It Started With a Simple Question.
What if every educational leader had access to the expertise they needed when the work got hard?
That Idea Became IMA.
As a doctoral student and later a school and system leader, IMA founder Dr. Joan Schumann had something many educational leaders don’t: extraordinary mentors and researchers she could call when difficult decisions arose.
Even with that support, leading systems change was hard.
That experience sparked an idea:
What if access to research, expertise, mentorship, and professional community didn’t depend on who you knew, where you worked, or what your organization could afford?
And in just one year, people showed up.
2,500+ IMA Members
30+ Countries
100+ Advisors
30+ Organizational partners
Monthly MTSS Action Networks
The 1st Journal of MTSS
An Inaugural Global Summit
And a growing community committed to moving evidence into practice
Now, It Belongs to All of Us.“I may have started IMA, but thousands of people have made it what it is becoming. This community belongs to all of us now—and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.”
— Joan Schumann, PhD
Founder & Executive Director
“We started IMA to break the silos and put world-class research within reach of every leader—so together we can strengthen our educational systems that prepare every student for the future they deserve.”
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Joan Schumann, PhD is the Founding Executive Director of the International MTSS Association (IMA) and CEO of Leading for Learning. An educator with a research background, she has served as a K–12 classroom teacher, special educator, school principal, district leader, and university faculty member—bringing evidence to implementation in classrooms, teacher preparation, and school systems. Joan earned her doctorate at the University of Utah, where her dissertation examined PBIS and discipline disproportionality, and has since led large-scale MTSS efforts, including districtwide frameworks, high-impact professional learning, and data-driven school improvement.
Her leadership spans the U.S. and international schools, including principalship in California, Director of Professional Learning & Instruction at the International School of Beijing, and Director of Student Support Services at Stamford American International School in Singapore. She has guided assessment and curriculum adoptions, mentored administrators and teachers, secured multi-million–dollar resources to expand services for students and families, and presented nationally and internationally on MTSS, RTI, PBIS, educational equity, attendance, women in leadership, and systems-level leadership. Her written work appears in the Handbook of School Psychology, the Handbook of Positive Behavior Support, and the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.
Today, Joan focuses on helping leaders at every level of the educational system implement best practice—and making research (and researchers) accessible to everyday school professionals.
We’re just getting started.
Join the Movement
Great change happens when passionate people work together. Together, we're creating a world where every learner succeeds through high-quality education.
