What people are saying.

  • "Heather Eckert is the consummate independent school professional. She has an outstanding knowledge of the independent school landscape and knows what challenges and opportunities keep school leaders and admission professionals up at night. Heather is highly regarded throughout the admissions world for her commitment to building relationships. She understands how to develop and support her colleagues as well as help their professional journeys. Families working with Heather will appreciate and embrace her approach, as the best interest of the students always come first!"

    — New England Admission Placement Director

  • “Heather is a consummate admissions and school professional. She has helped countless students and families over the years with making the all-important school choice and she knows the landscape better than anyone in the business!”

    — NYC/Brooklyn Director of Admissions

  • "Heather has an incredible range of experiences in the independent school world, a wealth of compassion and understanding for the student experience, and endless amounts of energy. Heather has made a significant impact at every school where she has worked- transforming enrollment, creating efficient systems, and building a stronger team and school culture, just to name a few. She has worked with families from across the world and across ages to help them find the right school. She understands the myriad factors that make every school search process unique. Her insights are invaluable, whether you are working together to find the right school for your child or to build a stronger admission team."

    — New England Dean of Admission

  • "Heather is an inspiring leader who forms relationships quickly. She makes people feel at ease and is a valued advisor. She has an extraordinary amount of knowledge and experience in independent schools, and I admire her work ethic and commitment. The combination of these traits makes Heather the perfect educational consultant."

    — Atlanta Dean of Admission

  • "Every once in a while we encounter an individual who we instinctively know has the ability to make a positive impact on people's lives. Heather May Eckert is one of those extraordinary human beings. Heather is a leader and a visionary, with an ability to inspire others to reach into their futures and see possibilities that are far better than today's. Heather is a woman of character and integrity. She is highly regarded by academicians and educational consultants alike. With her years of experience in admissions at Blair Academy, Hotchkiss School and Indian Mountain School and teaching overseas, Heather is a natural when it comes to advising families in the process of educational decision making. Heather can provide sound advice and judgment about independent school options on both the day and boarding levels. Heather is an experienced professional and is committed to providing the very best in educational consulting for families here and across the globe."

    — Certified Educational Planner, Fairfield, CT

  • "There is no more powerful combination in an admissions professional than bringing together the experience, network and respect of the New England independent school world with the warmth, empathy and commitment to the students she serves. This embodies Heather Eckert. She has opened many doors for our Squash Urbano Colombia kids where we are welcomed with open arms!

    — Squash Urbano, Bogota, Colombia

CTI Institute Testimonials

  • "I have often participated in one or two day workshops addressing a particular aspect of my work. But I have never had the opportunity to reflect upon teaching in such a comprehensive way as I did during this symposium. This has been without a doubt the most thorough and useful professional development work I have ever done."

    Instructor in French

  • "I have just spent a week working alongside like-minded colleagues who are curious, insightful, and want to delve deeply into exploring their philosophies of teaching. We have discussed our practices, our students, our fears and our hopes and dreams. We have done this in a space free of judgment, daily pressures, and general distractions. It has been a space in which we have taken risks and questioned; we have modeled the learning we wish our students to emulate."

    Instructor in Spanish

  • "Our conversations focused on the student experience and how best to foster greater learning and growth. We quickly came to a consensus that our students need more time for pause and reflection in their academic day...I know that we all will enter our classrooms next fall with a greater awareness for our students’ experience and how our practices affect them. I cannot think of a greater way to make a positive impact on a school."

    Instructor in Film

  • "After twenty-five years teaching Latin and Greek, I usually know exactly what I’m going to do with a student, in a class and for a course. This institute challenged me to step back from those easy answers about teaching to make clear to myself and to others why I do what I do."

    Instructor in Classics

  • "Although I’m a reflective teacher and frequently think carefully about how I can challenge and support students, the Symposium was a refreshing opportunity to wander outside my own thoughts and to be exposed to a buffet of new ideas and techniques. For five days we questioned educational standards, deconstructed the classroom experience, and endeavored to identify effective instruction. We assessed the value of assessment, held forth about homework, and even re-imagined the entire academic schedule, all with a focus on determining what would be most conducive to learning. "

    Instructor in English & Theatre

  • "One of the things that struck me about the Symposium was its attention to craft over content. And while I was awestruck by some of my colleague’s ability to deliver content with grace and humor, it was the conversations and concern for the student experience that hit home. Anyone can guide a discussion when the participants are smart, eager and driven. Not everyone can make sure the discussion progresses in a way that allows everyone to participate, hurts no one unwittingly, while encompassing the big ideas along the way."

    Curator of Special Collections

  • "New to the teaching profession - only a year under my belt - this kind of discourse is particularly helpful; getting to watch veteran teachers teach is a gift. I am part of a Teaching Fellowship program through the University of Pennsylvania, and it was exciting to me to watch how our conversations of best practice overlapped here. I had learned about certain pedagogical techniques and classroom practices, but talking about them through this lens made them that much more relatable. "

    Teaching Fellow, Instructor in Science