Forge 2026

FORGE is a professional learning lab where you learn to lead meaningful change in your schools. Arrive for the weeklong summer session with a question in mind, engage with experts and independent school educators from around the world, and leave with tools, new relationships, and strategies to forge lasting change.

‍FORGE is curiosity made collective. You’ll meet fellow leaders from a wide range of schools and roles who are as excited as you to form a change-forging collective. You’ll learn strategies to tackle your own questions, while you give and receive valuable peer feedback.

What will you gain at FORGE?



Clarity of purpose
‍FORGE your question into a concrete plan.



Supportive Cohort
‍Leave with a dedicated network of thought partners.



Leadership Tools
‍Practice strategic listening, data-informed decision making, systems awareness, and reflection.

Momentum & Accountability
‍Extend the experience with monthly small group coaching sessions on Zoom focused on implementing your plan.



What are some of the question past participants have tackled?

How might we help new advisors prepare for their role? (Upper School Dean)
How do we develop equitable grading practices in middle school? (Teacher)
How do we nurture inclusive practices in a polarized environment? (DEIB Practitioner)
How can we collaborate more efficiently across departments to expand our marketing and communications strategies to increase outreach and visibility for our school? (Director of Admissions)
How might I build AI literacy in my department? (Department Chair)
How can we design a system to support and evaluate new teachers, taking into account their range of past experiences? (Head of Middle School)
How might I respond to data indicating that students don’t feel a sense of belonging in my department? (Department Chair)

What do past participants say?

FORGE At A Glance

What is FORGE?
A professional leadership lab providing time, tools, and thought partners to help you build your capacity as a change leader.

Who is FORGE for?
Anyone seeking to make a focused change in their school
‍
When and where?
The 2026 summer workshop will be held from Monday, July 13 through Friday, July 17 at the Chauncey Center in Princeton, NJ. Online coaching session during the 2026-2027 school year are cooperatively scheduled.
‍
What are the next steps?
Registration is open! The FORGE registration fee covers the summer workshop, accommodations and meals at the Chauncey Center, and all coaching and online sessions.
Early Bird Registration is $3,700
After 1/16, Registration is $3,900

Why "FORGE?"

Bending iron is hard, but with the right heat, tools, technique, and purposeful strikes, it can be done – and to beautiful and creative effect. In FORGE, educators step into a creative, iterative process — honing skills and attention, testing ideas and tools, and reshaping practice that morphs into meaningful change.

FORGE Facilitators & Faculty Speakers

The research-based, collaborative leadership coaching I experienced in the FORGE program has helped me to create joyful and meaningful professional learning for individuals at all levels of my organization, with the goal of building a collective culture at my school that values continuous learning and active growth. The week-long summer intensive connected me with a cohort of fantastic independent school practitioners whose passion for their work inspired me toward greatness in my own endeavors. I know we will continue to benefit from each other’s professional wisdom even beyond the summer intensive and subsequent coaching sessions. A special thanks to the leaders of FORGE who shared their wisdom in high-impact plenary sessions and who facilitated deep work on our individual problems of practice!

Derek Reinhold

KSI '16, FORGE '25, Dean of Innovation and Learning, Southwest Christian School, TX

FORGE completely surpassed my expectations and was highly impactful in helping me form a leadership community and build relationships with others undertaking challenging work at their schools. The cohort model not only helped with these relationships but allowed for authentic peer and mentor collaboration. The programming allowed me to be deeply reflective about my own capacities, growth edges and how I can work to build capacity in others. Equity was at the forefront of all of our work and I walked away with practices that will allow me to keep centering this at my own school. This is without a doubt the most profound professional development experience I’ve ever had!

Kalli Ey

FORGE ’23, Trinity Episcopal School, Charlotte, NC

My participation in FORGE was one of the most meaningful professional development experiences I've ever had. The intense in-person shared time this summer learning and tackling complex problems together set a tone of collaboration and innovation, which I then carried with me into the school year. The periodic check-ins with my small group not only kept me accountable as I lived through the problem of practice I set out to address at FORGE, but it became a kind of lifeline to me. I looked forward to our virtual gatherings, knowing I would be leaning on and learning from a group of trusted educators whose feedback helped me continue to grow. The virtual sessions hosted by Klingenstein throughout the year, up to and including our recent closing meeting, were rooted in reflection, giving all of us a much-needed chance to pause, look back as well as forward, and recommit to the difficult but important tasks of working in and leading independent schools.

Marybeth Heyd

FORGE '23, Head of Lower School, Pike School, MA