Chief Academic Officer Beginning Summer 2013
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Posted By: How May I Help You NC on February 11, 2013 Unlocking Potential is a nonprofit school management organization whose mission is to rapidly transform chronically underperforming district schools into extraordinary schools that sustain high achievement over time. Our turnaround schools ensure that students acquire the knowledge, skills, and strength of character necessary to succeed on the path to college and to achieve their full potential. UP Academy Charter School of Boston, Unlocking Potential’s first turnaround middle school, opened in summer 2011 as an in-district charter school serving almost 500 students in grades 6-8. In summer 2012, we launched our second turnaround middle school in Lawrence, MA. UP Academy Lawrence Middle School will serve more than 300 6th-8th grade students in fall 2013. In summer 2013, we will launch UP Academy Charter School of Dorchester, our first turnaround K1-5 school, as an in-district charter school in Dorchester, MA, pending city and state approval. We intend to launch our fourth turnaround school in summer 2013 in a gateway city north of Boston. Role: The Chief Academic Officer will manage the vision and strategy of what high quality instruction looks like within Unlocking Potential schools, including but not limited to strategy regarding special education students, students who are English Language Learners, and students who are struggling to meet the academic or behavioral standards set within the schools. The Chief Academic Officer will manage instructional leaders of Unlocking Potential’s turnaround schools and the Director of Special Education for Unlocking Potential’s home office. S/he will also work on developing a robust and meaningful plan through which organization-wide professional development is planned, executed, and evaluated. S/he will oversee the development and roll-out of aligned curriculum and assessments across Unlocking Potential schools. S/he will develop and implement a vision for outstanding high school placement and graduate support across the network. The Chief Academic Officer reports directly to the CEO and serves on Unlocking Potential’s senior leadership team. Specific Responsibilities: • Unlocking Potential Growth and Strategy o Work with leadership team to evaluate strategic external and internal issues and to identify proposed solutions; o Work with leadership team to set annual organizational goals; o Assist the CEO in the development of a strategic plan and scalability of the existing instructional model that will ensure excellence and high standards as Unlocking Potential expands to serve more students; and o Assist CEO with stakeholder engagement as needed (i.e. lead key stakeholder meetings, etc.). • Academic Leadership o Provide organizational leadership regarding academics; o Oversee the development of an aligned curriculum and assessment tools across schools; o Oversee the development of programs to support ELL and Special Education students enrolled in Unlocking Potential Schools; o Oversee the development of programs to support students struggling to meet the academic and behavior expectations within the schools; o Oversee the development of an organizational strategy related to high school readiness; and o Oversee the roll-out of aligned curriculum and assessment at Unlocking Potential Schools. • School Leadership o Provide scalable instructional program leadership to all school leaders with specific responsibility for planning, development, implementation, assessment and improvement across all current and future schools; o Develop, lead, and manage principals in their roles as instructional leaders and managers; o Monitor, provide feedback to, and evaluate principals; o Determine and implement the organization’s academic priorities; o Review assessment tools on a regular basis and analyze performance for effectiveness in improving student achievement; o Support leadership at schools to ensure high quality implementation of the schools’ educational design, including standards, assessments, instructional guidelines, and the school culture; o Assist school leaders in monitoring and evaluating effectiveness of programs as well as identifying and acquiring appropriate program resources to ensure that curricula are student-focused and aligned with school’s mission and goals; o Facilitate collaboration among principals and school sites; o Collaborate with school leaders on hiring of staff when appropriate; o Assist school leaders with on-boarding of new teachers and staff; and o Support school leaders on creating coherency in culture and routines within the school culture. • High School Placement and Graduate Support o Develop a vision for effective high school placement and graduate support across the Unlocking Potential network (i.e. in Boston and in Lawrence); o Translate vision into three-year strategic, financial, and implementation plan for student pathways and graduate support to be fully operational by the 2015-16 academic year; o Oversee implementation of three-year high school placement and graduate support plan; and o Develop metrics through which success of high school placement and graduate support program is measured and partner with districts to collect and analyze relevant data against metrics • Professional Development o Develop a vision around Unlocking Potential professional development, including scopes and sequences for the development of new and experienced teachers and leaders; o Determine organizational priorities related to professional development for all school-based staff members; o When appropriate, plan, execute, and evaluate organization-wide professional development activities and events; and o Create systems through which professional development is rigorously developed, executed, and evaluated. Qualifications: • A bachelor’s degree (a master’s degree is strongly preferred); • At least 5-7 years of work experience (experience in school leadership is strongly preferred); • A passionate belief in Unlocking Potential’s mission, values, and educational model; • An ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and a capacity to remain calm and focused when faced with unexpected challenges; • Strong written and oral communication skills; • An obsessive attention to detail; • An ability to manage multiple projects and assignments at one time; • A sense of humility in the face of success; and • The ability to take initiative, prioritize tasks, and work independently. Compensation: We offer a competitive compensation package, including, when relevant, a salary equal to (and in some cases above) the district scale and comprehensive health benefits. To Apply: If you are interested in applying for this position, please visit http://www.unlocking-potential.org/careero... and formally apply for this position through our on-line application system. Unlocking Potential is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or qualified job applicants on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other status or condition protected by applicable law. This policy extends to, but is not limited to, recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, promotion, training and termination. Click this link to view and apply for this job! If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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How May I Help You NC
Management, See Moss Interactive Bellarmine University class of 2021 Member Since January 2011 |
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