This week, we are excited to profile Kyleen Carpenter, an extraordinary educational leader whose spirit defines Blackstone Academy Charter School in Rhode Island.
Discovering the Spirit of Education
Kyleen Carpenter didn’t set out to lead a school – she set out to ignite a spirt of change. Over the past two decades, she has done just that as the founding Head of School at Blackstone Academy in Rhode Island.
Kyleen grew up in the rural heart of Connecticut on a small farm that had been in her family for generations. With a family of farmers and factory workers, Kyleen’s upbringing was rooted in hard work, modest expectations, and a self-driven enthusiasm for academics—but without clear pathways to higher education.
“I was a nerd. All of my friends were nerds, too. We loved to read, engage in nerdy discussions, and even do extra homework,” she said. “When I hit high school and got involved in various activities, it became clear that I wanted to attend college – especially since no one in my family had gone before me.”
That enthusiasm, along with the encouragement of a high school guidance counselor, propelled her to Amherst College, where she majored in Spanish and psychology. It was also at Amherst that Kyleen first began to reckon with issues of privilege, access, and educational inequality.
Awakening a Spirit of Purpose
After graduation, Kyleen followed her passion for language and learning into the classroom, teaching Spanish at independent schools in the Boston suburbs. While her classrooms offered abundant resources and global opportunities, she saw students from marginalized communities being bussed in from downtown Boston.
“I saw the many burdens these kids had to shoulder, and thankfully, many teachers and classmates were understanding and sensitive to that,” said Kyleen. “But there were always some who weren’t – and watching that, over and over, just made my stomach turn.”
Driven to address that imbalance, she earned a prestigious summer fellowship at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University and then to Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she studied the SPIRIT program – an initiative aimed at helping middle school students in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, Rhode Island.
This summer program provided students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds with an intensive learning experience that emphasized enjoyment in learning through community engagement, group projects, and social-emotional growth. Its name captured what Kyleen valued most: the spirit of joy, resilience, and connectedness in learning. Nearly 90% of SPIRIT students report enhanced academic and interpersonal skills after attending the program, and over 85% go on to higher education.
Kyleen taught with the SPIRIT program for nine summers. When the program director proposed starting a charter school modeled after the program’s ethos, Kyleen jumped at the opportunity. She spent years visiting schools, researching best practices, and planning alongside a dedicated team. In 2002, Blackstone Academy received its charter and opened its doors with just 85 students. Kyleen became its founding Head of School and the spirit of that summer initiative became the heartbeat of Blackstone Academy from day one.
Though new to administration, Kyleen relied on the relational skills she honed through teaching and mentorship.
“I had no administrative training,” said Kyleen, “but I knew how to build relationships. I knew how to listen. Leadership comes naturally to me because of how I approach problems – seeking input from all stakeholders and being diplomatic and thoughtful before rushing to decisions.”
Building a School with Spirit
Now, twenty-three years later, Kyleen is still leading Blackstone, and the school is thriving. “I think we must be doing something right and making a significant effort to stay true to our mission and vision,” she said.
According to Kyleen, the enduring success of Blackstone Academy can be attributed to one core principle: trust. From the school’s inception, the emphasis has been on building strong relationships, with everything else—curriculum, discipline, college counseling—falling into place as a result.
Blackstone emphasizes community-based projects, social-emotional learning (SEL) and mentorship, creating a deeply personal environment with its own traditions. “We’re unique. In the best way,” Kyleen said. “We’re informal, personal, and deeply consistent in ways that matter.”
That consistency isn’t just part of the culture—it is the culture. Students call teachers by their first names, advisors become trusted mentors, and traditions become anchors in a community where trust is hard-earned but deeply valued. The students that attend Blackstone are rooted in helping the community and their peers. Many graduates return as teachers, board members, and even parents of new students, carrying forward the same spirit that shaped their own journeys.
Michael Holman, a Blackstone alumnus, captured it best in a video tribute for the school’s 20th anniversary: “I just want to say thank you, Kyleen. You have done things that no other teacher has ever done. You went above and beyond for me. And till this day, it’s still paying off.” His words, shared nine years after graduating, are a testament to the enduring spirit Kyleen instills in her students.
“Our kids have faced disappointment—often from systems and adults. We don’t do that here. We show up. We stay.”
Though it started small, the school now serves 350 students and boasts a high graduation and college matriculation rate.
A Spirit of Adaptability
As a charter school, Blackstone enjoys the flexibility to respond quickly to student needs. “If something’s broken, we don’t wait a year to fix it,” Kyleen said. “We can address it next week, even tomorrow.”
That adaptability has shaped how the school approaches post-graduation success. “At first, we pushed every student toward college,” she said. “But now we’re smarter. We recognize that success looks different for everyone. Some of our students thrive in trades, some are entrepreneurs, and some are artists – and that’s beautiful.”
A Spirit of Global Curiosity
Kyleen’s leadership has also evolved, grounded in her experiences abroad. In 2020, she was selected for the Fulbright Leaders program. The program allowed her to explore Finland’s renowned education system, where a focus on teacher trust, student well-being, and joyful learning drives educational success. During her time in Finland, Kyleen visited multiple schools and teacher training programs, deepening her understanding of how global education systems prioritize the whole child – an approach that perfectly aligns with Blackstone’s mission.
Her experience with the Fulbright program affirmed Kyleen’s belief in the power of a holistic approach to education and reinforced the work she has done to implement a teacher-led, inquiry-based model at Blackstone Academy. With a focus on social-emotional learning and strong relationships among staff, students, and families, the school empowers students to explore opportunities and develop a passion for learning.
“What we do is really hard. But if your mission and vision are sound—and if they truly meet a need in the community—then you can do it,” Kyleen. “You have to stay committed. You must hire people who believe in that mission just as much as you do.”
A Spirit of Advocacy and Unity
In addition to championing her students, Kyleen has been a passionate advocate for charter schools in Rhode Island.
As Jed has covered over the years, Rhode Island’s charter schools operate in one of the most demanding advocacy environments in the country – conditions that make strong, spirited leadership all the more essential.
In June 2019, researchers from Johns Hopkins Institute exposed deep systemic dysfunction in Providence Public Schools – a wake-up call about the urgent need to reimagine public education in the state. Since then, charter schools like Blackstone have come to represent a hopeful path forward, but as policy makers have sought to increase charter school impact, pushback from status quo interests has been intense.
Rhode Island’s experience underscores the importance of strong charter support organizations. Kyleen has served on the executive committee of the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools for six years. All 20 of the state’s charter schools contribute to the League to develop and sustain the advocacy capacity needed to confront serious challenges. This collective commitment has given Rhode Island’s charter sector a level of influence and resilience that many larger states still struggle to achieve.
“The reason we are united as a sector is that we must work together to counter these threats,” she said. “Our unity is essential in how we present ourselves to the legislature, the general public, and potential national grant funders. Our collaboration is crucial and ongoing.”
In a landscape marked by challenge, Kyleen Carpenter stands as a reminder of what’s possible when a school is built – and sustained – with unwavering spirit.