Chris Kunkel

Background

About Chris Kunkel

Christine (“Chris”) Kunkel began her career in education as a basketball coach and middle school science teacher. Eventually, her love for teaching and coaching led her to the Key School in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Key School (also known as the Key Learning Community) has been credited by Howard Gardner as “The World’s First Multiple Intelligences School.” While teaching at Key, Chris was asked by founding principal, Pat Bolaños, to accept the position of assistant principal and focus on developing and implementing these progressive school ideals within a secondary public school setting. After Mrs. Bolaños’ untimely death in 2003, Dr. Kunkel became principal of the innovative K-12 Key Program and continued to focus on bringing authentic education to urban students. In 2010, she accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership at Rhode Island College where she brings her voice to the field as an academic. She now teaches Educational Leadership courses and studies authentic ways to determine school success, beyond standardized testing. She has been invited to share her expertise in implementing the Multiple Intelligences in K-12 schools at Harvard University's Project Zero Institute, as well as in Barcelona, Spain; Bangalore, India; Mexico City, and across the US. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Rhode Island College.