The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, founded in 1950, is a voluntary association of 90 non-profit independent schools serving over 32,000 students from all Connecticut towns and many other states and countries. CAIS is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, a Recognized Accrediting Association in the State of Connecticut, and is affiliated with the National Association of Independent Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. It is governed by a Board of Trustees elected by the members and staffed by five full-time employees and 150 volunteers. CAIS brings professional development events to several thousand teachers, administrators trustees and students each year including The New England Teaching Seminars—now replicated across the country, Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century programs, and the CAIS Commission on Diversity in Independent Schools’ annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

It is the mission of CAIS to serve both independent education and the children and families of Connecticut by:

• working to foster independence and freedom of choice in education
• giving leadership and support to member schools in their pursuit of excellence, access, diversity and accountability
• fostering collaboration among member schools, and cooperation with other educational organizations and the public sphere
• providing appropriate services in keeping with models of best practice for each aspect of school life.

For CAIS, one of our foremost priorities is to create a work environment that reflects the diversity of the world in which we live and the schools we represent. Our goal is a team where each person can be themselves in a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

CAIS is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related conditions), parental status, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital, civil union, or domestic partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.