Assistant Principal

Atlas Elementary•St. Louis, MO

11d

About The Position

The Assistant Principal at Atlas Elementary School serves as a key instructional and culture leader, responsible for ensuring strong academic outcomes and a thriving school community across assigned grade bands. This role blends instructional coaching, culture leadership, and day to day operational oversight to ensure that every classroom delivers rigorous, engaging instruction within a safe, joyful, and orderly environment. The Assistant Principal works in close partnership with the Principal and the Head of Curriculum and Instruction to drive continuous improvement in teaching and learning. The AP provides direct coaching and feedback to teachers and assistant teachers, monitors the quality and consistency of instruction and cultural practices throughout the school day, and leads proactive problem solving when challenges arise. As a highly visible and hands-on leader, the Assistant Principal plays a critical role in building teacher capacity, strengthening grade level systems, and ensuring that all students are supported to thrive academically and socially.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Education or a related field preferred.
Valid administrative credential preferred.
Demonstrated success as a high performing classroom teacher, with a strong track record of driving measurable student achievement and cultivating a positive classroom culture.
Experience as a teacher leader, instructional coach, grade level chair, or department lead required. Evidence of successfully leading adult learning, facilitating team meetings, and influencing instructional practice beyond one’s own classroom.
Proven ability to coach and manage adults, including conducting observations, delivering clear and actionable feedback, setting growth goals, and holding team members accountable for results.
Deep understanding of standards aligned curriculum and effective instructional strategies, with the ability to support teachers in lesson internalization, data driven instruction, and differentiated support.
Strong interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills, with the ability to build trust while maintaining high expectations.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary manager and coach for teachers within assigned grade bands, driving continuous growth in instructional quality, professionalism, and student outcomes.
Lead curriculum implementation with fidelity by ensuring deep understanding, strong lesson internalization, standards alignment, and purposeful planning.
Provide consistent, high-quality feedback through frequent observations (formal/informal), actionable next steps, progress tracking, and accountability for growth goals.
Facilitate rigorous grade-level team meetings and individualized coaching; develop teacher capacity via targeted PD, mentorship, and leadership opportunities; drive performance management with clear expectations, evaluations, and timely intervention.
Provide proactive, visible leadership throughout the entire school day to ensure strong instruction and a cohesive, positive school culture from arrival to dismissal.
Lead and coach “bell to bell” excellence with real-time observation, feedback, and support for consistent high-quality instruction and cultural practices.
Oversee and strengthen key moments (Morning Meeting, content blocks, transitions, interventions, lunch/recess, advisory, Closing Circle) to align with schoolwide expectations.
Maintain strong systems, visible presence, and strategic problem-solving across grade bands to reinforce expectations, ensure engagement/rigor, and resolve issues sustainably.
Champion high-quality, standards-aligned instruction across assigned grade bands to ensure strong academic growth for all students.
Drive rigorous lesson design and internalization by partnering with teachers to unpack standards, clarify objectives, align to curriculum, and build responsive, engaging lessons.
Lead data-driven instruction cycles through analysis of assessments, student work, and trends; guide adjustments, targeted interventions, and progress monitoring.
Strengthen tiered supports, promote research-aligned practices, and model/calibrate excellence via demonstration lessons, co-planning, and co-teaching.
Lead the development and sustainability of a strong, consistent, and joyful culture across assigned grade bands, ensuring every student and staff member experiences a safe, respectful, and high-expectations learning environment.
Strengthen grade-level culture systems with clear, preventative behavior expectations, routines, and accountability structures aligned to schoolwide values.
Build inclusive school community, respond to concerns with care and consistency (including restorative practices), and coach teachers in classroom management and relationship-building.
Engage families as partners through grade-band initiatives and communication; use culture data (discipline, attendance, climate feedback) to identify trends and drive targeted improvements.
Ensure seamless continuity of instruction and strong classroom culture during staff absences or unexpected coverage needs.
Lead proactive coverage planning in partnership with the Principal and operations team to prioritize instructional continuity and student engagement.
Hold teachers accountable for high-quality substitute plans with clear objectives, materials, behavior expectations, and detailed procedures.
Maintain visibility through targeted walkthroughs/check-ins; problem-solve in real time by reallocating resources or stepping in to preserve safe, orderly, academically focused classrooms.
Operate as an integral member of the school leadership team, ensuring strong alignment, communication, and shared accountability for student outcomes and staff performance.
Report to Principal with clear, data-grounded updates on grade-band performance, instructional/cultural health, challenges, and proposed solutions.
Partner closely with Head of Curriculum & Instruction and fellow instructional leaders to align coaching, expectations, PD, and student experience across grade levels/content areas.
Actively contribute to leadership team meetings, strategic planning, and schoolwide initiatives while modeling transparency, trust, and shared accountability.