Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership

🎓 Graduation season has us feeling nostalgic—and we want to see your Klingenstein memories.

Kling alumni: drop your graduation photos in the comments and tell us what year you graduated, what program you were in!

Whether it was on the steps of Teachers College, with your cohort in regalia, or celebrating somewhere around NYC, we’d love to revisit those moments with you.

Because once you’re part of the Klingenstein community, you’re always part of the cohort. 💙

What does it mean to truly listen as a leader?

In her keynote at the AAIE 2026 Global Leadership Conversation, Dr. Nicole Furlonge invited attendees to become apprentices of listening—tuning into what is less visible, less amplified, and often unheard.

In the May 2026 issue of ISS Newslinks, Nicole shares her framework of “Prepositional Listening” which challenges leaders to listen with intention: across differences, beneath narratives, and in the moments that matter most. It’s a powerful reminder that leadership is not just about voice—but about where and how we place our attention.

📖 Read the full article and explore the Prepositional Listening framework here in this link: https://iss.education/NL26listening

We officially launched our Archival History Toolkit with educators and school leaders at the NAIS Thrive Conference! 💥

Grounded in archival and oral history practices, the Toolkit offers a flexible, step-by-step framework that schools can adapt to their own context — whether building or digitizing archives, preparing for a milestone celebration, or seeking to deepen conversations around belonging, identity, and institutional history.

Teachers and school leaders are invited to take a survey that will help further shape the development of the Toolkit.

Schools interested in implementing the Archival History Toolkit as part of our pilot program, we would love to connect.

💌 Learn more about the project and how to participate here: https://www.klingensteincenter.org/aht

Let’s work together to help schools tell richer, more honest, and more inclusive histories.

The voices of our alumni say it best.

From practical leadership skills to lifelong professional networks, the Two-Summers Master’s Program at the Klingenstein Center continues to shape educators and school leaders around the world.

📅 Final application deadline: April 1

If you’re thinking about your next step in school leadership, now is the time to apply: https://www.klingensteincenter.org/academic-programs/masters-degree-two-summers

Q: When is the right time to earn your master’s degree at the Klingenstein Center?
A: When you’re ready!

Our program serves educators at all stages of their career, from classroom teachers to middle leaders to senior administrators. At Klingenstein, we believe that leadership is about behavior, not a title or position.

Among the master's class of 2027, you’ll find an arts department chair, a dean of students, a math teacher, a technology director, and an associate head of school. What unites the cohort is not a job title—but a commitment to growing as thoughtful, effective leaders in their schools.

The Two-Summers model allows you to continue in your full-time roles while engaging in immersive summer learning in New York City and continuing graduate work throughout the year.

If you’re thinking about your next step in school leadership, apply today to be a part of the 2026-2028 cohort!

📅 Final application deadline: April 1
📌 M.A. and Ed.M. degrees available.

Learn more: https://www.klingensteincenter.org/academic-programs/masters-degree-two-summers

Congratulations to Ilyana Contreras, our 2025–2026 Kane Scholar.

The Kane Scholarship carries forward the legacy of Pearl Rock Kane, whose leadership as its first director shaped the Klingenstein Center and whose teaching and scholarship continue to influence independent schools around the world.

Each Kane Scholar reflects that legacy through a commitment to thoughtful leadership, advancing equity, and reflective practice.

As you’ll read in Purpose, our 2024–2025 Annual Report, Ilyana’s work is grounded in human-centered, listening leadership that seeks to build up individuals, schools, and communities.

We’re proud to celebrate Ilyana and grateful to all who help ensure that the Kane Scholarship continues to support educators whose leadership reflects both purpose and possibility.

📘 Read the full story in Purpose, the 2024–2025 Klingenstein Annual Report: https://bit.ly/3MYY7EW

We’re proud to introduce the inaugural MehtaCognition Impact Scholars—Erica Washburn, Filipe Camarotti, and Topher Nichols.

The MehtaCognition Impact Scholarship was created by Nishant Mehta, PSL ’07, reflecting his deep commitment to expanding access to transformative learning experiences for educators driven by impact and purpose. Through this scholarship, Nishant is helping to open doors for emerging leaders whose work strengthens schools and communities.

As you’ll read in Purpose, our 2024–2025 Annual Report, Erica, Filipe, and Topher were selected not only for their excellence in practice, but for the ways they use their leadership to lift others—advancing equity and belonging, access, and opportunity in education.

We’re grateful to Nishant for his vision and generosity, and proud to celebrate these scholars as they continue to learn, lead, and create impact within the Klingenstein community and beyond.

📘 Read the full stories in Purpose, the 2024–2025 Klingenstein Annual Report: https://bit.ly/44N1C7F

Building on the preview we shared during our Days of Impact, today we’re honored to celebrate Kevin Mattingly—a teacher, scholar, and mentor whose influence has shaped the Klingenstein Center for more than four decades.

Kevin first came to Klingenstein as a KSI participant in 1983. Since then, his work across KSI, the master’s program, and beyond has helped generations of educators ground their practice in the science of learning—inviting us to examine, adapt, and refine our teaching.

As colleagues and alumni reflect in "Purpose," our 2024–2025 Annual Report, Kevin’s impact is felt not only in the classroom and curriculum, but in the ways educators continue to make learning meaningful and enduring.

We’re grateful for Kevin’s ongoing contributions to our Educational Commonwealth and for the many ways his teaching continues to shape how we learn and lead together.

📘 Read the full story in “Purpose,” the 2024–2025 Klingenstein Annual Report, page 12
https://bit.ly/492wXob