Driving Impact with a Unique Strategic Plan: How The Dalton School Rewrote the Playbook
Why your next strategic plan should look more like your school—and less like a corporate brochure.
Let’s be honest: most strategic plans are a bit… dull. Packed with jargon, weighed down by charts, and often forgotten the minute they’re published. But what if your school’s strategic plan could do more than tick boxes? What if it could tell your story, fire up your community, and actually drive impact?
That’s exactly what The Dalton School set out to do—and delivered in bold style. They transformed their strategic vision into something dynamic, personal, and—dare we say—fun. Spoiler alert: It’s not your average five-year plan.
Start With Identity, Not Industry Lingo
Dalton didn’t want a templated plan that sounded like every other school or, worse, a Fortune 500 company. They wanted something that reflected them: a forward-thinking, student-centered school with a deep sense of purpose.
“We had a concept we were really excited about,” Nichols shared. “But we needed help bringing it to life in a way that felt fresh, functional, and truly Dalton.”
Enter Interactive Schools. Together, they crafted a strategic plan that aligned not only with Dalton’s long-term goals but with its culture, values, and visual identity.
A Brand Worth Rallying Behind
The first step? A unique brand identity for the plan itself. Because let’s face it: even a brilliant strategy won’t land if it looks like your annual report.
Interactive Schools delivered a custom logo, tagline, and lead visual that captured the spirit of the plan. By using existing imagery and layering in bold design elements, they created a cohesive look that tied everything together—from digital presence to print collateral.
The result: a brand that people actually wanted to engage with.
Not Just a Plan—An Experience
What really set Dalton’s plan apart was the interactive microsite—a digital hub explicitly built to tell the story of the school’s strategy.
This wasn’t a PDF link buried on the homepage. This was a fully responsive, beautifully designed user experience. Through thoughtful wireframing, prototyping, and seamless integration with Dalton’s main site, the microsite became a living, breathing part of the school’s communications ecosystem.
Each of the plan’s key pillars—Students, Faculty & Staff, and Facilities—has its own sub-landing page, complete with rich content and intuitive navigation. The site invited exploration, not just consumption.
It wasn’t just informative. It was inspiring.
Creative Assets with a Purpose
Once the brand and site were launched, the work didn’t stop. Dalton and Interactive Schools rolled out a full suite of creative assets to extend the life and reach of the plan, from brochures to social content to internal updates.
This wasn’t about ticking PR boxes. It was about embedding the strategic plan into the daily conversation of school life.
And it worked.
A Content Strategy That Builds Momentum
Of course, even the best-designed plan needs a smart rollout. That’s why Dalton built a content strategy blueprint to guide storytelling throughout the academic year.
Think campaign-style planning: themes, milestones, voices from the community, and regular updates to keep the plan front and center.
“The initial response from our community has been great,” Nichols said. “We’re excited to use this tool over the life of the strategic plan to keep everyone informed and to show how the work is making a difference.”
What You Can Borrow (Strategically) From Dalton
You can bring the spirit of Dalton’s approach to your own strategic plan. Here’s how to rethink your next strategic plan:
Brand it. Give your plan a name, a logo, and a visual identity that stands out.
Make it digital. A sleek, user-friendly microsite makes your plan accessible and more likely to be read.
Build community into the process. Highlight voices from across your school to make the plan feel lived, not imposed.
Tell stories, not just strategies. Use real examples and emotional touchpoints to connect the plan to your mission.
Keep the drumbeat going. The launch is just the beginning. Build a year-round communications plan to keep it alive.
Final Thought
A strategic plan shouldn’t sit on a shelf. It should move people. It should reflect who you are, where you’re going, and why it matters. With a bold brand, thoughtful design, and a storytelling-first mindset, your school can turn its strategic plan into a platform for engagement, inspiration, and real change.