School Director Fellow

FirstLine Schools•New Orleans, LA

About The Position

The School Director will lead a school that is committed to the high achievement of its students and the ongoing development and well-being of its students, teachers and staff. The Director is accountable for ensuring the school is characterized by: Positive school culture that is nurturing, calm and orderly, aspirational, and motivational Rigorous and engaging classes through excellent instruction Personalized learning through systematic use of formative assessment layers of learning support, technology-assisted instruction, and strong special education programming Focus on results, learning, service, and collaboration A Leader Fellow serves in a leadership role for a defined one-year period as part of a structured development pathway. Fellows are expected to perform the full duties and responsibilities of the role while receiving targeted coaching and mentorship from a senior leader. The designation signals a developmental appointment focused on building leadership capacity while maintaining full accountability for role outcomes. After the one year period, the goal of the fellowship is that the person is able to assume a leadership role at FirstLine Schools, so long as there is a position available. The Fellow will be placed at a FirstLine School in a support capacity, partnering with school and network leaders to assist in advancing academic achievement and strengthening school culture. The Fellow will support the work of the Chief Academic Officer, School Director, School Principals, Assistant Principals, and Network Leaders by contributing to key initiatives, providing operational and instructional support, and helping to execute established priorities.

Requirements

Demonstrated record of success raising test scores in an open-admissions urban school
At least five years experience as a teacher in an open-admissions urban school teaching elementary school
At least two years of principal experience (or five years of assistant principal experience) in an open-admissions, urban school, with experience in developing instructional expertise
Record of success in leading adults; experience with management and supervision
Leadership experience with significant responsibility, preferably in a high-performing urban public school
Proficiency in using data in the decision-making process
Believe in every student’s ability to achieve in a rigorous college or career prep curriculum
Achieve results based on agreed-upon expectations
Take personal responsibility
Highly detail-oriented
Collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders
Share a commitment to creating great schools in New Orleans
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Model the FirstLine Commitments: We Keep Learning, We Work Together, We Are Helpful, We Are the Safekeepers of our Community, We Share Joy, We Show Results!
Occasional physical exertion is required, including exerting up to 20 pounds of force as needed to move objects

Nice To Haves

MA, MBA or M.ED

Responsibilities

Cultural leadership
Creates a culture of achievement aligned around a shared set of values that nurtures healthy social and emotional development
Instructional leadership
Ensures consistently strong teaching in every classroom through a shared vision of excellent teaching, engaging curriculum, and effective teacher professional development practices
Talent management
Recruits and retains highly effective staff
Ensures consistent, high-value performance management practices
Management and development of systems and resources
Provides quality services to parents, students, and teachers
Ensures a well-maintained facility
Diligently manages the school’s budget
Parent partnership
Works with parents as active partners in their children’s education through creating an inviting environment, effective communication practices, and providing a variety of opportunities for parents to support the school
Community relationships
Develops and maintains strong partnerships with community organizations to improve the quality education offered by the school and to ensure the school is a good neighbor
Student recruiting and admissions
Ensures the school is fully enrolled
Manages the school’s participation in the citywide enrollment system
School strategic management
Provides clarity for all staff around current priorities that will most leverage the school’s success
FirstLine organizational development and collaboration
Works with colleagues in other schools and the FirstLine Schools network team to continually improve the organization to help all of the schools in the network achieve their mission