Kanchan Kant

2026 MAD/WPS TEACHER INNOVATION FELLOW

Kanchan Kant

2026 MAD/WPS TEACHER INNOVATION FELLOW

Bio

Kanchan Kant teaches Math and Computer Science Principles at Newton North High School in Newton, MA, where she has spent seven years designing learning environments grounded in equity, student agency, and joy. Drawing on frameworks like Building Thinking Classrooms and Universal Design for Learning, Kant works to ensure every student's potential is defined by their abilities and dreams, not their zip code or demographics. As Assistant Department Head of Mathematics, she also leads curriculum redesign and instructional coaching, with a focus on bias-resistant grading and culturally responsive practice.

Kanchan holds dual Master's degrees in Mathematics Education and Electrical Engineering, and was a fellow in the Transformative Leaders of Massachusetts program. She founded VaraWorks, an education consultancy supporting schools in translating equity values into sustainable classroom practice.

Her perspective as an educator has been deeply shaped by navigating two very different educational worlds — growing up in India's structured, high-stakes academic environment and then stepping into American classrooms that celebrate curiosity and individual student journeys. That experience gave her a rare lens for questioning what we take for granted in how we teach and who we design school for.

At the heart of all her work is a genuine love for mathematics — not as a set of procedures to master, but as a playground for creative thinking and problem-solving. She believes every student deserves to experience that joy, and spends her days finding new ways to make that happen.