Posts by Hendy Avenue
The CAO Cohort: Where Vision Meets Action
In education leadership, the role of Chief Academic Officer stands at a critical intersection: where strategic vision meets daily implementation, where data meets human experience, and where individual school success connects to systemic change. Yet too often, CAOs navigate these challenges in isolation.
A Different Kind of Professional Community
The CAO Cohort breaks this isolation by bringing together academic leaders from high-performing charter networks who share an unwavering commitment to educational equity. This isn’t just another professional development program – it’s a carefully curated community where every member brings both expertise to share and a willingness to grow.
What Sets Our Members Apart
Our cohort members share core values that drive their work:
- They embrace the power of partnership, recognizing that collective wisdom surpasses individual insight.
- They maintain the flexibility to adapt their thinking while staying true to their core mission.
- They welcome productive friction, knowing that growth comes from being both challenged and supported.
- They freely share their resources and best practices, lifting all boats in the pursuit of excellence.
Real Impact Through Structured Collaboration
Throughout the year, cohort members engage in:
- Regular data review cycles that inform strategic planning
- Collaborative problem-solving around shared challenges
- Resource exchange that accelerates implementation
- Deep discussions about equity and anti-racist practices
- Strategic planning sessions for systematic improvement
Beyond Professional Development
What truly distinguishes this cohort is its impact beyond individual growth. When CAOs collaborate at this level, their insights and solutions ripple across multiple school networks, potentially impacting thousands of students’ lives.
Join a Community of Change-Makers
The CAO Cohort isn’t just about professional growth – it’s about joining a movement of leaders committed to transforming education through collaboration, equity, and excellence. If you’re ready to both contribute to and learn from a community of visionary academic leaders, we invite you to learn more about joining our next cohort.
The Power of Cohorts
In today’s complex educational landscape, leadership can feel isolating. Whether you’re a Chief Academic Officer driving instructional excellence, a Superintendent exploring AI implementation, or a CTE leader shaping career pathways, the challenges you face are unique to your role—and often, you’re the only person in your organization navigating them.
At Hendy Avenue Consulting, we’ve witnessed firsthand how cohort learning transforms educational leadership. Our experience has shown that the most powerful professional growth happens when leaders come together in structured, purposeful communities.
Why Cohort Learning Works
The power of cohort learning lies in its fundamental truth: leaders need other leaders. When we bring together diverse talent in similar roles, something remarkable happens. Challenges that seemed insurmountable become opportunities for collective problem-solving. Individual expertise becomes shared wisdom. And perhaps most importantly, professional isolation transforms into lasting community. From adaptive leadership skill-building to tactical strategic planning to navigating change within an organization or across the broader educational sector, our cohorts aim to create space for thoughtful engagement and planning for leaders. We currently facilitate four distinctive cohort experiences, each designed to address specific leadership needs in education:
Chief Academic Officer Cohort: For CAOs in high-performing charter networks, this cohort creates a space where academic leaders can sharpen their vision and deepen their impact. Members engage in data-driven discussions, share remediation strategies, and collaborate on achieving equitable outcomes for all students.
AI Explorers Cohort: In partnership with AI for Equity, this nationwide community of practice supports senior executives as they navigate the AI revolution in education. Participants collaborate on everything from organizational planning to product evaluation, ensuring thoughtful and equitable AI implementation in their systems.
Career & Technical Education Group: Tailored for New York state CTE leaders, this program combines strategic planning with practical leadership development. Whether you’re a principal, assistant principal, or district director, you’ll find a community dedicated to advancing career and technical education.
District Educator Effectiveness Leader Cohort: Created for senior talent leaders in large public school districts, this cohort addresses the unique challenges of managing educator effectiveness initiatives at scale. Members find crucial thought partnership among peers who understand the complexities of their role.
The Hendy Approach to Cohort Learning
What makes our cohorts different? We believe effective cohort learning combines:
- Structured learning with organic relationship-building and thought partnership
- Immediate problem-solving with long-term strategic thinking
- Individual growth with collective wisdom
- Theory with practical application
Join Our Community
Educational leadership doesn’t have to be a solitary journey. Whether you’re looking to enhance your leadership, tackle complex challenges, or find a community of fellow leaders, our cohorts offer a proven path forward.
Interested in learning more? Explore our Cohorts page and discover how collaborative learning can transform your leadership journey.
Defining and Developing Teaching Excellence: The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric
Over the past 12 years, Hendy Avenue Consulting has partnered with numerous school systems to set a vision for excellent teaching, create and pilot instructional rubrics based on this vision, and implement those rubrics to support high-quality teacher coaching and development. These partnerships led to the creation of the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric, now freely available under a Creative Commons license on Hendy’s website. Five school systems across the country have already adopted some version of the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric. While Hendy tailors each engagement to the specific needs of the school system, Hendy’s close partnership with a large, multi-region charter school network served as the initial catalyst for what is now the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric.
The Challenge: The charter school network faced a significant challenge: their four regions were using different rubrics to define and develop excellent teaching. This inconsistency created disparities in how teachers were coached and supported across the network and missed opportunities to use the data to inform network priorities. The network reached out to Hendy to help them lead a project to create, pilot, and implement a unified vision of teaching excellence, aligning teacher development across all regions while maintaining high academic and instructional standards.
Setting the Foundation for Success: Hendy began with careful attention to organizational dynamics and stakeholder buy-in. The charter school network and Hendy established a clear RAPID decision-making framework and identified key stakeholders across departments whose participation would be crucial. This preliminary phase proved essential, establishing both the authority and the limitations within which the team would operate. This also ensured that the rubric development would center on what is most critical for students in classrooms: high-quality teaching and learning.
Creating a Common Vision of Excellence: Hendy convened a diverse subcommittee to lead the project, representing various roles (including talent, curriculum and instruction, and data), schools, tenure levels, and demographic backgrounds. This diverse representation ensured the rubric would be a practical tool for coaching and development. The subcommittee met regularly, engaging in deep discussions about what constitutes excellent teaching facilitated by Hendy team members. The group took a methodical approach to creating the new rubric. They began by discussing what excellent teaching looked like in different contexts and establishing a “blue sky” vision for teacher development. These conversations revealed both the strengths of existing approaches and the opportunities that a unified vision could provide. They conducted a detailed crosswalk of existing frameworks provided by Hendy, identifying the key elements that drove teacher growth across all contexts. This analysis helped the committee work with Hendy to create a rubric that would be both comprehensive and practical for everyday use. The team iterated on the rubric several times, testing different domains and indicators across different classrooms and contexts.
Piloting and Refining the Vision: The pilot phase demonstrated the charter school network’s commitment to thoughtful implementation. Hendy launched the pilot with an orientation webinar, introducing the rubric to the broader community and outlining its purpose, structure, and role in teacher development. This helped build understanding and buy-in. The webinar provided practical guidance for leaders to begin using the rubric while allowing for refinement based on their experiences. Recognizing the unique needs of certain teaching populations, Hendy and the charter team specifically engaged Special Education teachers, fine arts instructors, PE teachers, and preK educators through targeted surveys and focus groups. This ensured their perspectives would shape the final framework. Pilot schools used the rubric in multiple contexts. Leadership teams conducted walkthroughs using the new framework at least 2-3 times that spring, testing its effectiveness in different classroom settings. School leaders also used the framework in coaching conversations with teachers, providing valuable insights. Throughout the pilot, Hendy maintained a strong feedback loop, gathering input through structured surveys and focus groups and used this information to make adjustments. Critically, Hendy and the committee closed the feedback loop by communicating changes back to participants, explicitly connecting their input to specific modifications. Leaders found the rubric helpful in structuring coaching conversations, providing a common language for discussing teaching excellence. They also identified areas where additional guidance was needed, particularly around using the rubric to support different types of teachers and content areas.
Implementation, Training, and Capacity Building: The summer marked the transition to full implementation. In partnership with Hendy, the large, multi-region charter school network invested heavily in developing the capacity of those who would use the rubric. The implementation began with establishing clear systems and structures. Hendy worked with school leaders to determine coaching roles, the frequency of observations and coaching conversations, and how teachers would engage with the rubric. The subsequent training program facilitated by Hendy was comprehensive and sustained, extending through the summer and following school year. It began with foundation training, where coaches learned not just about the rubric’s structure but also how to use it as a tool for development. These interactive sessions included practicing with instructional video analysis and guiding coaching conversations. Quarterly practice-based sessions facilitated by Hendy throughout the school year reinforced learning. Each session followed a thoughtful progression: leaders would study specific indicators, analyze teaching videos, engage in calibration discussions, and practice coaching conversations. The embedded certification process was particularly effective. Rather than a one-time event, it was a supportive process allowing for multiple attempts and providing additional support when needed.
Legacy and Evolution: The Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric: Hendy’s work on creating and implementing this charter school network’s rubric significantly influenced the development of the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric. The Hendy rubric builds upon the successful elements of the charter school network’s process while introducing innovations. Like its predecessor, the Hendy Instructional Excellence Rubric organizes teaching excellence into four domains, each guided by an essential question. It adds “Core Teacher Skills” for each indicator, providing specific, actionable guidance for teacher development. This helps bridge the gap between identifying excellent teaching and developing teachers’ practice. The Hendy rubric also refines the approach to measuring impact, maintaining the charter school network’s focus on student outcomes while creating clearer developmental progressions. This helps teachers and coaches identify specific next steps for growth.
Want to learn more about the Hendy Instructional Excellence framework? Visit our website or email Jessica Wilson!
May 14: AI Savvy Instructional Leader Webinar
Please join us on Tuesday, May 14th from 12-1pm EST to learn more about how to develop your own AI knowledge and skills and how to lead your team to effectively access AI tools to benefit teaching and learning. Register here: https://form.jotform.com/241215454135145
| What can I expect? The changing landscape of technology will impact all sectors – including education. In the coming years, education leaders, districts, and schools should ask, “What problems am I facing in my endeavor to improve teaching and learning, and how can AI support me in getting better and doing better?”. Generative AI is not a silver bullet; it will not fix all educators’ challenges. But, if leveraged well, it can support educators in solving common and uncommon problems more efficiently and creatively. Join this upcoming webinar and learn how to become an AI Savvy Instructional Leader – no prior experience with AI is necessary. We will explore how you can become an AI Savvy leader now, identify the foundational work to make your organization “ready” to use generative AI, explore ‘Dos” and “Don’ts” as you start this work, and share resources to improve teaching and learning. This session will be led by Erica Murphy who leads Hendy’s CAO Cohort and our AI for Equity Instructional Leader Working Group. |
| Who is it good for? – Any instructional leaders at the school or network/district level. – No prior experience with AI is necessary. – Leaders eager for concrete resources to develop their knowledge and comfort with generative AI. – Leaders seeking guidance on where to start in their AI journey (at their school or organization). How can I join? Please sign up to join this FREE webinar. Space is limited so please register as soon as possible to secure your spot. |
Hendy’s DEIB Vision and Definitions
Hendy Avenue Consulting is committed to diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and belonging in our client partnerships, in the cohorts we lead, and in our own team of consultants and subcontractors. In fall 2023, the Hendy team reviewed and updated our DEIB vision and definitions and how we engage with our partners to support their DEIB goals. We are sharing our vision and definitions with you in the hopes that they will be helpful in your work as anti-racist leaders and champions of equity.
Vision
Our work is about equity. We are supporting educators to create equitable opportunities for students.
Therefore, it’s our responsibility and commitment to understand and support our partners with their existing DEIB priorities and to support them to be leaders for equity in schools.
Key Definitions & Application to our Work
Diversity: Differences and variations found in a group. Differences include (1) social identities: gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disabilities, class, geography, etc. and (2) other personal attributes: expertise, values, worldviews, mindsets, ethics, experiences, etc.
- At Hendy, we believe that bringing together diverse life experiences and perspectives strengthens our work. Therefore, we seek to have a diverse team of consultants and subcontractors, and to serve an identity diverse set of clients and cohort members.
Equity: All individuals, regardless of any social or cultural factor, have access, opportunities, and are able to achieve success by (1) removing any predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with social or cultural identity markers and (2) interrupting unfair practices and eliminating biases.
- At Hendy, we believe education has the power to significantly improve one’s life outcomes. We seek to create and support equitable educational opportunities for students who have traditionally been underserved in communities around the country. We do this by way of our work with leaders, encouraging and modeling for them how to critically evaluate, lift up, and address bias perpetuating and inequitable practices. Through our work in partnership with leaders, we ensure diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and belonging are lenses through which we view not only what we want to accomplish, but how we get there and the processes and practices we utilize.
Inclusiveness: Valuing the perspectives and contributions of all people, incorporating the needs and viewpoints of the full diversity of the organization. A culture intentionally co-created by every member of the group, not merely the invitation for minoritized peoples to be present in an existing space. A culture that enables different people to belong and operate in self-determined authentic ways.
- At Hendy, we seek to continuously improve. This includes continuing to evolve our team and encouraging it to change and improve with each team member’s contributions, and where people can bring their whole selves to the work. Similarly, our cohort cultures are co-created by every member of the group. As consultants, we support our clients to create inclusive spaces and elevate diverse voices when making decisions. As educators, we create systems and structures that drive equity and inclusion for students.
Belonging: The feeling of being valued, respected, and fully accepted as one’s authentic self within a particular community, organization, or society, regardless of one’s background, identity, or differences. It involves creating an environment where every individual has a sense of ownership, connection, and the freedom to contribute their unique perspectives and talents without fear of discrimination or exclusion.
- At Hendy, this means that within our team and for our clients, we proactively ensure that every individual not only has a seat at the table but also genuinely feels like they belong and are an integral part of the collective whole. We foster a sense of unity, safety, and empowerment that encourages diverse individuals to thrive and contribute fully to the Hendy team and to our projects and cohorts.
Announcing Alliance of AI for Equity Consortium
A National Alliance Of School Networks To Collaborate On Equity-Driven AI Implementation
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to enhance educator efficacy, efficiency, and sustainability. However, it also has the possibility of exacerbating educational inequity if school systems serving low-income students of color don’t have the support, training, and planning necessary to benefit from this technological advancement. To meet the unique moment, Hendy Avenue Consulting has partnered with Aaron Cuny, founder of the Alliance of AI for Equity.
Hendy is supporting both a Greater NYC cohort and a National cohort where system leaders will:
- Learn about AI
- Complete AI-related organizational planning
- Identify, pilot, and collaborate on implementation of AI use cases
- Review AI products
- Influence AI policy and funding
We are pleased to welcome the following charter school networks into the consortiums:
Greater NYC Cohort:
- Comp Sci High
- Democracy Prep
- DREAM
- KIPP: NJ
- KIPP: NYC
- PAVE
- Uncommon Schools
National Cohort:
- Aspire Public Schools
- Breakthrough Public Schools
- Drew Charter School
- Ednovate
- KIPP: MA
- KIPP: Texas
- Urban Community Schools
- Vista College Prep
Team Spotlight: Meet Rachel Modica-Russell
The Hendy team is so fortunate that the talented Rachel Modica-Russell chose to join the Hendy team in Spring 2023. She is adding so much to our team and the clients with whom she’s partnering. Rachel is currently supporting leaders at Chicago Public Schools, Hebrew Public Schools, and in CMOs navigating new opportunities with AI. We are excited to share Rachel’s spotlight interview so you can learn a bit more about Rachel and the incredible consulting partner, coach, and person she is.
* The photo above is of the Oregon coast, which has quickly become one of Rachel’s favorite day trips since moving back to the west coast.
Why did you choose to work in education?
In the early years of my education, I revered many of my teachers. They were the individuals who not only imparted knowledge and facilitated learning, but also served as role models, shaping my aspirations and values. As I entered my adolescence and became more conscious of the complexities of my intersecting identities, that changed for me quite a bit; I found it increasingly challenging to connect with my teachers, who were predominantly white identifying men and women. This period of my life made me acutely aware of the importance of fostering meaningful connections between educators and students, learning and leading across lines of difference, and ultimately, prompted me to begin volunteering and working with youth who looked like me. I realized that educational institutions should be spaces where students’ identities feel affirmed, valued, and supported across not only curriculum, but also staffing. This realization paired with my natural gravitation toward highly collaborative, mission and relationship-driven work fueled my determination to enter the field of education, and ultimately, stay in the sector.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is walking alongside my clients in the problem identification and solving process. I love knowing that the work I do to support adults in school systems has a direct impact on the learning experiences and outcomes of students. Knowing that the work I do to help to build capacity and people-centric systems and opportunities that can sustain educators translates into higher quality classrooms for students keeps me engaged and motivated.
What’s the problem in education you most want to solve?
The problem in education that I’m most passionate about solving is the herculean challenge of improving the retention of educators while simultaneously elevating teaching as a respected and sustainable profession. In my view, it’s crucial for the infrastructure and systems in education to catch up with the ever-evolving realities of being in the classroom in 2023. So many talented educators leave the profession due to a variety of factors, including burnout, insufficient support, and inadequate resources. To address this, we need to create an environment where teachers feel valued, supported, and as though they’re able to thrive, thus helping them to stay inspired to stay in the profession long-term. Ultimately, I want to support the education sector in embracing forward-thinking, innovative strategies for teacher support and retention that address the demands and challenges of our times.
What’s a favorite book or quote?
What an unfair question 😉 I’ll share one of each from the last year that have struck a chord with me:
- Recent Quote: “Don’t be afraid to speak your truth, even if your voice shakes” – Cleo Wade
- Recent Book: “Intimations” – By Zadie Smith
What do you like to do outside of work?
My wife, Alice, and I love spending time with our lively 4 ½ and 1 ½ year olds, Quincy and Simone. You can find us wandering around our neighborhood in search of dinosaurs, a delicious snack, or collecting treasures for Quincy’s treasure box. I also love a kid-free dinner out at a great restaurant, spending time with my siblings (I’m one of three kids in my family), solo walks, and people watching.
Announcing our 2023-2024 Chief Academic Officer Cohort
The Hendy team is proud to announce the wonderful academic leaders joining our third Chief Academic Officer Cohort:
- Kate Finley – DC International
- Nora French – Urban Community School
- Brittney Jean-Louis – Etoile Academy Charter School
- Cassie Pergament – DC Prep Charter Schools
- Katelyn McGrath – Mastery Charter Schools
- Lex Zain – LION Charter School
The CAO Cohort is once again being led by Erica Murphy and Jonathan McIntosh. Erica is a member of the Hendy team and former academic leader for Ascend and Jonathan is the former CAO of Prospect Schools and an alumnus of our 2021-2022 CAO Cohort.
The CAO Cohort is a place for leaders to learn, reflect, grow, and share. And to do so alongside other leaders who understand the unique challenges faced by academic leaders today. Over the course of 9 facilitated sessions, CAOs exchange resources, solve problems, and build relationships.
You can learn more about our CAO Cohort and all of the Hendy cohort groups on our website.
Kate, Nora, Brittney, Cassie, Katelyn, and Lex – we can’t wait to begin this journey with you!
Welcome Rachel Modica-Russell!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the incredibly talented Rachel Modica-Russell has joined the Hendy Avenue Consulting team!
Rachel brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our organization, and we couldn’t be happier to have her on board.
We first met Rachel several years ago when she joined Hendy’s Chief Talent Officer Cohort as the talent leader at Explore Schools. Rachel immediately impressed us with her thoughtful leadership, easy relationship building, ability to truly listen and understand the perspectives of all stakeholders, focus on not just the “what” of change leadership but also the “how”, and her unwavering commitment to doing what’s best for kids.
We are so happy that Rachel has decided to bring her many talents to the Hendy team and our wonderful clients. She is already making our team smarter, stronger, and more fun – and having a positive impact on the school systems we serve.
Please help us to welcome Rachel!
Biography: Rachel Modica-Russell chose to join Hendy not only because she fervently believes in the team’s potential to impact the education sector through their research-based and thoughtful work in talent strategy, strategic planning, leadership development, and programmatic support; she herself has experienced the quality of partnership and depth of expertise present on the Hendy team as a past Chief Talent Officer (CTO) cohort member.
Prior to joining Hendy, Rachel spent five years as the Managing Director of Talent for Explore Schools, a network of eight public charter schools across Brooklyn serving students in K-8th grade. In her role, Rachel shepherded work across all talent functions at Explore Schools, and worked in lockstep with school and network-based leadership on recruitment, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging work, staff retention, and people development efforts for their 300+ community members. As Managing Director of Talent at Explore Schools, Rachel spearheaded exciting initiatives and programming such as a staff mentorship program, revising the organization’s approach to compensation, and building a career advancement policy and pathway protocol anchored in more equitable and transparent talent practices.
Rachel could not be any more excited to work alongside other members of the Hendy team to set adults up for success by way of developing smart, strategic people-focused infrastructure and initiatives to drive talent management and people development in schools.
Before working for Explore Schools as Managing Director of Talent, Rachel was a staff member at Uncommon Schools for over 5 years, first as a teacher, and closed out her time with them as Senior Associate Director of Recruitment where she led recruitment for both their Brooklyn and Troy-based regions. Returning to Explore Schools in 2018 was a full-circle moment for Rachel, as Explore is the very organization (Explore Schools) she began her career in education as a Teach for America Corps member and K-2 teacher.
Rachel received her master’s degree in early childhood education from Teacher U – Hunter College and holds undergraduate degrees in Spanish and Family and Human Services from the University of Oregon. After 14 years in Brooklyn, NY, Rachel and her wife and two children made the move back to Oregon to be closer to family. So far, so good :).
Announcing our 2022-2023 Chief Academic Officer Cohort
The Hendy team is proud to announce the talented academic leaders chosen to be a part of the 2022-2023 Chief Academic Officer Cohort:
- Dr. Saskia Brown – Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy
- Dr. Megan Frankiewicz – Vista College Prep
- Ben Johnson – Ingenuity Prep
- Jeremy Jones – Eagle College Prep
- Crystal Lane – DREAM
- Nate Lowry – Academies of Math and Science
The CAO Cohort is led by Erica Murphy and Jonathan McIntosh. Erica is a member of the Hendy team and former academic leader for Ascend and Jonathan is the current CAO of Prospect Schools and a member of our 2021-2022 CAO Cohort.
The Cohort is a place for leaders to learn, reflect, grow, and share. And to do so alongside other leaders who understand the unique challenges faced by academic leaders today. Over the course of 9 facilitated sessions, CAOs exchange resources, solve problems, and build relationships.
Our goals are for CAOs to:
- Establish a vision of excellence for the CAO role and its components (e.g., vision setting, team building, instructional management, culture building, data analysis, reflection and action-planning).
- Establish relationships with CAOs nationally – participants become “thought partners” and confidantes for each other, during and post cohort.
- Share resources, perspectives, ideas, thoughts, approaches on all things related to the role.
- Receive structured PD on innovative research and ideas.
We look forward to learning alongside these wonderful leader and can’t wait to kick off our first cohort session on September 22nd!