March 23, 2018
Rachel Skiffer to become Head of School at Khan Lab School
Among her accomplishments as Dean of Policy and Strategic Planning, Skiffer helped craft “Connecting Our Strengths”Rachel Skiffer, Phillips Academy’s first dean of policy and strategic planning, has been named the next Head of School at Khan Lab School (KLS) in Mountain View, CA. Returning to an area near her hometown of San Francisco, Skiffer will leave her post at the end of this school year.
As head of KLS, Skiffer will oversee the K-12 independent school created by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy.
She will be joined by her husband, Marvin Coote, and their two young children. Coote will be leaving his positions as associate director of college counseling and director of PALS, two roles to which he has brought incredible wisdom and compassion.
Head of School John Palfrey wrote in a letter to the campus community: “I know that I will not be alone in missing Rachel, Marvin, and their family when they leave our community this summer. I have very much enjoyed being their colleague and consider our school the stronger for their work over these past several years,” he said. “We wish them the very best on the West Coast and look forward to continued work together in the future.”
Since joining the Academy in 2013, Skiffer has dedicated her leadership and vision to the creation and implementation of Andover’s strategic plan, “Connecting Our Strengths.” With her guidance, the community has pursued its highest priorities organized around the pillars of Equity & Inclusion, Creativity & Innovation, and Empathy & Balance. She led working groups in creating new opportunities for student health and wellness, including a multi-year health curriculum; planning for a new Department of Interdisciplinary Studies; engaging in conversation on the future of the school’s schedule and calendar; and encouraging new inquiries into race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in curriculum and programming.
As head of KLS, Skiffer will oversee the K-12 independent school created by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy. KLS is an extended-year, extended-day, mixed-age laboratory school with a collaborative, project- and mastery-based learning approach.
PA has partnered with KLS’s sister entity, Khan Academy, over the past several years; the Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Department recently finished developing online resources in AP Calculus and Statistics for Khan Academy. These resources are now key parts of an AP learning platform that the College Board and Khan Academy introduced to millions of online learners. Andover teachers have also used portions of these materials to complement in-person teaching.
KLS shared news of Skiffer’s appointment today.
Categories: Leadership
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