Who We Are

Founded in 1971, New York Interschool is a non-profit, tax-exempt consortium of eight Manhattan independent schools (Brearley, Browning, Chapin, Collegiate, Dalton, Nightingale-Bamford, Spence and Trinity) known for their high academic standards, outstanding teaching, and traditions of quality. Collectively, the schools enroll some 5,000 students and employ approximately 1,000 faculty and staff.

Our Purpose and Mission:

The purpose of Interschool is to share the special resources and talents of each of the schools with the other schools in the consortium, thereby supplementing what each school can do on its own.   Interschool runs collaborative curricular and extracurricular programs that serve students, teachers, administrators, trustees and parents and link the schools to the great New York City community.   The eight Heads of School compose the Board of Directors.

The mission of Interschool is to develop programs that serve the educational goals of its member schools and the independent school community at large, providing for enrichment through collaboration to students, faculty, administrators, trustees and parents.  

Interschool also sponsors the Faculty Diversity Search program which seeks to recruit and place teachers of color and other under-represented minorities in New York City independent schools.    Each year we work with approximately 25 member schools and and over 50 screened candidates to make nuanced matches between school culture, job availability and the talents and strengths of our candidates.   In 2010, out of the 50 selected candidates FDS worked with, we placed 25 candidates of color in independent schools in New York City.

History of Interschool:

In 1971, Interschool was formed to provide after school programming for the single sex independent schools in Manhattan.   It offered recreational, cultural and some academic classes to students in these schools.   As the students lives became busier and more schools were providing their own after school programming, Interschool changed its focus to provide professional development, best practice sharing and collegial support for faculty and administrators in these schools.   Currently Interschool works with students, faculty, administrators, parents and trustees to explore large, overarching topics of mutual interest and generate tangible initiatives around them.

Examples of current Interschool programs:

  • professional development and best practice sharing for faculty and administrators
  • academic sharing and joint courses for students, including joint foreign study opportunities
  • peer leadership activities for high school students, including a winter retreat for tenth graders
  • service learning and civic engagement projects in New York City
  • cultural activities including music festivals and language immersion opportunities for middle and upper school students
  • work with Parents Associations and Boards of Trustees to focus on issue oriented special events and speakers

New York Interschool Leadership and Staff:

Cathy Cramer
Executive Director of New York Interschool and the Faculty Diversity Search
E-mail: ccramer [at] interschool [dot] org

Brandie Clarke
Associate Director
E-mail: bclarke [at] interschool [dot] org

Jaleh Amouzegar
Consultant in the Faculty Diversity Search
E-mail: jamouzegar [at] brearley [dot] org

Pat Ranard
Consultant in the Faculty Diversity Search
E-mail: pranard [at] spenceschool [dot] org

Mail address:
378 West End Avenue, Room 706
New York, NY 10024

Tel: 212-501-0031

Fax: 212-501-8310