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"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
-John Dewey

Life Itself Advisors is guided by this principle so elegantly stated over a century ago by one of America's greatest educational philosophers. 

 

We are committed to 

  • maximizing the reach of your educational mission through high quality enrollment management practices; 

  • employing high efficacy advancement opportunities that are appropriate for your target audience, and;

  • partnering with innovative educational leaders to develop mission-aligned programming for schools and community organizations. 

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We do this all while being sensitive to financial realities faced by many private schools and nonprofits. We offer solutions that are excellent, effective, affordable, and sustainable. 

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We believe that

  • best practices research points to the necessity of content-rich curricula, phonics-based literacy, and a solid foundation in arithmetic;

  • the dichotomy between progressive and traditional models of education is a false one, great schools access both traditions in service of their mission;

  • faith-based or values-based schools can infuse their faith or statued values across the curriculum; and

  • all schools and organizations should aspire to excellence.

Diana H. Rodgers, Ed.D. | Founder

I am passionate about helping schools to improve programming and practices and have been since the beginning of my career. I have served as a classroom teacher, instructional leader, college admissions counselor, school director, trustee for two independent schools, and educational consultant to nonprofits looking to develop educational programming.

Some of my favorite projects have included:

  • redesigning a high school US history curriculum to focus more on deep reading and written and spoken analysis and less on fact regurgitation--essentially helping students become historians;

  • developing and running an educational outreach program for a hospital interested in encouraging high school girls to consider a career in medicine;

  • reconfiguring a school's financial aid structure which resulted in an equitable distribution aid with more families paying full tuition and feeling good about it;

  • doubling a school's enrollment in one year through high impact, low cost marketing strategies;

  • serving on the Archbishop of Philadelphia's Strategic Vision Committee to research hundreds of possibilities for the future of Catholic education in Philadelphia.

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This, however, is just the beginning, and I can't wait to hear about your school or organization and your dreams for its future.

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I know educators like to know about education, so I'll share that: I earned a Doctorate in Education from the University of Pittsburgh in Higher Education Management. My dissertation focused on the design, implementation, and mixed-methods evaluation of an innovative program which has led to my passion for asking "how do you know it's actually working?" when school leaders tell me about a program they're running. I have a Master of Education in Instructional Leadership from Harvard University which very much focused on curriculum design. I received a Master of Arts in History from Carnegie Mellon and a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Boston College. 

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I live in Philadelphia with my husband and three daughters who are all very different types of learners. 

Contact

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

diana@lifeitselfadvisors.com

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