INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER / SYSTEMS DESIGNER

M. Ignash . Chennai

16 years
in international education — AP & IB programmes across the US, Thailand, China, and India.
Grades 6–12
Head of department, leading a team of 8 teachers and 2 lab technicians.
Data systems
building school data systems and developing data literacy that informs decisions.
AI for literacy
Supporting staff and student literacy and capacity with AI.
Where I start

I start with wellbeing. When students and staff are looked after, a school has the steadiness to ask the questions that matter: what education is for, where it is heading, and how we move with it rather than against it.

What I do
01

Instructional leadership

PLCs, moderation, coaching, and curriculum coherence that teams can own.

02

Innovation & systems design

In-house AI and data tools, and research that tests what actually works.

03

People & operational leadership

Team leadership, staff growth, budget, and whole-school systems.

What I keep coming back to

Above all, wellbeing. It sits at the heart of every system I design and lead.

Capacity before toolsGrowing people matters more than adding platforms. It shows in the PD I run for staff and technicians and the AI literacy sessions I lead for colleagues.
Fair and transparent systemsFairness comes from systems that are open and consistent. I built Compass Point as an equitable route into leadership and an IA moderation tool that keeps marking calibrated.
AI used carefullyI would rather know how AI is really being used than guess. I ran a school-wide usage survey and am turning it into clear guidance and next steps.
Learning measured in skillsWhat students can do matters more than what they recall. It drives my BoodleBox and Flint pilot on skill-building and a map tracking skills across grades 6 to 12.

Selected work

View all eleven projects →
01

Vertical Alignment Dashboard

A live, shared map of skill development across grades 6 to 12. One view of a whole department, instead of scattered spreadsheets.

Systems & data↗
02

Digital Hall Pass

A whole-school movement system, led with a cross-functional IT and admin team. A coordinated process where there used to be paper.

Operations↗
03

Intergenerational AI Learning

A co-learning model where students and teachers learn AI together, focused on the skills they build.

Co-design↗

Writing & media

All writing & talks →
Substack · 12+ essays

Practical classroom AI, curriculum, and school systems

An ongoing series on building capacity before tools: what actually changes practice, and what just adds noise.
Podcasts & talks

The International Classroom

With Alex Gray, on building capacity for AI in international schools.

Smarter Campus

With Zach Kinzler, on the AI journey and how schools are using it now.

I develop people, redesign learning, and build the systems that make schools run.

With 16 years in education, my work centres around wellbeing, curriculum, systems thinking, data systems, and AI literacy. My approach to develop is focused on building capacity in others and alignment.

Read the CV See the work