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19 Feb
2021
School Network Staff Dean of Students
Job Description
Background
Libertas School of Memphis is a Montessori, liberal arts public charter elementary school serving a high-need neighborhood in Memphis. Our mission is to be a school for human flourishing: cultivating minds, hands, and hearts for lives of wonder, work, and love. We offer students from preschool through fifth grade a rich, rigorous, and personalized education through Montessori learning, supported with rich liberal arts content through Core Knowledge, and the best practices of high-performing urban schools. Our school culture emphasizes forming character virtues, implementing restorative practices, and fostering an attachment village of supports between school, families, and our community.
Role summary: Lead our “Attachment Village” team in supporting students, families, and teachers around social-emotional and behavior needs, in line with our school philosophy and culture of attachment relationships, restorative practices, meaningful work, and virtue.
Role information
- Full-time, following school calendar. School hours approximately 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM (4:30 PM on Wednesdays). Often participates in Child Study Team meetings on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays until 4:00. Assist with periodic events outside of the normal schedule. Limited and flexible planning work during summer break.
- Reports to: Principal
- Supervises: Assistant Deans, Social Work intern, Behavior Interventionist or Assistant
- Key relationships: Director of Operations, Student Supports Coordinator, School Counselor, Family Engagement Coordinator, Academic Coordinator, Teachers & Assistant Teachers, office staff, service provider partners, students, families
Measures of success
- 85% satisfaction among stakeholders (including teachers and families)
- 85% retention of team
- Implementation of restorative practices and tiered intervention plan
- Student behavior goals: decrease total and repeated referrals; limit suspensions; maximize learning time in classroom and minimize time spent out of class; etc.
- Compliance with laws and policies around student discipline, isolation/restraint, etc.
- Satisfactory performance evaluations
- Other indicators
Key responsibilities
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- School Culture: Model, promote, and lead our school culture in all interactions with students, staff, and families. Work with other leaders to define school culture initiatives. Lead implementation of school systems and procedures.
- Behavior and social emotional support: Oversee the Attachment Village (AV) team in planning and implementing protocols and supports, fostering positive relationships, ensuring appropriate limits for student behavior, assisting children during calm-down, facilitating reconnection and restoration of relationships and repair as needed, resolving conflict, implementing school discipline policies, record keeping and reporting, communicating and conducting meetings with families, leading proactive skill-building groups, and observing children on support docket. Coach and collaborate with teachers around culture, behavior, and discipline. Make final discipline and suspension determinations. Oversee and support the implementation of our “Virtue Circles” curriculum for teaching character and social-emotional practices in the classroom setting.
- Leadership: Oversee designated staff, conducting regular goal setting and status meetings, and ensuring their performance and professional development opportunities. Participate proactively in schoolwide reflection and decision-making opportunities.
- Professional Development: Train, coach, and support school staff in implementing Montessori-aligned restorative discipline practices across the school.
- Child study: Regularly participate in the child study process to help identify and address student needs. Gather data, provide interventions, and support implementation.
- Partners: Manage student referrals to outside partners and providers; ensure that the AV team coordinates effectively with external partners: e.g. U of M Social Work program, Anaya / Youth Villages, school district partners, etc.
- Other: Lead or support other school initiatives as needed, including family engagement opportunities; serve as Child Abuse Coordinator; participate as member of the School Safety Team; other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and traits
- Significant experience working successfully with children with challenging behaviors and social-emotional needs
- Proven effectiveness in leading, training, and coaching teachers and professionals
- Warm and firm demeanor
- Understanding of and commitment to restorative discipline practices
- Interest in Montessori learning and commitment to learning about the Montessori philosophy
- Knowledge of Special Education and school discipline laws and policies
- Effective communication skills, including listening, writing, and speaking
- Ability to multitask while staying organized and attentive to detail
- Flexible, takes initiative, and has a strong sense of personal ownership of responsibilities
- Work collaboratively and with a growth mindset; give and receive feedback in a spirit of craftsmanship
- Model of character and virtue
- Dedication to support human flourishing through the Montessori method and the school’s philosophy of wonder, work, and love for all students
Compensation
- Salary/wage competitive with the local school district and nearby charter schools.
- Eligible for increases, bonuses, or stipends for performance or additional duties.
- Investment in faculty professional development and growth.
- Paid sick leave. Deferred pay model distributes salary throughout the year (including breaks and vacations).
- Full time employees are eligible for health insurance benefits, which we sponsor at an above-market rate (approx. 80% covered by employer for all levels of coverage). We also offer dental, vision, and other benefits, and retirement plans similar to local schools.
