We work with our clients - leaders and leadership teams – to solve their thorny problems.
Practice Areas
Strategy development
Our strategic planning support leads to clarity about mission and focus, customers to be served, opportunities for expansion and barriers to implementation. Developed in close consultation with client leadership and key stakeholders, we begin with the creation of a custom roadmap for refining strategic direction that fits the cultural norms and operational needs of each client. We help define a gap analysis of required infrastructure and applications—people, programs, technology—needed to implement the plans. Our work includes identifying external drivers of change and internal capacity needs, developing performance measurement dashboards to help assess progress and identify trouble spots, and identifying opportunities to improve customer service and employee satisfaction.
Change leadership
Leading effective and efficient programs during times of constant change, frequently with constrained resources and increased demands, is today’s reality. While organizations have always had to adapt to changing environments to thrive, they must now accelerate their learning and ability to adapt to understand, articulate and offer a robust response to volatility, uncertainty and complexity. Our change management work helps individuals and teams learn faster, take ownership of new solutions and embrace the types of change that often encounter internal resistance. With a focus on enabling high-performing teams, aligning institutional resources and policies, and improving communication—internally and externally—we provide process support and advice to help organizations optimize results and increase effectiveness.
Primary Practice Areas
Executive counsel & advisory
We work with Boards of Directors and leadership teams to assess organizational challenges and build shared commitment to action. Because we bring decades of experience in the education and organizational learning spheres across sector, we have the ability to bring new perspectives to our client partners. This includes understanding federal, state, and local policies, programs, and practices in K-12 education, higher education policy and leadership, organizational change in education, and other topics.
Practical Strategy provides non-profit leadership and management support to new ventures and interim executive director services. For select clients and causes, we will step into key leadership roles within an organization. Our interim or long-term management can be both cost-effective and stabilizing for organizations going through periods of significant change, growth or crisis. With deep experience designing and running complex initiatives, advocacy and policy campaigns, and boutique grant programs, our clients benefit from hand-selected, proven leaders who specialize in medium to longer-term temporary engagements.
Policy analysis & advocacy
Bringing a unique multi-sector approach to education issues, we have the ability to cut across traditional constituencies to conduct fresh, creative analysis to longstanding dilemmas and public policy settings. We have worked with districts, states and national associations on a range of education policy matters, including secondary-postsecondary alignment, creating small learning communities, service learning, higher education, and integrating education and workforce development. Our work in education improvement has bridged policy and practice for national associations, state governments, school districts and higher education institutions.
Program development & implementation
Practical Strategy's public policy and program analysis practice has been devoted to program improvement, grants management, and analysis of programs and policies to improve performance and increase impact. Whether you’re a government agency administering a federal grant program or a non-profit implementing a local program, organizations large and small must be able to show the impact of their work. Our clients benefit from our core expertise in all aspects of federal grants management and program development, from the development of funding solicitations and grants administration to peer review and application selection to grantee performance and impact evaluations. In higher education, we are experienced in accreditation, assessment, and navigating the complex terrain of federal, state, and local regulations.