Principal or Vice Principal Principal
Job Description
Overview
SUMMARY:
“Changing Lives, One Mind at a Time”
Memphis Academy of Health Sciences High School (MAHS) was Tennessee’s first public charter school to open its doors on July 21, 2003. Standing on the principles of Loyalty, Integrity, Ownership, Nobility and Service (LIONS), MAHS provides a structured learning environment that stresses integrity and commitment, both in and out of the classroom. The school’s objective is to promote a culture that fosters character development and growth, sparking a desire to excel in school and in life.
Our mission is to offer students a high-quality educational experience by providing a continuous health science-focused curriculum. We do this in partnerships with Baptist College of Health Sciences, Southwest Community College, Campbell University, Fisk University; and developing relationships with Moore Teach and TCAT with affiliation and dual enrollment agreements allowing our students early college admission as well as trade certifications in career paths in the fields of Health Administration, Population Health or Biomedical Science.
Opportunity:
Academy of Health Sciences Charter Management Group (AHSCMG) seeks an extraordinary educational leader to serve as Principal at the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences High School. Academy of Health Sciences is a non-profit Charter Management Organization operating Memphis Academy of Health Sciences High School and Middle School, as independent charter schools. Through educational leadership, the Principal is responsible for affecting quality instruction, general control and supervision of all certificated and classified employees assigned to serve in the school, as well as the overall administration of the school site. As the Principal, the Principal will, in his/her relationships with students, staff, and parents, exhibit a high degree of professional and personal integrity. He/she will, also, possess a professional record that demonstrates innovation, continuous improvement, the ability to motivate and inspire students and staff, sound management practices, high expectations for student success, as well as, a strong work ethic.
This role is a wonderful opportunity for a results driven team player who seeks to fulfill the mission of MAHS by providing a strong vision for rigorous instruction and the correlating coaching and support necessary to develop a team of phenomenal teachers who can grow and sustain strong character habits in students, resulting in diminished academic achievement gaps and increased college completion rates.
REPORTS TO: Executive Director
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
The following professional characteristics are required of the Principal:
A successful track record in modeling, supporting and providing high-quality teaching and learning, and a culture that expects high levels of achievement from students; The ability to ensure everyone’s work is focused on challenging all students to do their best work, encouraging student success; Evidence of participation in opportunities for continuous learning; Ability to provide the programs and services that ensure success for students with special needs.
Must possess strong and effective communication skills (writing, speaking, listening); A successful track record of valuing and respecting the staff, students, and parents; Leadership and management ability of effective improvement processes building on the strengths of the school, respecting its culture and supporting continuous learning and growth; Demonstrated support of r collaborative decision making processes; Ability to identify and implement strategies that will maintain good relations with the staff who represent themselves in discussions with the administration about compensation and work conditions; Evidence of success in motivating staff to do their best work. The ability to build support in the community for the vision, mission and principles of Memphis Academy of Health Sciences, and a high degree of ongoing awareness of programs, services, and activities occurring in the school.
Knowledge of effective practices and ability to strengthen the work of the governance team, including providing the Board with information and guidance required to conduct their work and a commitment to the importance of strategic planning; Evidence of strong fiscal accountability skills, creative and solutions decision making skills and facilities development.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Principal is responsible for the successful leadership and management of the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences High School according to the strategic direction of the Executive Director and the Board of Directors.
Key Leadership and Management Qualities:
- Provides visionary, collaborative and innovative educational leadership
- Has successful teaching and administration experience, with a pattern of increasing responsibility in education and administration
- Demonstrates leadership experience and success in challenging and engaging students at all points along the educational performance continuum
- Demonstrates strong decision making, problem solving and conflict resolution skills; able to make difficult decisions without being divisive
- Demonstrates strong financial intelligence and long term vision for fiscal stewardship; allocates resources according to school and CEO/board goals
- Demonstrates exceptional written and verbal communication skills
Instructional planning and management
The Principal will drive instruction and create a culture of academic ownership by:
- Setting astronomical goals for student growth and achievement;
- Leading the school-based leadership team and teachers to collectively and individually monitor academic progress of all scholars and analyze student achievement data to drive instructional decisions and change course as needed to ensure transformational academic outcomes;
- Ensuring scholars are prepared to be accepted to, enter, and succeed in the colleges and universities of their choosing by creating opportunities for scholars to master high-stakes entrance exams, successfully navigate the college admissions and financial aid process, and engage in an individualized college counseling and advising program;
- Fostering a school-wide culture in which students love learning, are obsessed with reading, think critically, and take ownership over their own academic and extracurricular progress and inquiry; and
- Building strong relationships with families, students, and staff to ensure collective investment in instructional priorities, initiatives, and expectations.
The Principal will empower and develop teachers and leaders by:
- Owning all aspects of leading, inspiring, managing, and developing a staff of dynamic, driven, and diverse individuals
- Setting clear, ambitious, and measurable short and long term goals and priorities for the school that align with Gateway University’s mission and values, investing the team in these goals and priorities, and making progress against these known to all teammates;
- Managing and coaching a school-based leadership team
- Leading and facilitating robust school-based professional development weekly that sets staff up to: master the fundamentals of classroom management, backwards-design planning and intellectual preparation, relationship-building and communication with scholars and families, data-driven action planning, and implementation of school wide cultural, academic, operational, and extracurricular systems and initiatives;
- Training and coaching leaders to effectively move individual teacher instructional practice and, subsequently, students
- academic achievement, through high-leverage and consistent observation and feedback cycles; and
- Creating a culture where all staff give and receive feedback fluidly both positive and constructive as part of daily practice to move the entire school forward.
Manage the schools growth and expansion by:
- Recruiting, selecting, and hiring top talent from across the nation to teach, lead, and support the mission and vision of the school;
- Managing the leadership team to develop culture and operational systems that create a school environment where scholars feel safe, able to take social and academic risks, and excited to come to school each day;
- Leading the school team to build deep relationships with families and scholars such that key stakeholders are inspired to remain with the school, and committed to persisting through challenges to produce scholars that are bound for success in college and in life;
- Overseeing the growth of the school (facilities as well as the academic and extracurricular program) as it expands to full growth over four years;
- Serving as a liaison to the broader Memphis (and national) educational community to champion the work MAHS is doing and build a network of supporters committed to seeing our scholars succeed; and
- Ensuring compliance of the school with the full scope of federal and state regulatory requirements.
Community relations/advocacy
- Communicate with stakeholders to keep them informed of the work of the school and to identify changes in the community served by the organization
- Establish good working relationships and collaborative arrangements with community groups, funders, politicians, and other organizations to help achieve the goals of the organization
QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with collaborative learning, personalized learning, project based learning, design thinking, is preferred
- Classroom teaching experience in the secondary grades (6-12), with proven track record of using data to exponentially increase student learning
- Bachelor’s degree is required; Master’s degree preferred
- Minimum of five (5) years’ experience as a successful leader in instruction, curriculum and assessment
- Basic technological/computer skills
Job Type: Full-time
Experience:
- Teaching: 5 years
- Leadership: 5 years
Education:
- Master’s
Location:
- Memphis, TN
License:
- Administration
- Teaching
