
Kaya Henderson
CEO of Reconstruction & Co-Host of Pod Save the People
Kaya Henderson is the CEO of Reconstruction, a technology company delivering a K-12 supplemental curriculum that situates Black people, culture, and contributions in an authentic, identity-affirming way, so that students of all backgrounds benefit from a more complete understanding of our shared history and society. She is also the co-host of Pod Save the People.
She is perhaps best known for serving as Chancellor of DC Public Schools from 2010-2016. Her tenure was marked by consecutive years of enrollment growth, an increase in graduation rates, improvements in student satisfaction and teacher retention, increases in AP participation and pass rates, and the greatest growth of any urban district on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) over multiple years.
- Education
- Entrepreneur
- 📍Washington, D.C.
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LET'S TALK ABOUT EDUCATION
- School Choice
- Black History
- Culture
- Travel
- Food
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Kaya's career began as a middle school Spanish teacher in the South Bronx, through Teach For America. She went on to work as a recruiter, national admissions director, and DC Executive Director for Teach for America. Henderson then served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at The New Teacher Project (TNTP) until she began her tenure at DCPS as Deputy Chancellor in 2007. She most recently led the Global Learning Lab for Community Impact at Teach For All, supporting educators in more than 50 countries.
A native of Mt. Vernon, NY, Kaya graduated from Mt. Vernon Public Schools. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and her Master of Arts in Leadership from Georgetown University, as well as honorary doctoral degrees from Georgetown and Trinity University. Her board memberships include The Aspen Institute, Curriculum Associates, Georgetown University, Robin Hood NYC, and Teach For America, and she is the co-founder of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC).

BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Kaya Henderson
CEO of Reconstruction & Co-Host of Pod Save the People
- Education
- Entrepreneur
- 📍Washington, D.C.
Kaya Henderson is the CEO of Reconstruction, a technology company delivering a K-12 supplemental curriculum that situates Black people, culture, and contributions in an authentic, identity-affirming way, so that students of all backgrounds benefit from a more complete understanding of our shared history and society. She is also the co-host of Pod Save the People.
She is perhaps best known for serving as Chancellor of DC Public Schools from 2010-2016. Her tenure was marked by consecutive years of enrollment growth, an increase in graduation rates, improvements in student satisfaction and teacher retention, increases in AP participation and pass rates, and the greatest growth of any urban district on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) over multiple years.
read more
LET'S TALK ABOUT EDUCATION
- School Choice
- Black History
- Culture
- Travel
- Food
--
Kaya's career began as a middle school Spanish teacher in the South Bronx, through Teach For America. She went on to work as a recruiter, national admissions director, and DC Executive Director for Teach for America. Henderson then served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at The New Teacher Project (TNTP) until she began her tenure at DCPS as Deputy Chancellor in 2007. She most recently led the Global Learning Lab for Community Impact at Teach For All, supporting educators in more than 50 countries.
A native of Mt. Vernon, NY, Kaya graduated from Mt. Vernon Public Schools. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and her Master of Arts in Leadership from Georgetown University, as well as honorary doctoral degrees from Georgetown and Trinity University. Her board memberships include The Aspen Institute, Curriculum Associates, Georgetown University, Robin Hood NYC, and Teach For America, and she is the co-founder of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC).
BOOK NOW FOR your podcast
Kaya Henderson
CEO of Reconstruction & Co-Host of Pod Save the People
- 📍Washington, D.C.
- Education
- Entrepreneur
Kaya Henderson is the CEO of Reconstruction, a technology company delivering a K-12 supplemental curriculum that situates Black people, culture, and contributions in an authentic, identity-affirming way, so that students of all backgrounds benefit from a more complete understanding of our shared history and society. She is also the co-host of Pod Save the People.
She is perhaps best known for serving as Chancellor of DC Public Schools from 2010-2016. Her tenure was marked by consecutive years of enrollment growth, an increase in graduation rates, improvements in student satisfaction and teacher retention, increases in AP participation and pass rates, and the greatest growth of any urban district on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) over multiple years.
read more
LET'S TALK ABOUT EDUCATION
- School Choice
- Black History
- Culture
- Travel
- Food
--
Kaya's career began as a middle school Spanish teacher in the South Bronx, through Teach For America. She went on to work as a recruiter, national admissions director, and DC Executive Director for Teach for America. Henderson then served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at The New Teacher Project (TNTP) until she began her tenure at DCPS as Deputy Chancellor in 2007. She most recently led the Global Learning Lab for Community Impact at Teach For All, supporting educators in more than 50 countries.
A native of Mt. Vernon, NY, Kaya graduated from Mt. Vernon Public Schools. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and her Master of Arts in Leadership from Georgetown University, as well as honorary doctoral degrees from Georgetown and Trinity University. Her board memberships include The Aspen Institute, Curriculum Associates, Georgetown University, Robin Hood NYC, and Teach For America, and she is the co-founder of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC).
As seen on
Henderson says Reconstruction was always intended to be an extracurricular program. But with the pandemic pushing so much education online, they’ve been partnering with school districts, and offering courses free to students, including on math and reading. “We felt like there were ways to take the academic standards and content and bring them alive in a blackity-black way.”
“Kaya Henderson, 50, is co-founder and chief executive of Reconstruction US, a new company focusing on online K-12 supplemental curriculums. Henderson served as chancellor of D.C. Public Schools from 2010 to 2016.”
Timeline
July 2020 - Present
Reconstruction US
CEO
June 2020 - Present
Pod Save The People
Co-Host
Jan 2018 - Jul 2020
Teach For All
Head of Global Learning Lab for Community Impact
Sep 2017 - Sep 2018
Georgetown University
Distinguished Scholar in Residence