SY 26-27 Principal in Residence

About the Role

Ascend Principals in Residence (PIRs) work closely with their mentor principal as the academic and cultural leaders of an Ascend school. Our PIRs are passionate about developing their staff and rally their teams to achieve ambitious school goals. Through the intentional creation of vibrant school communities, PIRs inspire staff and students to engage in rigorous and purposeful learning. They succeed when those under their care succeed, and they develop enduring and joyful relationships with students, teachers, and parents.

In addition to shadowing their host principal, PIRs participate in hands-on, collaborative professional development sessions on Saturdays, which are led by network directors with backgrounds in school leadership or other relevant specialized expertise. As part of this training, PIRs engage in individualized stretch projects that support a growth area aligned to the needs of the school. Additionally, they serve as an assistant principal for at least one grade or department within their host school, leading and managing all aspects of the assistant principal role.

Responsibilities

• Develops school’s ability to foster a culturally responsive classroom

• Collaborates with curriculum team to plan and execute curriculum and instruction that fosters student growth, creativity, and agency through aligned, culturally relevant materials and pedagogy

• Partners with principal to lead a team of secondary leaders to strengthen teachers' knowledge of highest priority standards and inquiry-based instructional practices

• Manages partnership of leadership team and special educations team to ensure that all students, including those with exceptionalities, have the access and support needed to achieve

• Establishes and leads a culture that results in a love of learning, student agency, and full range of student learning and growth

• Buils an engaged, diverse, and inclusive school community

• Serves as an assistant principal for at least one grade or department within their host school, leading and managing all aspects of the assistant principal role

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, with advanced degree preferred

• At least three years teaching experience with a proven track record of elevating student achievement

• At least two years of experience leading, managing, and coaching a team of adults that demonstrates ability to drive results through others

• A hunger for feedback and self-improvement

• A strong collaboration, interpersonal and communication skills, including working effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives

• A strong organizational, self-management, and problem-solving skills with the ability to handle many responsibilities simultaneously

• A self-awareness, with an ability to treat all members of the school's community with respect and an accurate idea of one’s own strengths and weaknesses

• A skilled in content and pedagogy as evidenced by quantitative and qualitative data

• Demonstrated success using data to drive instruction

• Alignment with the educational philosophy and core beliefs of Ascend