Company Description

About KIPP Baltimore

The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), is a non-profit network of 280 college-preparatory, public charter schools serving nearly 175,000 elementary, middle and high school students.

KIPP Baltimore was founded in 2002 with the opening of KIPP Ujima Village Academy middle school. In 2009, KIPP Harmony Academy was launched, and they now collectively serve more than 1,500 kindergarten through eighth grade students each day. Both schools are operated by KIPP Baltimore, whose mission is together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. The KIPP Baltimore Schools are part of the free public school system and enrollment is open to all students in Baltimore City.

In addition to the high-quality academic opportunities that students receive while attending KIPP Harmony Academy and KIPP Ujima Village Academy, KIPP Baltimore also makes a long-term investment in our students both while they are at KIPP schools and beyond through the KIPP Forward program. KIPP Forward supports and guides students to gain admission to college-preparatory high schools and helps them succeed and stay on the path to and through college and careers. Today, our KIPP Forward program serves more than 1,100 KIPP alumni. More than 90 percent of our alumni have graduated from high school within four years and 70 percent have matriculated to college.

Job Description

ROLE OVERVIEW:

The School Leader’s primary job is to drive academic and character outcomes for students. We expect our School Leaders to focus 75% of their time on instructional leadership, specifically all of the activities involved in leading and developing teachers to improve their instruction and drive student achievement. At KIPP, we also expect our School Leaders to build lasting and sustainable organizations by developing a pipeline of future School Leaders and creating systems for the ongoing development of school staff. The School Leader is responsible for developing his/her successor and the leadership capacity of his/her staff.

JOB SUMMARY:

Reporting to Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) and supervised by the KIPP Baltimore’s Chief Academic Officer, the KIPP Ujima Village Academy Principal will lead all instructional activities and programming with the goal of setting a clear school vision that is ambitious and rigorous, while driving student achievement and instructional leadership.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Set ambitious school-wide vision and goals, aligned with the KIPP Baltimore, that lead students on a path to and through college
• Plan and prioritize time and resources to achieve annual goals
• Cultivate a diverse, high-potential school leadership pipeline (from teacher leader to AP to successor) and develop leadership team members by teaching and insisting that they are true owners of the work and coaching and assigning stretch activities
• Model expectations for leaders, teachers, and students on school-wide practices for a positive learning culture
• Develop systems and structures to hire and retain diverse, highly-effective staff
• Build own and school staff’s knowledge and expertise in effective instructional design and academic standards
  • Develop teachers’ conceptual understanding of what students must know and be able to do and what instructional methods drive student mastery
  • Develop knowledge of how standards map to curriculum and assessment
• Develop teachers to provide rigorous and high quality instruction
  • Lead analysis of, and develop teachers’ ability to analyze, student data to identify strategies that will move students toward mastery
  • Regularly observe and coach instructional leaders to ensure they are providing high-impact, actionable and bite-sized feedback to teachers on a weekly basis
  • Ensure teachers can collaborate, analyze their practice and their student data, and adjust instruction in content teams
  • Lead whole-school professional development workshops that drive highest-impact improvements in teacher practice
• Cultivate School Leader’s own success and sustainability by engaging lifelines and renewing to get stronger

COMPETENCIES: The exceptional candidate will excel in the following competencies:

• Student Focus: Belief that all students, regardless of background, have the ability to go to and through college; demonstrated commitment to the school’s unique community
• Direction Setting: Ability to set direction across an entire school and motivate others to action
• Performance Management: Demonstrated student achievement results from teachers and leaders that he/she manages and coaches
• Talent Development: Demonstrated success in developing leadership capacity in others
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated ability to create inclusive environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
• Instructional Leadership: Adept at data analysis; ability to extract meaningful insights across school-wide data
• Instructional Leadership: Expertise in what the school-wide academic standards and state assessments require of students’ knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery; able to translate student mastery requirements into instructional plans and strategies
• Instructional Leadership: Deep understanding of appropriate application and differentiation of high-leverage instructional strategies (e.g. make kids sweat, pacing, stretch it, etc.) based on comprehension of child development and pedagogy
• Instructional Leadership: Command of instructional design and the benefits and tradeoffs of school design decisions in driving student achievement
• Achievement Orientation: Demonstrated resilience and focus on student outcomes

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education or related field from an accredited college or university.
• MSDE Advanced Professional Certificate with an endorsement as Principal/Supervisor or Admin II.
• Five years of administrative/supervisory experience, teacher classroom experience preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership with the ability to lead people and get results through others.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks with a willingness to be flexible when needed.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, demonstrating strong organizational and follow up skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Positive attitude, enthusiasm and energy.
• Proficient in MS Office products, internet and industry specific software programs
• Experience using data analysis to facilitate and support decision making
• Experience in an urban education environment preferred
• Demonstration of effective teaching and learning practices
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Excellent interpersonal, human relations, and stress and conflict management skills
• Excellent planning, goal setting, coordinating, problem analysis and decision-making skills
• Ability to facilitate and lead change initiatives and embrace innovation
• Ability to effectively manage time and multiple priorities
• Ability to effective engage parents and community

Additional Information

Compensation: The BCPSS Assistant Principal Position and the district will set the salary using their Pathway scale. More information can be found here: Baltimore City Public Schools Employee Benefits Guide

Start Date: July 1, 2023.

This position will be an employee of Baltimore City Public Schools. Interested candidates are also required to submit an application in the Baltimore City Public Schools’ applicant tracking system.

• You'll need to upload the following documents to your profile to be considered:
  • MSDE Administrator II Certification
  • Resume with at least 5 years supervisory/leadership experience
  • All higher education transcripts

QUESTIONS? Please contact Hilarie Yoffe, Recruitment Manager, at hyoffe@kippbaltimore or 410-564-9241.

Statement of Non-Discrimination: KIPP Baltimore is committed to the ideal of diversity in its student body and in its faculty and staff. KIPP Baltimore does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or ethnicity. We are strongly committed to hiring a diverse and multicultural staff and encourage applications from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.