Senior Director of Advanced Academics

Austin, TX, United States

Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -college, career, and beyond-so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

You can see all our job opportunities at https://kipptexas.org/join-our-team/.

Job Description

ROLE OVERVIEW:

The Senior Director of Advanced Academics works with the Managing Director of High Schools and Deputy Chief of School Leadership & KIPP Forward to help craft a plan for, and drive execution of advanced academics across our high school

community. The Senior Director of Advanced Academics will play a critical role in refining and implementing our vision for advanced academics for all and in partnering with school leaders to improve achievement in advanced academics. As a matter of equity, all KIPPsters deserve both access to and the ability to succeed in equitable advanced academics opportunities. Succeeding in advanced academics classes best positions our KIPPsters to be academically prepared to succeed in college

classes and to explore their own interests so that they are best positioned to lead lives of choice. As such, our Senior Director of Advanced Academics will be responsible for keeping equity explicitly at the center and forefront of their work with schools and shareholders.

General Role Description

• Equity Based Leadership: Model equitable practices while teaching and insisting that School Leaders and school leader managers also be models of equitable practices in their advanced academics decision making and disrupt

inequitable practices for both BIG and Little KIPPsters.

• Direction Setting : Collaborate with teammates across schools and functional teams to co-create and build investment into our advanced academics strategy. Work in partnership to build investment in advanced

academics for all and ensure systems support advanced academics achievement.

• Coaching : Coach and support school leaders and school leader managers in leadership competencies aligned to their individual professional learning plans, and specifically in the areas of equity based leadership, instructional leadership, leading through others, and leveraging impact and influence to drive transformational change.

• Data Analysis: Analyze data at the student-level through the regional levels in order to support School Leaders and school leader managers in setting rigorous goals around advanced academics enrollment and achievement and monitoring progress, particularly during Crescendo Season

• Professional Learning : Craft and lead professional learning experiences that are rigorous, aligned, and collaborative in service of building community within, and across, the high school community.

Duties and Responsibility

Working with the Managing Director of High Schools and Deputy Chief of School Leadership, the Achievement Director will:

•Co-Develop, implement and progress monitor org-wide initiative around advanced academics

•Manage a team of advanced academics achievement directors & indirectly manage advanced academics curriculum writers, assessment coordinators, and deans of advanced academics

•Coordinate across the School Leadership team to ensure vertical alignment

•Refine and implement advanced academics year plan aligned to state, regional and school level annual goals and targets

•Facilitate rigorous and engaging professional learning communities related to advanced academics

•Work in partnership with achievement directors and curriculum specialists to build expertise in AP/IB, with a particular focus on the quality of coaching of AP teachers

•Develop our leadership and teacher expertise in AP/IB courses, with a particular focus on increasing our number of AP readers

•Partner alongside achievement directors, curriculum specialist, and achievement specialists to ensure that curriculum is aligned with our vision for advanced academics, seeing these choices through from identification and development

through implementing rigorous training experiences for all stakeholders

•Support school leader managers and school leaders to hire, retain, and develop AP teachers and coaches

•Create and execute on systems to strategically gather input and feedback from School Leaders and school leader

managers to consistently ensure equity of voice in decision making processes

•Model anti-racist and equitable practices for school leader managers and School leaders while supporting both in becoming strong models for the teams they support and lead

•Partner with the testing coordinator to ensure that there is a strong vision for AP/IB testing with a focus on increasing the % of students sitting for each test

•Plan for, implement, and invest schools in developing a strong culture around AP/IB participation for both teachers and students

•Institute strong accountability and enabling systems to support schools in attaining strong student outcomes on AP/1B tests

•Work in partnership to define our AP/1B course sequence and strategically support priority AP/1B courses

•Support School Leaders and school leader managers by staying well-informed of current curricular and educational thoughts, trends, and practices, as well as, proposed legislation impacting the schools

•Support school leader managers in managing annual and long-term school planning as it pertains to advanced academics

•Plan and execute on high quality, aligned professional learning for School Leaders, school leader managers and teachers

•Assist school leader managers in the creation and implementation of high quality, rigorous professional learning opportunities for their portfolio of school leaders

•Ensure that school leader managers and School Leaders receive additional support in critical areas and priority courses

•Inform and advise KIPP Texas leadership about the programs, practices, and challenges of the schools

•Ensure that relevant stakeholders are updated about our progress toward our AP/1B long-term goals and Advanced CTE metrics

•Ensure school leader managers and school leaders are aware of policy updates at both the regional and state level.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Knowledge:

•Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a focus in Education preferred

•Proven success as a School Leader/principal

•Master's Degree preferred

•Success teaching AP/1B OR implementing AP/1B as a leader with similar population of students

Skills:

•Excellent attention to detail and a high level of accuracy required

•Excellent organizational and strategic thinking skills required

•Excellent leadership and management skills required; the ability to impact, influence, motivate, educate, coach, and inspire both internal and external audiences

•Expertise in AP in at least one content area; preferably has experience teaching AP courses for 2+ years and/or experience as an AP reader in at least one subject area

•Strong skills in the area of change management

•Ability to plan, make decisions, and execute based on unforeseen, future circumstances

•Strong work ethic coupled with an enthusiastic and passionate approach to work

•Articulate, professional demeanor with strong self-confidence and initiative

•Excellent interpersonal skills; Ability to function as both a catalyst and a coach, guiding people at all levels of the organization by utilizing a facilitative approach that results in advancing the learning and development of others

•Ability to clearly articulate and sell a vision, outline and detail a project plan, and follow up the articulations and outlines with thorough execution

•Public speaking

•Proven writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills

•Strong typing skills are required

•Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint)

•Proficiency using computers, printers, copy machines, and fax machines

•Commitment to the mission and vision of KIPP Texas

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is based on years of experience, degree of education, and level of expertise.

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas' benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance, fertility, and disability plans starting as low as $25/month.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

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