Empowering Leaders at International Schools (K-12)
Our unique leadership development journey empowers you to drive school development projects while developing your leadership skills…
2026-27 cohort now enrolling. Early-bird rate until Monday 9 November 2026 · registration closes 20 November 2026 · launch call Monday 30 November 2026.
Curious? Join a free info webinar with Sarah – Wednesday 21 October or Wednesday 28 October 2026, 5:30 pm Zurich time – or book a 15-minute conversation. Questions by email: education@managementkits.com

On-the-job
Work on real challenges at school, create direct impact

Individual
We guide you to focus on what is most important for you

Responsive
Hybrid design of input & coaching, self-paced, peer-learning
Your 2026-27 journey – dates at a glance
All sessions are virtual. Times are Zurich time.
| Session | Date & time | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Launch Call | Mon 30 Nov 2026, 5.30–6.45 pm | First steps, leadership challenges, working priorities |
| #2 Kick-Off | Wed 27 Jan 2027, 10.00 am–1.00 pm | Diagnostics, reflection and planning for action |
| 1:1 Coaching | individually scheduled | Your first personal coaching session |
| #3 Community Call | Mon 22 Feb 2027, 5.30–6.45 pm | Retrospective, topic focus |
| #4 Group Work Session | Mon 15 Mar 2027, 5.30–7.15 pm | Retrospective, planning next actions, topic focus |
| 1:1 Coaching | individually scheduled | Your second personal coaching session |
| #5 Group Work Session | Mon 19 Apr 2027, 5.30–7.15 pm | Retrospective, planning next actions, topic focus |
| 1:1 Coaching | individually scheduled | Your third personal coaching session |
| #6 Community Celebration | Mon 24 May 2027, 5.30–6.45 pm | Retrospective, impact and certification |
Between sessions: job-embedded work on your own project on the platform – recommended 60 minutes per week. The topic focus of each session responds to the cohort's projects and leadership skills. All 2026-27 session dates are fixed, so you can block them now.
Key perspectives and example working topics

Our platform comprises more than 80 working topics enabling different leadership skills, e.g.:
- How does my team contribute to strategy
- Planning & managing change
- Community communication & consultation
- Diversity & inclusive leadership
- Setting, prioritizing, and aligning team goals
- Effective team meetings & communication
- Individual resilience & wellbeing
- Effective time management
- Feedback & difficult conversations
Key elements of our leadership development journey

Interactive Platform
Comprehensive collection of working tools, including actionable guides enabling your development work.

Tools to Set Focus
Strong individual and 360° diagnostics to spark your reflection, and focus your work on most important priorities.

Powerful Collaboration
Hybrid series of work sessions to plan your work, engage with peers, and learn about key leadership topics.


1:1 Coaching
Connect when you need it: experts available to discuss pressing questions and provide feedback on your plans and next steps.

Key events throughout the year-long journey
Your time investment additional to what is on your desk: about 1 hour per week – six live sessions plus recommended 60 minutes of job-embedded work between sessions.
All 2026-27 session dates are fixed (see the schedule above), so you can block them now.
#1 Launch Call – Mon 30 Nov 2026, 5.30–6.45 pm Zurich time
Onboarding and first steps on the platform, your leadership challenges and working priorities – setting your reflection focus for the year.
Kick-Off & Group Work Sessions – 27 Jan, 15 Mar, 19 Apr 2027
Collaborative planning workshops (virtual) building on your individual priorities, ongoing progress and shared reflections & experiences. Diagnostics, retrospective, planning your next actions – and a topic focus chosen with the cohort.
#3 Community Call – Mon 22 Feb 2027, 5.30–6.45 pm Zurich time
Joint retrospective and in-depth focus on a key leadership topic and specific enablers of your work; topics responsive to the group's feedback and interests.
1:1 Coaching Sessions – 3 per participant, individually scheduled
A super important meeting next week, or a really difficult conversation coming up? Or you need feedback on your plan and action steps – you connect with our experts when you need it most.
#6 Community Celebration – Mon 24 May 2027, 5.30–6.45 pm Zurich time
Retrospective, impact and certification: sharing stories of success and how we dealt with challenges – most of all celebrating the positive impact made on student learning and your growth as leaders.
Pricing Overview
Early bird until Monday 9 November 2026: USD 1'799 per leader (USD 600 off) – enter code EARLYBIRD at checkout. ELMLE member schools: special rates apply – ask us or ELMLE for your code. Registration closes 20 November 2026. Please inquire for rebates for members of other associations at education@managementkits.com.
- EARLY BIRD UNTIL 9 NOV -
Individual
USD 1'799 / leader
Early-bird rate until 9 November – regular USD 2'399. ELMLE member schools: special rates apply. Participate in our changemaker journey to enable your leadership and school development work at your school, as individual leaders.
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Individual user
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One-year access
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6 virtual sessions
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3 personal 1:1 coachings
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Changemaker certificate
Teams
USD 4'900 / team
Participate in our changemaker journey as a team (up to 3 leaders working on one project) to facilitate leadership of school development projects.
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Project teams (3 leaders)
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One-year journey
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10 team coachings
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Project leadership tools
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Changemaker Certificate
School
Individual Offer
School-specific changemaker journey (typically from 12 leaders) aligned with your strategic priorities to build wider-scale momentum for development.
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Your school priorities
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Linked to accreditation
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School-wide cohort
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Bespoke workshops
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Changemaker certificate
Detailed overview
- Interactive platform access for one year (incl. diagnostics, 80+ working topics, collaboration space)
- 6 facilitated virtual sessions on fixed dates: launch call, kick-off, community call and group work sessions
- 3 personal coaching sessions (virtual), scheduled when you need them
- Peer-learning structure for an ongoing exchange on school leadership challenges
- Changemaker certificate for your impact on school development after one year
- Early bird: enter code EARLYBIRD at checkout until Monday 9 November 2026 (USD 1'799 instead of 2'399)
- ELMLE member schools: special rates apply – ask us or ELMLE for your code
Detailed overview
- Teams of three collaborating on one school development project
- Extended team coaching calls replace personal coaching
- Same 2026-27 session dates as the individual journey
Please contact us if you want to sign up but need to pay through an invoice. Two leaders from one school? Two early-bird tickets – or add a third colleague and take the team ticket.
“The Management Kits journey for middle leaders has been a catalyst for both leadership and school development. Emphasizing personalized, practical, on-the-job learning, participants can enact meaningful change within their domains, while aligning with broader school priorities. The hybrid program design effectively fosters collaboration and peer-learning across campuses, divisions, and teams of the school.”
“Based on Management Kits diagnostics and using their tools, we ran a series of workshops in our team that have helped us to align expectations, handle difficult situations, and become a more effective leadership team overall.”
What participants say
“The way the training framed all the tools around people felt particularly meaningful. It confirmed for me why I enjoy being part of the leadership team and deepened my interest in continuing to learn from you. The training also supported me in managing my agenda more effectively and approaching team meetings with greater intention. I particularly valued the coaching sessions, which provided practical and meaningful insights.”
“Much more clarity about my plan and purpose.” · “A new priority which will have an impact on so many other things.” · “Appreciation for the amount of working topics and how they are resourced.”

Sarah in 1:1 coaching sessions with participants – three per leader, scheduled when you need them.
What more than 100+ leaders have worked on...
Every participant brings a real school development project or leadership challenge – the cohort's projects shape the topic focus of each session.
Unique leadership development journeys for schools
Support your school's emerging and senior leaders to develop critical leadership capabilities while they develop your school.
- Managing accreditation related projects (e.g. CIS pathway 2)
- Building a high-performing team around you
- Sparking your individual leadership reflection and building relevant skills
- Actioning strategic priorities and driving change/growth as a leader
- Enabling effective empowerment (distributed leadership) and shaping organizational structure
Who is this for? Aspiring and experienced leaders from K-12 international and independent schools – for example Assistant Principals, Counsellors, Curriculum Leaders, DEIJ Leaders, Grade Level Leaders, Heads of Department, Literacy Leaders, MYP Coordinators and Phase Leaders. You bring a real school development project or leadership challenge; we bring the tools, the peer group and the coaching to move it.
School-wide journeys can be launched throughout the school year with flexibility; school cohorts typically start at 12 participants (open ended).

In-person school-wide workshops complement the virtual journey – here: "Purpose is not enough", a leadership team session with Olaf.
Relevant leadership skills for schools –
designed by school and management experts
Action learning on-the-job, direct impact on your team
We empower our participants to take action in their specific work context, developing leadership skills on-the-job.
Individualized, responsive journey built on feedback
Built-in feedback and reflection ensure participants prioritize what is most important for them while building on a shared language.
Digital, self-paced, coaching access as needed
Our interactive online platform empowers participants to devise action strategies, while they have expert coaching access as needed.
and we foster a green footprint, too -
the extensive digital resources on our platform, virtual coaching and collaboration greatly reduce the need to travel.
Our education team and expert advisory board
Nils, Olaf and Sarah run the journey and bring a rich blend of expertise in leadership development, organizational design and education-focused innovation. To make sure Management Kits co-create impact in education, we build on advisors with combined experience in international education (K-12) of more than 75 years, including more than 40 years in senior leadership.

Dr. Nils Remmel
Co-Founder
Nils is a co-founder of Management Kits, a former Head of School and accreditation chair, with a background in strategy consulting and senior leadership in international schools.

Sarah Plews
Education Leadership Specialist
Sarah is an educational leadership and professional learning specialist with extensive experience in middle and senior leadership roles in international schools, and past ELMLE President. She facilitates the journey and coaches participants.

Dr. Olaf Bach
Co-Founder
Olaf is a co-founder of Management Kits with over 15 years of experience in strategy and organization consulting, and a faculty member at the University of St. Gallen, where he teaches organization design.

Ji Han
Educational Consultant
Ji has spent almost 30 years in international education, over 15 years holding senior leadership positions.

Greta Keltz
Education Consultant
Greta has over 25 years of experience in international education, holding senior leadership positions for over 8 years.
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Vera Behrning
Education Consultant
Vera brings extensive leadership and management experience incl. senior roles in international schools for over 8 years.
Reading for school leaders
From our education blog – practical pieces on the challenges our participants work on:
- From Classroom to Leadership: A 7-Step Checklist for Leading Strategic Development Projects in Schools
- Schools Are Highly Consultative – But Without a Clear Game Plan, Success Is Elusive
- Us vs. Them: How to build trust and loyalty among middle and senior leaders in schools
- Why leadership doesn't work with weekly timetables
- Are your meetings as carefully planned as your lessons?
- A 4-step guide to handling tough conversations
Leadership is not a title. Join the 2026-27 journey.
Early-bird rate USD 1'799 until Monday 9 November 2026 (code EARLYBIRD) · registration closes 20 November · launch call Monday 30 November 2026. Meet Sarah first at a free info webinar:
Prefer a conversation? Book 15 minutes with Sarah · Ready to join? Individual sign-up · School team ticket
Get updates & case studies
Stay up-to-date on case studies and reflections from our work with schools around the globe: learn how middle leaders positively impacted their school through action guided by Management Kits.


