A new gift to Kingsley is advancing Kingsley’s elementary mathematics program. 

Thanks to generous support from Dr. Christine Olsen and Mr. Robert Small, Kingsley has partnered with Lesley University’s Center for Mathematics Achievement on an exciting multi-year initiative to evaluate our curriculum, recommend enhancements, and support faculty in providing our students the gold-standard in mathematics education. 

Directed by Dr. Hilary Kreisberg, the Center for Mathematics Achievement supports teachers, coaches, specialists, teacher leaders, and administrators nationally and internationally to provide students access to the highest quality mathematics teaching and learning. 

Working with Tara Hofherr, Director of Elementary Education and Next School Counseling, and Claire Harris, Assistant Director of Elementary Education, Dr. Kreisberg and her team have developed a strategic plan to “position students as analytical thinkers and creative problem solvers, instilling core skills students will need when they leave Kingsley.” After observing our classrooms, Dr. Kreisberg noted Kingsley’s nurturing environment and the “peace, comfort, and warmth” of our classrooms. This creates a distinctly good foundation for learning and growth. She says, “Kingsley students are celebrated for their identities. The teachers clearly care deeply.”

Tara Hofherr sees this partnership as a natural step in Kingsley’s trajectory. “Education is an ever-changing landscape. That’s what this project is about. This gift provides Kingsley the opportunity to reflect on what we’re doing, celebrate all the strengths, and be flexible enough to let our math program evolve and continue to be the best that it can be.”

Dr. Olsen, our former School Physician, and Mr. Small, a member of our Board of Trustees, are the parents of Zeke ’24 and Aly ’26, and they joined the Kingsley community in the fall of 2018, when Zeke was in First Grade and Aly was a P3. They share, “We love the fact that Boston can have such a wonderful neighborhood school and are thrilled to be able to help it as it strives to continue to meet the strong academic goals of its elementary students."

David Liebmann, Assistant Head of School for Academics, observes, “This is an opportunity to ensure that our students can bring a creative mindset to how they mathematically interpret the world.”

For Head of School Steve Farley, “Proximity to institutions like Lesley University is among the many benefits of our location in the heart of Back Bay. This collaboration with Dr. Kreisberg and her colleagues at the Center for Mathematics Achievement provides our students and faculty access to the highest caliber of research-based content and teaching pedagogy.” 

Reflecting on the gift that is making this endeavor possible, he says, “I am deeply grateful to the Small Olsen family for their belief in Kingsley and their generous investment in one of our core academic components.” He celebrates the openness of our teachers and students in stepping into this new endeavor, and notes “As we approach the 85th anniversary of our founding, this timely gift and the academic work it is fueling allow us to continue our long tradition of nurturing the limitless capacity of our students as confident, lifelong learners.”