Who is Sonal?
Sonal Malpani is a master coach who, over the past twenty years, honed her expertise as an educator as classroom teacher, school-based mathematics coach, mathematics staff developer, coach of coaches, and leadership coach.
Sonal began her teaching career in the NYC public school system as an elementary bilingual classroom teacher in the South Bronx. She left New York City for several years, first to teach first grade at an elementary school abroad in Honduras and later to pursue her Master’s Degree in School Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Upon completion of her graduate coursework, Sonal returned to the New York City public schools, this time as one of the founding teachers of P.S. 503 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
During her tenure at P.S. 503, Sonal became a leader in the school’s math reform efforts, first as a classroom teacher, then as math lead teacher, and later on as a school-based math coach. Eager to improve her own math content knowledge, Sonal attended the Summer Institute of Math in the City (MitC) at the City College of the City of New York and took the yearlong teacher leader/coach math content course at MitC with Antonia Cameron and Cathy Fosnot, the co-directors of the MitC project. She also received intensive on-site math coaching from Ms. Cameron using a new and transformative model of content coaching called “coaching the coach.” Being coached using this model equipped Sonal with the essential tools of content coaching as well as a deep understanding of the interpersonal aspects of coaching from the perspectives of both coach and teacher.
As a math coach at P.S. 503, Sonal hosted several math teaching learning communities, where she publicly shared and reflected on her teaching and coaching practice with educators from across the city. These early experiences with math professional development helped Sonal gain invaluable insights into the complexities of school leadership and content coaching.
In 2012, Sonal joined Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities (MTLC) as a math staff developer. During her tenure there, Sonal continued to hone her content coaching skills and gain expertise as a professional development facilitator. She also cultivated her skillset for coaching coaches and principals. In 2020, Sonal joined the Reimagined Team. Since then, she has continued sharing her expertise and her love for math with educators across New York City and beyond.
During her tenure at P.S. 503, Sonal became a leader in the school’s math reform efforts, first as a classroom teacher, then as math lead teacher, and later on as a school-based math coach. Eager to improve her own math content knowledge, Sonal attended the Summer Institute of Math in the City (MitC) at the City College of the City of New York and took the yearlong teacher leader/coach math content course at MitC with Antonia Cameron and Cathy Fosnot, the co-directors of the MitC project. She also received intensive on-site math coaching from Ms. Cameron using a new and transformative model of content coaching called “coaching the coach.” Being coached using this model equipped Sonal with the essential tools of content coaching as well as a deep understanding of the interpersonal aspects of coaching from the perspectives of both coach and teacher.
As a math coach at P.S. 503, Sonal hosted several math teaching learning communities, where she publicly shared and reflected on her teaching and coaching practice with educators from across the city. These early experiences with math professional development helped Sonal gain invaluable insights into the complexities of school leadership and content coaching.
In 2012, Sonal joined Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities (MTLC) as a math staff developer. During her tenure there, Sonal continued to hone her content coaching skills and gain expertise as a professional development facilitator. She also cultivated her skillset for coaching coaches and principals. In 2020, Sonal joined the Reimagined Team. Since then, she has continued sharing her expertise and her love for math with educators across New York City and beyond.