kkinsler@hunter.cuny.edu
212 772-4690
1018 West

Professor Kimberly Kinsler is both a product and an example of the exemplary educational potential to be found in New York City’s pubic school system.  Professor Kinsler received her elementary and secondary school education from the New York City public schools, and both her BA in Psychology and her MS in Education are from the City College of New York.  Professor Kinsler earned her Doctorate from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Professor Kinsler’s professional focus is on educationally empowering students from the nation’s historically marginalized populations.  For the past 20 years, she has worked with and helped local stakeholders from chronically underperforming public schools to improve the instruction and operation of their schools through the formation of site-based, data-driven problem-solving teams.  Initially trained in two internationally known models of excellence, i.e., James Comer’s School Development Project and Henry Levin’s Accelerated School Program, Professor Kinsler helped to bring these models of excellence to needy public schools in New York City.  She subsequently developed and now directs her own school improvement project called IBSIP, the Inquiry Based School Improvement Project .  Professor Kinsler has worked as an educational consultant and external program evaluator for a number of community based organizations in New York City.

Teaching

Professor Kinsler teaches both undergraduate and graduate level courses in Educational Psychology, and occasionally teaches Adolescent and Child Development.  She also   regularly leads the Integrative Seminar for the graduate elementary and secondary education programs.  For the  new MA program in School Psychology, she will be teaching the course Processes and Practices for School Improvement. 

Professor Kinsler has given numerous presentations and workshops at both national and international conferences focused on her work in and knowledge of the school improvement process.  She has also organized and led several workshop series variously focused on using inquiry to improve school performance, developing data-driven instruction, and action research for groups of teachers, school administrators and state legislators.  Most recently, she organized two mini-conferences on teacher action research.

Research

Professor Kinsler is the co-author of the book Reforming Schools, which is now in its third edition.  She also has written and published a number of book chapters and articles on the school improvement process; facilitative leadership; action research; and closing the achievement gap through community and inquiry.  Professor Kinsler has researched and written a position paper on Charter Schools for the New York State legislature, and plans to start a scholarly journal for elementary and secondary school teachers that will serve as a forum for their action research and school improvement projects.