Kapono Ciotti

Kapono Ciotti

Kapono Ciotti, PhD, attributes his educational philosophy to his own schooling experience in a progressive, social-constructivist school during his early years in Honolulu, Hawai’i. He taught in Honolulu and Dakar, Senegal, for over a decade before moving into school leadership. Kapono has led schools in the United States and Egypt, where he has put into practice the philosophy that students can make the world a better place, shifting school culture to impact-based education practice.

Kapono has worked internationally in educational change organizations, leading the work of deeper learning and place- and culture-based pedagogy. In these roles, he has trained teachers in over 100 schools and school districts across four continents, impacting hundreds of thousands of students. In addition, Kapono spent 15 years as national faculty for the National Association of Independent Schools in the diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice movement, facilitating national and international learning experiences. As a curriculum writer, he has authored multiple curricula for federal and nonprofit programs. His work has significantly contributed to the organizations What School Could Be, the Buck Institute, EdLeader21, the Pacific American Foundation, and many others.

Kapono holds a PhD in international education leadership from Northcentral University in San Diego, California, a master’s degree in social change and development from the University of Newcastle, Australia, in Callaghan, and a bachelor’s degree in language and culture from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He currently lives between Hawai’i, Cairo, and Dakar.