Assistant Principal

Position Title: Assistant Principal

Reports To: Principal

Civitas Education Partners, (CEP) seeks to produce high-performing schools where elite scholarship and transformational experiences create thriving campuses, foster responsive leadership, and serve local and global communities. CEP is a school management organization that operates three campuses of Chicago International Charter School (CICS), CICS Ralph Ellison High School, CICS Northtown Academy High School, and CICS Wrightwood Elementary School. CEP aims to provide its teams and students with an exceptional experience rooted in high expectations for student achievement and civic responsibility.

Position Summary:

The Civitas Assistant Principal provides effective leadership, management, and supervision that promote learning for each student and staff member. They lead teams to ensure that student academic and personal-social experiences produce the next generation's agents of change. They are stewards for learning student learning, staff learning, and parent learning. Civitas assistant principals act to support the mission and vision of the school and facilitate initiatives that help the school meet its needs and achieve its goals. Assistant principals work with teams on data driven instructional practices, conflict resolution, team building, and collaboration. Assistant principals coach and evaluate personnel. Under the direction of the principal, assistant principals manage the day-to-day operations of the school to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all students, staff, and families. Their work leads to a well-organized school with a positive climate and vibrant culture.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are generally representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Key Competencies/Duties:

Manages school operations effectively and efficiently, ensuring a well-organized, welcoming, safe school.

• Builds and/or revises the master schedule effectively to support students' needs and interests.
• Revises and publishes course catalog annually.
• Develops and implements protocols for informing staff of staff-leadership opportunities within the school, establishing an application process, determining recipients of opportunities, and communicating expectations with recipients.
• Ensures tracking and communication of additional compensation for internal substitute teaching, staff-leadership, coaching, overtime, etc. in order to promote accurate and timely pay for services.
• Supervises and directs the work of the office managers, facilities team, and security personnel.
• Supervises and directs the work of staff and school teams as directed by the principal.
• Sets and implements policies pertaining to visitor access, main office protocols and expectations, safety and security, cleaning cycles, grounds maintenance, etc.
• Develops and implements purchasing protocols for the school.
• Ensures that materials, equipment, and platforms needed for instruction, counseling, supervision, and support of students are ordered in a timely manner.
• Develops and directs initiatives that support and maintain strong enrollment, meeting school goals.
• Manages, supervises and revises registration processes.
• Ensures that compliance obligations are met within published deadlines.
• Demonstrates an ability to utilize technology effectively to create and manage systems and professional obligations.
• Organizes and communicates the school calendar internally and externally. Ensures that traditional events and celebrations are calendared appropriately.
• Ensures the development of a vibrant, active student life program.
• Advises principal on policy changes.
• Generally supports and improves school operations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Manages staff professionally and effectively, and in keeping with school and network policies and contractual requirements.

• Maintains a culture of high expectations and drive for excellence.
• Leads initiatives to shape professional practice in regards to curriculum, instruction, assessment, classroom management, student support services, and discipline.
• Engages staff in reflecting on and shifting practices.
• Leads staff groups in addressing problems of practice.
• Provides frequent, targeted, meaningful feedback to staff in regards to performance.
• Confronts low expectations, conduct and practices that undermine the school's mission and goals.
• Confronts unethical conduct, mistreatment of students or staff directly, issuing discipline when appropriate and alerting the proper authorities when necessary.
• Handles disciplinary matters professionally and in compliance with contractual requirements.
• Ensures that staff understand performance expectations and the evaluation system.

Focuses staff on outcomes, in keeping with the mission, vision, and goals of the school.

• Leads meaningful data cycles for school teams; monitors the application and effects of data-driven decisions.
• Collects, analyzes, and evaluates data to determine school, department, and programming strengths and areas for growth. Leads staff through analyzing and applying data to shift practices.
• Conducts crucial conversations based on student performance and survey data for the purpose of enhancing student learning and on-campus experiences.
• Works to achieve metrics that support the school's needs.
• Leads or supports programs aimed at improving student performance (i.e. RTI, MTSS, etc.).

Ensures that curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices are aligned with student needs and school goals.

• Reviews instructional and assessment practices, suggesting research-based changes to practices and policies in order to support student growth, achievement, and post-secondary access and success.
• Develops expertise on instructional models, curriculum, and grading protocols, creating clear pathways for teachers to sharpen skills in these areas.
• Promotes and models use of technology to enhance student access to the curriculum, engagement, and learning.
• Evaluates and presents on curricular and instructional alignment.

Engages teachers and staff in reflecting on and improving professional practices.

• Engages staff in the use of research-based, evidence-driven, effective instructional and assessment practices, the construction and implementation of a rigorous academic program, and the development of high expectations for student learning in every classroom,
• Leads data cycles for teachers, counselors, deans, and instructional coaches, and other staff.
• Ensures professional learning for staff that enhance student learning, engagement, personal-social growth, and conduct.
• Leads professional development to promote improvements in professional practice.

Builds and maintains collaborative relationships.

• Creates, develops and sustains relationships that result in active teacher and student engagement in the learning process and the school community.
• Collects and analyzes feedback of students, staff, families, and community in the evaluation of school programs and policies, shares results, and develops a course of action based on data.
• Develops and leads professional learning within schools and the network.
• Leads initiatives, generating staff or student buy-in and meaningful participation.
• Leads with a balance of compassion and empathy, along with accountability and guidance.

Works to support the development and maintenance of a positive school climate and vibrant, active student-centered school culture.

• Supports an environment rooted in caring, compassion, acceptance, and respect, where kindness is celebrated.
• Confronts behaviors that detract from students, staff, and families feeling valued and respected.
• Promotes the celebration of accomplishments and developments, particularly those that support and reflect the school's vision and mission.
• Develops and maintains a teacher/staff leadership program that strengthens staff members' ability and opportunity to employ creativity and innovation to promote school improvement.
• Creates a student-centered culture to generate productive student leadership and to engage students in non-traditional learning and roles.

Attends to and fulfills professional responsibilities as defined by the network, district, and state.

• Leads with integrity and professionalism at all times, even in the face of conflict or ambiguity.
• Acts to reflect a service orientation, grounded in compassion and partnership, reflecting the mission and vision of the school and elevating the school's image in the community.
• Ensures that compliance obligations are fulfilled accurately and in a timely manner.
• Builds an environment that considers all aspects of wellness: physical, nutrition, health, safety, decisions and choices, mental as well as physical well-being.
• Plans and executes performance evaluation cycles in a timely manner and in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement in effect.
• Leads, develops, or supports a strong instructional coaching program.
• Attends, participates in, and leads meetings.
• Communicates professionally, attending to the tone of verbal and electronic communications, as well as the formatting, grammar, syntax and other elements that support clear messaging and elevate the perception of the school.
• Seeks purposeful professional development opportunities to sharpen and modernize practices.
• Other duties as assigned.

Reflects, supports, and promotes the mission and vision of the school as well as the principles of D.E.I.

• Demonstrates preparation and skill in working with students from diverse cultural, economic and ability backgrounds.
• Supports the creation of inclusive, identity-affirming spaces for students.
• Implements professional practice and responsibilities, demonstrating cultural competence.
• Implements D.E.I principles in interactions with members of the school community.

Qualifying Education/Licensure:

• Bachelor's Degree (Required)
• Master's Degree (Required)
• Illinois State Board of Education Professional Educators License (PEL) (K-8; 6-12; 9-12 - Required) or current, comparable out-of-state licensure (Required)
• A minimum of 5-8 years of successful teaching experience in a elementary or secondary school (Required)
• A minimum of 1 year of successful administrative or school leadership experience involving the supervision or evaluation of employees (Required)
• Bilingual Spanish/English; Arabic/English; Urdu/English (A Plus)

Other Qualifications:

• Experience supervising or evaluating staff (Required)
• Experience in urban school setting (Strongly Preferred)
• Strong technical skills - ability to work with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, presentation platforms and equipment, and student information databases, integrating these platforms when necessary (Required)

Salary and Benefits

Civitas Education Partners provides a highly competitive salary and benefits package. We are also committed to supporting professional growth and membership in local, state and national educational organizations.