ABOUT MICHELLE
Experience inside schools. Perspective beside families.
Michelle Smith brings more than twenty-five years of educational leadership, a parent's understanding, and an unwavering belief that every child deserves to be deeply known.
Michelle Smith
Founder & Chief Education Strategist
FOUNDER & CHIEF EDUCATION STRATEGIST
A rare view from both sides of the table
For more than twenty-five years, Michelle Smith has worked at the intersection of children, families, and independent education. Her career has included leadership as Dean of Students, Principal, and Head of School, giving her a rare perspective on how schools evaluate students, build communities, support growth, and determine fit.
Today, Michelle works privately with families to identify the educational environments, opportunities, and decisions most likely to help each child flourish. As an educator, advisor, school leader, and mother of four, she brings both professional judgment and a parent's understanding to every engagement.
“Educational decisions should begin not with a school, ranking, or predetermined path, but with a genuine understanding of the child.”
25+
YEARS IN INDEPENDENT EDUCATION
4
EDUCATOR · LEADER · ADVISOR · PARENT
25+
CHILD AT THE CENTER OF EVERY DECISION
MICHELLE'S STORY
A lifetime devoted to how children learn, grow, and flourish
Throughout her career in independent schools, Michelle has worked closely with students and families during some of the most consequential moments in a child's educational journey. Her leadership roles gave her an unusual perspective: she has seen educational decisions not only from the family's side of the table, but from inside the institutions themselves.
That experience ultimately led Michelle to found Independent Education Group. Her work extends beyond admissions or school placement. She helps families understand the child in front of them, identify the environments in which that child is most likely to flourish, anticipate important educational transitions, and make thoughtful decisions with both the present and the long view in mind.
As a mother of four, Michelle also understands the hopes, uncertainties, competing priorities, and deeply personal nature of decisions involving one's children.