Principal - Secondary (2026-2027)

About the Role

Fort Worth ISD is seeking a results-driven principal to lead a school community in alignment with our district's Strategic Plan and commitment to academic excellence. As a key instructional leader, you will champion high-quality instruction, data-driven decision-making, and a culture of excellence and equity to ensure all students develop strong foundations for long-term success. Principals play a critical role in implementing rigorous academic programs, developing strong educators, and fostering meaningful family and community engagement. The ideal candidate will be a strategic, equity-focused leader with a proven ability to drive student achievement, cultivate a positive school culture, and ensure effective instructional practices that strengthen literacy and learning in all subject areas.

Responsibilities

Effective Instruction

• Implements highly effective routines, instructional strategies, and experiences for all students across all core content areas.
• Implements highly effective, evidence-based literacy practices and initiatives embedded into the campus improvement plan, ensuring robust instructional practices and targeted interventions support students in achieving grade-level reading proficiency.
• Collects, analyzes, and monitors multiple forms of data to inform instruction, intervention decisions, and maximize growth and achievement for all student groups.
• Leverages resources effectively to respond in a timely manner to all students' needs.
• Ensures the implementation of high-quality, effective classroom instructional strategies that improve performance of all students and student groups, ensuring equity and eliminating achievement gaps.
• Ensures the use of student-level data to drive continuous improvement, ensuring every student has sufficient opportunity to meet and exceed standards.
• Ensures daily demonstrations of student learning inform data-driven instruction and reinforce high-quality Tier 1 teaching practices to assess student mastery of state standards.
• Ensures fidelity to high-quality instructional materials by promoting teacher lesson internalization and alignment with state standards, assessments, and district curricula.
• Facilitates access to high-quality instructional resources and professional development.

Positive School Culture

• Aligns the Fort Worth ISD’s vision, mission, and goals to a safe environment and high expectations.
• Establishes and communicates clear expectations and systems for behaviors, including social and emotional supports.
• Establishes and implements a shared vision and culture of collective responsibility with high expectations for staff and students.
• Communicates, collaborates, and builds strong relationships with teachers, staff, students, parents, and community and business partners.
• Leads strategies to proactively provide and coordinate student support services.
• Involves and coordinates family and community involvement in productive activities.

Effective, Well-Supported Teachers

• Recruits, selects, assigns, and inducts highly effective educators.
• Conducts rigorous and calibrated observations.
• Provides support and real-time coaching to promote instructional improvement.
• Personalizes and aligns professional development.
• Coaches and develops teachers by providing actionable feedback to improve the quality of instruction.

Effective School Leadership and Planning

• Creates a high-performing, skilled leadership team through real-time coaching, observations, and professional development opportunities to increase student achievement and attendance.
• Adheres to and applies the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators.
• Addresses leadership and instructional priorities through focused time and calendar meetings.
• Leads focused planning processes with strategic monitoring of outcomes.
• Productively manages change processes.
• Models personal commitment to developing self and others.
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with all stakeholders.
• Strategically plans and ensures campus operations and resources promote the academic success and well-being of each student.
• Manages resources (people, financial, equipment) effectively to support the organizational goals.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervises and evaluates the performance of staff assigned to campus including assistant principal(s), teacher(s), counselor(s), librarian(s), instructional aides, clerical support staff, and custodians.

Personal Work Relationships

• Maintains a commitment to the district's mission, vision, and strategic goals.
• Exhibits high professionalism, standards of conduct, and work ethic.
• Develops and uses effective conflict-management and consensus-building skills.
• Demonstrates high-quality customer service; builds rapport/relationship with the consumer.
• Demonstrates cultural competence in interactions with others; is respectful of co-workers; communicates and performs as a team player; promotes teamwork; responds and acts appropriately in confrontational situations.

Other Duties

• Performs all job-related duties as assigned and in accordance with Board rules, policies, and regulations.
• Complies with lawful directives in rare situations driven by need where a team effort is required.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Education or a directly related field required. Degree in School Administration preferred.
• Valid Texas Mid-Management or Principal Certification required for in-state applicants. Out-of-state applicants must be currently certified from another state and become Texas Certified prior to being hired.
• T-TESS and T-PESS Certification required if hired.
• Five years of experience in education, with at least two years in a leadership role demonstrating successful impact required.
• Administrative experience as a Principal, Assistant Principal, or Dean of Instruction preferred.
• Experience in inner-city schools with diverse populations preferred.
• Bilingual proficiency (English/Spanish) preferred in some settings.

Skills

• Knowledge of federal and state guidelines and district policies and procedures regarding all student services and programs.
• Knowledge of best practices in administration, program evaluation, and staff supervision, including principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership techniques, and coordination of people and resources.
• Knowledge of current teaching methods and educational pedagogy, as well as differentiated instruction.
• Knowledge of data information systems, data analysis, and the formulation of action plans.
• Knowledge of secondary school curriculum and concepts.
• Knowledge and understanding of evidence-based literacy instruction.
• Skill in judgment and creativity in decision-making, together with the use of qualitative and quantitative data to make decisions about teaching and learning, including student and teacher assessment.
• Ability to consider academic, social, and emotional needs of students in making decisions about academic settings and accommodations for individual students.
• Ability to differentiate instructional support for experienced and new teachers.
• Ability to establish program goals and objectives that support the strategic plan and develop and implement plans in all areas of the instructional program.
• Ability to use computer network systems and software applications as needed.
• Ability to organize multiple tasks and implement effective time management techniques.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with students, parents, staff, community, and stakeholders in a multi-ethnic educational environment.
• Ability to engage in self-evaluation with regard to leadership, performance, and professional growth.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with others contacted in the course of work.

Physical & Mental Demands

• Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office and classroom equipment, including Promethean Board, computer, and peripherals.
• Posture: Prolonged sitting and standing; occasional stooping, squatting, kneeling, bending, pushing/pulling, and twisting.
• Motion: Frequent repetitive hand motions, including keyboarding and use of mouse; occasional reaching.
• Lifting: Occasional light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds).
• Environment: Works in an office setting; works irregular and/or prolonged hours; works inside and outside (exposure to sun, heat, cold, and inclement weather); exposure to noise.
• Attendance: Regular and punctual attendance at the worksite is required for this position.
• Mental Demands: Maintains emotional control under stress; works with frequent interruptions.

Travel Requirements

Travels to school district buildings and professional meetings as required.