring an educational consultant

1. What baseline data do you collect, and what is your process of analyzing it? 
2. Do you align your work with the most effective teaching and learning strategies and practices? What are some examples?
3. Do you align your work with the equity research on what is most effective? Is there a specific equity framework you use in your work?
4. Do you address all identities and their intersections (e.g., gender, sex, race, ethnicity, language, religion, social class, sexual identity, disability) and their intersections? or do you focus mostly on one identity (e.g., race or disability)?
5. Do you take a district-wide approach? Or school by school?
6. Does your team have expertise and experience across educational systems and structures? For example, special education, gifted/advanced learners, students who are multi-lingual, Multi-Tier Systems of Supports (MTSS), literacy, math, and other subject areas, as teachers and administrators?
7. Do you have a systematic implementation process based on implementation science and change management practices? 
8. Do you have empirical evidence that what you do actually works?
9. Do you address all staff in the district, including the district office, school board, and community members?