Kaya Henderson (born July 1, 1970) is an American educator, activist, and civil servant who served as Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) from November 2010 to September 2016.

Intrigued by why her friend would give up lucrative jobs in order to teach in inner-city schools, Henderson learned more about the organization and became convinced its goals were important to her.

[5] Rhee resigned as Chancellor effective October 31, 2010, after her political backer, Adrian Fenty, lost renomination as Mayor of the District of Columbia in the 2010 Democratic primary.

According to the District of Columbia Office of Government Ethics, Henderson asked Chartwells, a contractor providing breakfast, lunch, and other food to the school system, for a $100,000 contribution for an event honoring high-quality teachers in the DCPS.

[9] On April 12, 2017, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that Henderson gave preferential treatment to some city officials and members of the public by granting permission for their children to enroll in schools outside the normal attendance boundaries.

[10] Henderson approved transfers for Rashad Young, the City Administrator, and Courtney Snowden, the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, but declined the request from a Vietnamese family with a deaf child who sought to attend a school with sign language instruction.