Educational Leadership Consulting

benefits-educatorsInternationally acclaimed authors and seminar leaders Ariel & Shya Kane are approved, licensed vendors for the NYC Department of Education (Vendor #ARI225637 01). Since 1987, the Kanes have been offering individual coaching, personal development, professional development and executive excellence courses. They have successfully coached and worked with educators, including principals, administrators, mentors teachers, teachers and teaching assistants, in the area of professional development and teacher effectiveness. After leading workshops around the world for over 30 years, the Kanes’ consulting is accompanied by rich resources, including over 600 podcasts, a database of articles, numerous videos and six award-winning books.

The Kanes’ approach to leadership and teamwork is a highly effective, unique exploration into the nature of communication, especially listening, which can be applied everywhere from the classroom to educational leadership.  Using an anthropological approach, their programs serve as a non-judgmental laboratory that reveals and helps to dissolve those common, unaware, reflexive behaviors that are counterproductive in an educational environment. As a result, teachers and school leaders have been able to establish stronger cultures for learning and raise expectations for student performance.

Through interactive dialog, practical demonstrations and exercises, participants discover their own abilities as effective communicators and come away with an expanded sense of confidence and competence, a direct experience of how to foster teamwork and a more straightforward, natural and effective way of communicating with fellow teachers, staff and in the classroom with students. Other key benefits include:

  • Dramatically improved communication and listening skills resulting in higher student achievement
  • Ability to operate as both a leader and a team player
  • Greater personal effectiveness in meeting the demands of educational initiatives and requirements
  • Expanded ability to respond to the needs of students
  • Greater rapport with students, managers, co-workers, and staff
  • Ability to give directions and instructions in a way that elicits a positive response, resulting in a safer and more positive school environment
  • Greater job satisfaction and sense of self-expression
  • Less job related stress
  • Greater ease in dealing with “problem” situations


In the Kanes’ interactive seminars, educators will discover the keys to managing the demands of teaching with ease while expanding their ability to be productive, effective and satisfied. Participants will gain tools to create effective environments in which all students can reach their full potential.

Educators are invited to participate in Speak Up! or any of the Kanes’ upcoming seminars. For more information, visit their Event Calendar page.

What Educators Are Saying About Communication and Effectiveness Immersion Seminars with the Kanes:

JodiAttending the workshops with Ariel & Shya Kane has dramatically shifted my approach to teaching, planning, supporting ‘challenging’ students and coaching teachers. The Kanes have taught me to engage in my environment by looking and seeing what needs to be done then doing it. As a result, my students thrive and I’m able to successfully impact the lives of students and teachers in public schools all over NYC.Jodi A., Literacy Coach, NYC

UrsulaAs a piano and singing teacher for the last 30 years I thought I knew what teaching was all about – I loved my profession, my students and had good success in what I was doing. After meeting the Kanes and working with them for over 10 years now, a whole new world has opened up in my teaching. Listening to my students now naturally includes their soul, heart and the current magical moment of our lives that we share during our work. It’s so touching, endlessly inspiring and satisfying!Ursula O., Piano & Singing Teacher, St. Gallen, Switzerland

LenoreAs a communications professional who has participated in many different forms of professional development, I find the Kanes’ approach to be far and away the most effective. Since attending their courses, I have organically developed the ability to concisely and precisely express myself so that communications are effortlessly delivered. In addition I have gained the ability to see when a student is not grasping the material or concepts that his or her professor is teaching so that I can adjust and address his or her needs in real time. Perhaps most beneficial is that I can now bridge the gap between cultures so that all parties involved feel seen and heard.Lenore C., Sign Language Interpreter, Montclair, NJ

HollyMy sense of joy and curiosity has been rekindled by working with the Kanes. This seminar provided me with the tools to share that with my teachers and our students.Holly R., Assistant Principal, NYC Schools

DagmarThe Kanes have perfected the art of listening – true listening. Attending their seminars has taught me to how to be there for my students and really listen to them. This has changed the way I relate to them, made teaching a lot less stressful and led me back to being a better teacher.Dagmar W., Secondary School Teacher, PhD, Hamburg, Germany

SusanTaking workshops with Ariel and Shya Kane has made a profound impact on my ability to connect with my students. As a voice and speech teacher, listening is my job. The Kanes taught me the power of truly listening to my students, which has produced excellent results. Student participation, creativity and productivity have increased. The shift from learning to knowing has become instantaneous. My students are motivated, engaged and empowered to express themselves with confidence and ease. They are also scoring higher on their annual reviews. The Kanes’ techniques have become an essential part of my teacher’s toolkit.Susan F., Voice & Speech Teacher, Juilliard, Atlantic Theater Acting School

LeahThe Kanes’ seminars have had a profound impact on my work as a coach. They have given me the confidence to trust myself and the tools to have effective and rewarding communication with my clients and colleagues. The results are amazing. Stress has fallen away and I’m able to clearly and quickly identify the needs of each individual client. Both myself and my clients come away from our sessions together feeling energized and empowered. It’s a whole new level of productivity and well being and it feels great!Leah S., Social Media Coach, Brooklyn, NY

AndreaAttending seminars with Ariel and Shya Kane transformed my teaching from being an exhausting job into a passionate, fun and easy exploration. I’m now able to listen to my students and teach them singing in a way that is perfect for THEM. I learned that I don’t need to know where a lesson has to start and how it should end – all I need to do is be with my students and everything that needs to be adressed shows up naturally.Andrea W., Singing Teacher, Basel, Switzerland

AndySince I’ve participated in Ariel & Shya Kane’s workshops, my ability to listen to my students has risen to a new level. Regardless of class size, it feels like I’m working with each student individually. I know what their interests are, I know their blind spots, I know when to push them to the next level and when to be patient. My students feel like they can express their ideas freely and do so; they learn from each other and I learn from them. My classes are crazy fun and always evolving. All of this comes from being able to truly listen to them as individuals, a by-product of attending the Kane’s workshops. I am so very thankful!Andy S., Acting Teacher, NYC

HeikeListening as the key to being in the moment, as the Kanes explain it, is a wonderful teaching tool. For my students of any age, when they feel they are really heard, they relax and suddenly there is an ease in everything they do and teaching becomes pure joy. For me as a teacher, I am now able to stay centered, see what the students need in each moment and be of service, rather than take habitual behavior such as temper tantrums personally.Heike W., Drama Teacher, Cologne, Germany

Attending seminars and engaging in educational leadership coaching with the Kanes has led to the following shifts in my work as a high school principal:

  • Improved teacher follow-up on observations due to my increased ability to give feedback immediately and directly
  • Stronger teacher teamwork that has resulted in improved curriculum, lesson planning, data analysis of student results, and teacher reflection, as well as improved whole-school evaluations
  • Smoother operational systems in all aspects of the school, including attendance, safety, budget and purchasing, and scheduling
    Improved school environment and student behavior

Julie N., High School Principal