Principal or Vice Principal Founding Principal – New Models in Career & Technical Education
Job Description
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY
The Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) works to give every child in America’s fifth largest city the opportunity to attend a great school. We invest philanthropic funds in high-impact schools so they can serve more low-income students—whether they be in the traditional public, public charter or private sectors. Our aim is to catalyze the creation or transformation of enough schools to ensure better options for 50,000 students, or nearly one in four of all Philadelphia schoolchildren. Since 2011 PSP has invested in more than 50 schools, creating new educational opportunity for 25,000 students. PSP also works to create the conditions that enable great schools to grow and thrive, including a strong pipeline of qualified teachers and principals, resources and initiatives to empower parents and families, and policies that enable entrepreneurial school leadership and create opportunity for high-performing schools to grow. Additionally, PSP invests to catalyze collaboration, facilitating the sharing of best practices among schools and support organizations. Nonpartisan and data-driven, we work with government officials, business leaders, education leaders and practitioners, and community groups to pursue the promise of a great school for every child.
PSP believes that in a city as large as Philadelphia, there is not one best or right kind of school. Two hundred forty thousand children need a wide variety of schools from which to choose. The city has numerous examples of high-performing schools, and they span all three primary sectors: charter schools, district schools and private/Catholic schools. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of quality options in all three sectors. More than 35,000 students sit on waiting lists for the city’s best schools—which include private, charter, district magnet, and district neighborhood schools. Our work centers on leveraging philanthropic capital to attract entrepreneurial leadership and overcome inertia and financial and political barriers so that Philadelphia can have more great schools.
Like all cities, Philadelphia has finite resources for K-12 education. PSP believes the route to effectively educating all of the city’s children lies in fomenting and sustaining an educational ecosystem that steers resources toward effective schools, regardless of sector or type of school, so they can grow; increases equity of access to all school choices for families; and utilizes multiple measures of school performance to hold schools accountable for outcomes, thus ensuring support and—if necessary—intervention for struggling schools.
Quality career & technical education programs are a vital need in the current educational ecosystem. These programs provide students with varied pathways through which they can prepare for high-skill, high-wage jobs in high-demand industries.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Founding Principal will fill a one- to two-year consulting role at the Philadelphia School Partnership. The Principal will be responsible for designing a career & technical/early college school model that can be started, and eventually replicated, in Philadelphia. CTE provides students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in 21st century careers and to become lifelong learners. The work of the Principal will include exploring opportunities and barriers, identifying potential partner institutions (especially employers, whose engagement is vital to high-quality CTE), securing the right conditions, and establishing a design and programming in order to launch a CTE school in Philadelphia in 2019 or 2020. The Principal will determine the optimal system and structure for the new school, which could in the end operate within the local school district, as an independent charter school or as a private school. The Principal will have the opportunity to lead the school once it is open.
The CTE Founding Principal will report to the Managing Director of School Investments and will work closely with the PSP School Investment Team.
PSP is an equal-opportunity employer with good benefits and an entrepreneurial, results-oriented work culture.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Phase 1: Planning the School
• Collaborate with the School Investment Team to cultivate PSP’s CTE Initiative
• Conduct a feasibility/readiness study and identify challenges to be solved
• Identify K-12, Industry, and College Partners, conduct outreach, & leverage partnerships
• Gain a deep understanding of PA education regulations that pertain to secondary and post-secondary education
• Engage with the PSP Board on CTE Initiatives and participate on the Board CTE Task Force
• Establish partnerships and launch a Steering Committee and Planning Team
• Conduct Excellent School Visits to learn from other successful CTE/Early College models
• Participate in ongoing Leadership Development through attending conferences, working with consultants within the field, etc.
• Produce a comprehensive written plan that includes the conditions, design, and programming to start a new school
• Other duties as assigned
Phase 2: Securing the School
• Develop and finalize MOUs with participating K-12, Industry, and College Partners
• Work with PSP’s development team and other partners to secure funding; including possibly private, federal, and state funding
• Establish a diverse Board and Governance structures for the school
• Submit application for new school to the Charter School Office or other authorizing entity and gain approval for new school
• Research and identify a school facility that will allow the school model to thrive
• Network and hire for school leadership team
• Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
• Commitment to the mission of the Philadelphia School Partnership
• Thrives working in an outcomes-focused, goals-driven organization
• Holds an exceptional educational track record in raising student achievement and wishes to design and open a CTE school in Philadelphia
• A self-starter who takes initiative
• Experience planning and leading a secondary school
• Strategic thinker with strong project management skills (organized; attention to detail)
• Demonstrated resourcefulness and creativity in an entrepreneurial setting
• Ability to work with a wide variety of constituents and partners; strong relationship builder
• Confidence working under pressure of deadlines
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and desire to work as part of a team
• Ability to work independently, solve problems and be flexible
• Experience developing and leading projects that involve multiple stakeholders
• Willingness and desire to participate in unexpected projects
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of high school leadership experience, preferably in a CTE/Early College setting
• Experience in either the district or charter sector is a plus
• Experience working with underserved students and communities a plus
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required such as:
• Traveling to schools – valid driver’s license and/or access to transportation when necessary
• Functioning in office space – reaching file cabinets, filing, faxing, scanning, coping, typing, mailing, making phone calls
• Must be able to sit for up to two hours looking at a computer monitor, using a keyboard/mouse and typing
• Must be able to lift up to 25lbs on a frequent basis
Salary commensurate with experience, along with excellent benefits.
A modest relocation package may also be available for out-of-state candidates.
