Dean of Instruction

School Overview

St. Louis Voices Academy of Media Arts is a new, innovative charter public school that serves students and families within the boundaries of St. Louis City. The school started with kindergarten through first grade and will add a grade each year, growing to kindergarten through fifth grade. St. Louis Voices Academy is a public charter school that leverages media arts and storytelling to equip students with the agency to excel academically, author their own futures, and make meaningful contributions in their communities. St. Louis Voices Academy is committed to media and storytelling, whole-child development, real-world inquiry, and progressive learner autonomy as design elements that allow the school to fulfill its mission.

Role Overview

The Dean of Instruction believes in the mission of St. Louis Voices Academy and shapes the vision of academic success for all students by setting high expectations for student success and ensuring that all decisions and actions are underpinned by those expectations. The DOI reports to the Head of Schools and leads the Instructional Leadership Team, which includes: Instructional Coach, SPED Coordinator, Teachers, and Apprentice Teachers. The Dean of Instruction nurtures a learning community of excellence and is committed to continuous improvement toward the attainment of our school goals and our students' graduate profile.

Mission Alignment

Mission-aligned members of the St. Louis Voices Academy community share the following dispositions:

• Dedication to the school's mission, vision, values, and graduate outcomes;
• Understanding that relationships are essential to working with students who have experienced the effects of poverty or trauma;
• Belief that our students have strengths and assets and build on these strengths in their work;
• A positive attitude and a solution-based approach to challenges in the workplace;
• Commitment to restorative justice as a means of addressing conflicts or challenges in the community, whether between students, staff members, or students and staff members;
• Commitment to inclusive excellence, including a willingness to engage in conversations about privilege, power, equity, and diversity and to invest time in community-building and professional development based on inclusive excellence;
• Active participants in a supportive and demanding professional community that fosters respect, trust, honesty, risk-taking, open-mindedness, flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Instructional and School Leadership

• Provide exemplary leadership to all members of the school community to achieve outstanding performance in the school's mission of preparing each student to excel academically;
• Work to improve student achievement by leading the educational program dramatically;
• Effectively manage faculty and staff;
• Develop and communicate the school's systems, culture, and vision, and create a plan to achieve that vision;
• Oversee curriculum development and assessment;
• Implement effective internal and external assessment systems and use data to inform decisions;
• Plans and leads professional development that improves teaching and learning;
• Ensure strong consistency within the school program and curricular alignment with state and other rigorous standards;
• Select and share effective curricular and instructional practices from and with other schools

Evaluation & Feedback

• Oversee faculty and staff of the school, including recruitment, selection, evaluation, supervision, retention, and dismissal;
• Manage teaching staff, including professional development, staff observations, curriculum development, staff communication, and scheduling and program decisions;
• Lead faculty to ensure that all staff are providing well-managed and rigorous daily lessons and facilitating student inquiry and autonomy, supporting student learning outside the classroom;
• Foster commitment among faculty and staff to the development and fulfillment of the school's mission and objectives;
• Hold teachers accountable for meeting high standards for student academic and behavioral performance;
• Work with staff on all curricular, instructional, assessment, and professional development issues and activities to ensure data drives classroom instruction;
• Work with staff to foster consistency among staff in enforcing the Student and Family Handbook and other school-wide discipline policies;
• Facilitate positive faculty dynamics;
• Work with SPED Coordinator to ensure 504 accommodations, IEP modifications, ELL, and counseling needs are met as needed.

Family Support

• Maintain communication and relations with the families of the school, ensuring they are kept involved with and held accountable for their children's academic and behavioral performance;
• Communicate as needed with families regarding student performance and academic achievement;
• Work with staff to correspond regularly with families regarding school policies, trips, events, and milestones;
• Work with staff to plan, coordinate, and support family meetings and special events;
• Respond to family concerns promptly and effectively.

Student Support/School Culture

Collaborate with Dean of School Operations to:

• Maximize the ability of the school to support student's academic and socio-emotional development.
• Provide leadership to all staff and students in establishing a positive, structured, achievement-oriented, and fun school culture;
• Oversee students' academic and behavioral program, including disciplinary decisions, enforcement of the Student and Family Handbook, scheduling and class decisions, educational program, and assessment and accountability;
• Ensure that traditions and rituals that support the school's college mission are being created and maintained, grade by grade, year to year;
• Foster consistency in academic and behavioral expectations in and out of class;
  Ensure effective exam preparation to ensure student success

Organizational Leadership

• Demonstrate a relentless drive to improve the minds and lives of students in and out of school;
• Help oversee school-wide strategic planning and problem-solving.
• Work with Dean of Operations and Dean of Culture and Intervention, to lead the school's administrative program.

Other

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Five years of successful experience in school leadership, Master's degree preferred, and Missouri Teacher/Principal certification preferred.
• Evidence of alignment with school's mission: leveraging media and storytelling to equip students with the agency to excel academically, author their own futures, and make meaningful contributions to the communities;
• Evidence of alignment with St. Louis Voices Academy's core values: community, commitment, courage, confidence, compassion, and celebration;
• Demonstrated commitment to educational equity and a deep understanding of drivers of the opportunity gap;
• Working knowledge of outcomes-based curricular design, student-learning assessment techniques, program evaluation models, student-centered learning, learning theories, technology-enhanced teaching and learning, and effective online teaching methodologies;
• The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds;
• Be a highly collaborative, results-oriented, adaptable, problem-solving self-starter who seeks feedback to continue professional growth. Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Additional Information

St. Louis Voices Academy offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package. Aside from extensive professional development, all our staff members are equipped with laptops, email, and all necessary supplies. Performance is evaluated by the Executive Director and Head of School in accordance with St. Louis Voices Academy's human resources policy.

St. Louis Voices Academy believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

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