You don’t just want to “have advisory.”

You want an advisory program that works – for both your faculty and your students.

The Advisory Alignment Program helps your team get on the same page about what advisory is for – and gives your advisors the tools to lead it with confidence.

Brought to you by two former deans trusted by

SAIS, Southern Association of Independent Schools
ISAS, Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
TAIS, Tennessee Association of Independent Schools
AIMS, Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools
AISGW, The Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington
NJAIS, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
NYSAIS, New York State Association of Independent Schools
VAIS, Virginia Association of Independent Schools
PAIS, Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools
CSEE, Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education
ADVIS, Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools
AISNE, Association of Independent Schools in New England
TABS, The Association of Boarding Schools
CATDC, California Teacher Development Collaborative

“We already ‘have advisory’ – the issue is making it better.”

You’ve made time in the schedule. Put kids in groups. Assigned advisors. Bought the activity binders.

So why isn’t it all working the way you want it to? The way it feels like it should?

You don’t just want to “have advisory.” You want an advisory program that works – for both your faculty and your students.

You want advisory to be meaningful – to help students feel known, supported, and connected.

That means having everyone on the same page about how advisory works and what it’s supposed to do. Advisors who feel equipped, capable, and confident. A program that serves a purpose – doesn’t just fill time.
The bones are there. You just need to bridge the gap.
Write your awesome label here.

And you can’t do that with an activity binder.

Because the real challenge for advisors isn’t what to do during advisory. The real challenge is how to use advisory time meaningfully.


The key to meaningful advisory is asking the right question: not what to do with kids, but how to be with them. How to cultivate meaningful relationships through every interaction. And the best part is – that’s a teachable skill.

To bring your advisory program into alignment, you need shared expectations, a supportive structure, and meaningful skills development for advisors so they feel equipped, supported, and successful – so your students can, too.

Maybe that feels easier said than done.

“Teachers are already overloaded”

Your advisors want training, but their plates are full already.

“We don’t have enough time”

Advisory periods are short, and the schedules are what they are.

“We don’t know where to start”

There’s no clear path forward for strengthening what’s already there.

That’s why you need a clear roadmap that works for your school.

An implementable system that:
  • Eliminates guesswork for advisors
  • Brings advisory leaders and advisors into alignment
  • Considers your school’s unique culture and community
  • Fosters clarity and collaboration instead of confusion and isolation
  • Creates a more consistent and meaningful advisory experience for students (and advisors, too!)
Good advisory doesn’t happen automatically or accidentally; it requires intentional design. And especially when you’re navigating capacity and time constraints, an activity binder can’t bridge that gap.

You need expert support, meaningful skills development, and practical strategies you can integrate now to start taking steps toward a stronger advisory program.

You deserve expert support and guidance from two former administrators who have been where you are.

“Alan really does understand.”

“He’s an independent school student, faculty member, and administrator, so his ability to relate to what educators are going through, what the students are going through, is high.”
– Associate Director for Programs & Strategic Initiatives, NJAIS

“Bridget made me feel seen.”

“Bridget has used her incredible insight into schools to create must-have tools and experiences for student life administrators, regardless of their level of experience.”
– Attendee, Deans’ Roundtable Conference

Introducing

The Advisory Alignment Program offers a different approach.

It's an intentional two-phase program that starts with strong program design and helps schools turn the promise of advisory into practice.


Grounded in real school experience and best practices, the Advisory Alignment Program gives everyone involved the clarity and skills they need to help students feel known, supported, and connected.

“Particularly post-COVID, I think many administrators are really sensitive to, ‘Is this one more thing I’m asking of my teachers?’”
“But Alan is good at making sure that folks see this as not one more thing, but that in fact, if we do it, it’s going to decrease the anxiety and the overwhelm that our communities are feeling.”
– Associate Director for Programs & Strategic Initiatives, NJAIS; worked with Alan 1:1
“This was transformational in helping me frame my work of deaning.”
“So much of my prior experience has been trial and error, but this helped me see that I need to lean on (and build) the systems of our school to create a process that is clear and student-centered. I'm so excited to work with my team to implement what I’ve learned.”
– Attendee, Deans’ Roundtable Conference, organized by Bridget
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You already know that effective advisory isn’t just about “how we fill the time.”

It’s about building relationships and creating space for those relationships to grow.

When you have the right training, structures, and systems in place, that becomes accessible and attainable for everyone involved.

Finally have what you need to build a sustainable, connected, and aligned advisory program.
Two-phase approach

Strengthen your program’s foundation

What if you could make different program design choices that would help things go better – even before you train your advisors? That’s what phase I of the Advisory Alignment Program will help your advisory leadership team accomplish. Because for advisors to do their job well, they need an advisory program that’s structurally designed to support them.
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Practical tools + skills development

Equip advisors with clarity and confidence

Even the best teachers can feel unequipped for the unique relational work that advisory requires. Phase II of the Advisory Alignment Program equips advisors with the mindset, skills, and frameworks for creating inclusive and connected advisory groups and building relationships with individual advisees.
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Specialized support

Implement without the guesswork

Advisory can be isolating work – but it doesn’t have to be that way for your advisors, and it shouldn’t be that way for your leadership team, either. During and after completing the modules, your advisory leadership team will have access to real-time feedback and implementation support.
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Created by two lifelong educators and former student life administrators who have been where you are.

Hi! We’re Alan and Bridget.

Between the two of us, we have decades of experience as educators, student life administrators, coaches, and consultants. That means we’ve seen a lot of fragmented advisory in our time.

It also means we’ve seen a lot of advisory programs that work well – and have spent lots of time learning exactly which structures and systems separate the former from the latter.

Here’s the thing: creating an advisory program that delivers on its promise to help students feel known, supported, and connected doesn’t require starting from scratch.

It requires asking the right questions – and having people in your corner who can help you answer them. With this program, you get both.

We’ve supported thousands of school administrators and educators through live workshops and consulting.

Alan breaks everything down in such a digestible, practical way.
“I’ve been to workshops where you’re like, ‘Okay, we get it. We get your buzzword.’ But with Alan, it’s really digestible. He doesn’t dumb things down, but he’s very engaging, and it’s something you actually want to hear.”
– Associate Director of Professional Learning and DEI Initiatives, NYSAIS; booked Alan to speak
Bridget’s leadership and intentional planning made for a great experience.
“More than ever in a world that often leads one to feel isolated or working in a silo, Bridget’s conference for deans helps us feel hope and support, while experiencing the excitement of being in an active, engaging learning environment.”
– Attendee, Deans’ Roundtable Conference
Alan breaks everything down in such a digestible, practical way.
“I’ve been to workshops where you’re like, ‘Okay, we get it. We get your buzzword.’ But with Alan, it’s really digestible. He doesn’t dumb things down, but he’s very engaging, and it’s something you actually want to hear.”
– Associate Director of Professional Learning and DEI Initiatives, NYSAIS; booked Alan to speak
Bridget’s leadership and intentional planning made for a great experience.
“More than ever in a world that often leads one to feel isolated or working in a silo, Bridget’s conference for deans helps us feel hope and support, while experiencing the excitement of being in an active, engaging learning environment.”
– Attendee, Deans’ Roundtable Conference

Here’s what you can expect inside  the Advisory Alignment Program.

An intentional two-phase program – explore each phase below.

Phase I: For administrators
Phase II: For advisors

The Advisory Audit Phase I · For administrators

The Advisory Audit 
Phase I · For administrators

Each module includes:
★ A practical program design assignment for your advisory team to complete together
★ A ready-to-use meeting agenda to guide your team in completing each module’s assignment

★ 30-45 minutes of online content and individual workbook activities that demonstrate best practices and help you navigate key design-choice points with your team

★ Personal reflection prompts to ensure that your planning is not just theoretical or logistical, but also grounded in real human experience
Administrators will leave with:
✓ A sense of clarity and intentionality for your advisory program
✓ New directions and a plan for making changes to your program

✓ The assets you need in order to train new advisors and retrain existing advisors
Curriculum snapshot:
Module 1: Clarifying the Purpose of Advisory
Your team will leave with a revised advisory purpose statement.
Module 2: Strengthening the Advisory Container
Your team will map out a schedule, group configuration, and room assignment plan that best supports your program.
Module 3: The Role of the Advisor
Your team will come away with an updated job description for your advisors.
Module 4: Using Advisory Time Well
Your team will create a clear plan for what should happen during advisory period.
Module 5: Deepening Advisors’ Support Structures
Your team will leave with a plan for supporting your advisory program and the advisors who run it.
Module 6: Communicating & Moving Forward
Your team will come away with a clear plan for your team’s next steps.
“Alan’s work with our team was transformational.”
“He really leans into the science and the training he has.”
– School admin team leader; worked with Alan 1:1
“Bridget’s insights are so helpful.”
“I’m grateful for the ongoing supportive community she provides to deans.”
– Attendee, Deans’ Roundtable Conference

The Advisor’s Playbook Phase II · For advisors

The Advisor’s Playbook 
Phase II · For advisors

Each module includes:
★ 30-45 minutes of online content and individual workbook activities that demonstrate best practices and offer tools for navigating interpersonal work
★ Personal reflection prompts to ensure that advisor training is not just theoretical or logistical, but also grounded in real human experience

★ Integration activities that help advisors put learnings into practice
Advisors will leave with:
✓ Common language and shared expectations about what it means to be an effective advisor
✓ Facilitation and relational skills that help advisors connect with advisory groups and advisees

✓ Practices and tools for using advisory time intentionally and responding to complex student needs
Curriculum snapshot:
Module 1: Clarifying the Purpose
Advisors will articulate why advisory matters at your school.
Module 2: Developing Your Presence
Advisors will gain a clearer sense of how their presence shapes the room.
Module 3: Shaping the Group Dynamic
Advisors will learn how to create a structure, rituals, and norms to foster a more inclusive advisory experience.
Module 4: Using Advisory Time Well
Advisors will leave with a toolkit of activities that support inclusion, participation, and connection.
Module 5: Investing in Individual Relationships
Advisors will identify concrete structures and habits that will help them know students more equitably and proactively.
Module 6: Supporting Your Advisees
Advisors will gain a clear framework for knowing when to listen, when to problem-solve, and when to refer.
Module 7: Resetting the Dynamic
Advisors will understand how to name, explore, and reset a difficult group dynamic.
Module 8: Putting it into Practice
Advisors will come away with a clear plan for implementing what they’ve learned.
“Alan’s work with our team was transformational.”
“He really leans into the science and the training he has.”
– School admin team leader; worked with Alan 1:1
“Bridget’s insights are so helpful.”
“I’m grateful for the ongoing supportive community she provides to deans.”
– Attendee, Deans’ Roundtable Conference

Bring the Advisory Alignment Program to your team.

Pilot program · complete two-phase experience

$5,000

Phase I · The Advisory Audit
For your leadership team
✓ 6 asynchronous training modules

✓ 3 months of module access for your leadership team

✓ In-depth review of your program documents, conducted by Bridget and Alan, to ensure program success

✓ 2 live consulting sessions with Bridget and Alan to solidify program alignment*
Phase II · The Advisor’s Playbook
For your advisors
Must be started within one year of completing phase I.
✓ 8 asynchronous training modules

✓ 3 months of module access for up to 10 seats*

✓ 1 live “office hours” session with Bridget and Alan*

*Additional consulting sessions, office hours, and phase II advisor module seats can be added to your program for an additional investment.

Ready to enroll in the pilot program?

Here’s what happens when you click “I’m ready!”

You’ll answer a few short questions.
After you click “I’m ready!” you’ll fill out a brief questionnaire so we can assess where you’re starting from.
We’ll connect for a brief chat.
Then, you’ll connect with us (Alan and Bridget!) for a virtual chat so you can ask any questions about the program.
You’ll kick things off!
Once you’re officially accepted into the pilot program, we’ll give you everything you need to get started!

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“I’m interested, but how do I know if this is a good fit for our school right now?”

Your team is ready for the Advisory Alignment Program if…

  • Your school already has an advisory leadership team, or could gather one, to complete phase I of the program
  • Your team has the time to invest right now
  • You know advisors aren’t the problem, and your team is committed to creating a structure where advisors are equipped to succeed
  • Your leadership team is committed to giving attention to advisory even after completing the program, because you know this isn’t a one-time fix

You already believe advisory is important.

We’re here to help you bridge the gap between “we technically have advisory” and we run a strong advisory program.
  • From fragmented to consistent
  • From uncertainty to confidence and clarity
  • From “how do we fill the time” to every student feels known, supported, and connected
All with real school constraints – and your school’s unique community and culture – in mind.

Your students – and your advisors – deserve more than another activity binder.

Make advisory the place where every student belongs.

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The Advisory Alignment Collective is a joint project of the Deans’ Roundtable and Learning to Thrive.
Copyright 2026 © Learning to Thrive x Deans’ Roundtable  |  Copy by Katie Little Copy