2023-2024 Middle School Dean of Instruction & Culture

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

By 2025, KIPP DC will build upon two decades of proven results to develop into a more impactful, innovative, and inclusive school system that provides joyful, identity-affirming learning experiences so that all students and alumni achieve extraordinary outcomes. We are a network of 20 schools educating 7,300 students and employing 1,300 teachers, leaders, and staff members dedicated to this mission.

Our work is grounded in a commitment to excellence, equity, and justice. We believe all students have the right to rigorous, relevant, and joyful learning experiences led by exceptionally talented and diverse educators who promote student achievement and a sense of belonging. We believe students and teachers best succeed when surrounded by an ecosystem of supports, including: a robust student support services team, school-based mental health practitioners, instructional and content-area coaches, and an instructional leadership team that fosters a staff culture that is ambitious, intentional, and full of joy.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Middle School Dean of Instruction & Culture’s job is to support the school in driving academic outcomes, care, and a sense of belonging for our students as a key member of the school’s leadership team. The person in this position will demonstrate a relentless drive toward excellence and a commitment to ensuring that our instruction puts students on a successful path to choice filled lives.

This specific role will be supporting our 6th grade team (teachers, students, and families) at AIM Academy. This role will oversee all of 6th grade, including coaching teachers, managing student culture, and ensuring excellent outcomes for our students.

Deans are an exempt role, report to the principal, and serve on the school leadership team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Set vision and goals

• Supports development of school leader’s school-wide vision and takes an active role in investing and mobilizing teachers to achieve the collective goals of the school; owns the implementation of select school priorities in support of the school-wide vision
• Alongside the school leader, supports the planning and goal setting for the teachers that he/she coaches and ensures alignment with school-wide goals
• Supports identification and action towards equity challenges within the school
• Articulates how their body of work connects to KIPP DC's goal of becoming an anti-racist organization

Plan and prioritize

• Provides input into the school-based strategic planning and identifies what the school’s strategic plan means for his/her own leadership and people that he/she manages
• Manages the planning and execution of goals and plans for the teachers they manage

Manage and develop groups of teachers

• Supports collaboration and learning for the teachers they manage
• Effectively manages and develops teachers of a wide range of skill and experience level by defining responsibilities, setting goals and providing ongoing feedback and support

Support school culture

• Supports school leader and leadership team in executing on a vision of excellence for student and staff culture
• Supports teachers in leading classrooms with high-quality Tier 1 student learning and engagement
• Plan for and predictably respond to student behavior that doesn't meet school culture expectations. Coach, support and follow up with teachers in service of empowering them to do the same
• Supports parts of the daily school operations (e.g. arrival/dismissal, lunch/recess)
• Build intentional, meaningful relationships with students, their families and communities in the hopes of having a school community where people truly feel as though they belong

Support retention of highly-effective staff

• Consistently communicates to teachers, through words and actions, that they are valued, supported, and cared for
• Implement retention strategies to ensure highly-effective teachers stay teaching

Build own and team’s content knowledge

• Develops mastery of the academic standards, curriculum and assessments in the subjects/grades for which he/she/they coach
• Engages in self-driven, ongoing learning regarding curriculum, pedagogy, and coaching
• Collaborates with content coaches to support teachers in instructing and assessing and connects teachers with relevant resources to improve their content knowledge and instruction

Develop and coach teachers

• Supports data-driven instruction by analyzing homeroom specific and grade/department level data and developing and executing plans to address gaps and by helping teachers do the same thing for their classes
• Provides high-quality coaching by keenly observing classrooms and connecting with teachers, accurately diagnosing classroom instruction, and providing frequent feedback for teachers across skill level; intensively coach new and struggling teachers with a range of coaching techniques

COMPETENCIES

• Student Focus: builds strong relationships and holds high expectations for students, holds students’ best interests in mind, keeps owns commitments to students and makes sure others do the same and builds a culture of respect for all students
• Achievement Orientation: sets challenging goals for self and others, takes initiative to go above and beyond to to achieve results, follows through on commitments, demonstrates resilience and flexibility
• Continuous Learning: Takes responsibility for behavior, mistakes, and results, takes calculated risks, uses research to inform practice, continually seeks opportunity for improvement, values creativity and innovation, shares effective practices with others
• Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Gathers information from multiple sources, sorts out complexity, anticipates problems, breaks down information and effectively analyzes
• Self-Awareness: demonstrates understanding of own identity, privilege and power, understands strengths and weaknesses and the impact on others’ perceptions, seeks feedback and self-development
• Cultural Competence: demonstrates knowledge and respect for cultures of community served, creates an inclusive environment, adjusts behavior according to cultural norms and cues, works effectively across difference, creates and sustains an environment in which people from diverse backgrounds can succeed
• Impact and Influence: adapts leadership style to influence others, anticipate reactions of others and makes a compelling case for a position, stimulates others to take action and accomplish goals
• Stakeholder Management: develops mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships, gains trust of key stakeholders, consistently demonstrates respect and appreciation for others

KIPP DC is looking for candidates who are committed to KIPP DC’s mission that all students can learn and achieve at high levels when given the opportunity, have a strong teaching background, a commitment to creating identity-affirming learning experiences, and are looking to develop the leadership skills necessary to lead great schools. Specifically, candidates should have:

• Bachelor’s degree (required)
• Minimum of four years of teaching math or ELA in 4th-8th grades (required)
• Demonstrated academic results
• Experience leading teams (required)
• Experience coaching teachers (preferred)
• Experience leading professional development (preferred)
• Dedicated team player who works hard to get the job done.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• When it comes to compensation, at KIPP DC we strive for clarity, equity, and to be highly competitive. We look at compensation benchmarks in schools across DC. Dean salaries are exempt and start at $86,238 and increase with years of experience. Please see the salary scale here. Instructional coaches can earn up to $5,000 in renewal add-ons to their base salary each year they return to KIPP DC.
• KIPP DC offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances; various voluntary benefits; and employer paid benefits such as short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, and a membership to One Medical.
• KIPP DC also offers a 403(b) retirement account with a 3% employer contribution and a 3% match with vesting after three years.
• Currently, individuals in this role have up to 10 paid sick days, 12 paid holidays, paid Thanksgiving week break, winter break, spring break, and summer break. This is subject to change and your exact schedule will be shared in your offer letter.
• All employees who use public transit through WMATA are eligible for pre-tax deductions for transportation costs.

TO APPLY

Please apply immediately, as applications are accepted and roles are filled on a rolling basis. All interested applicants should visit https://www.kippdc.org/join-our-team/apply-now/. For questions or issues with your application, please contact careers@kippdc.org.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

KIPP DC Public Schools does not discriminate against, or tolerate discrimination against, employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis or protected class including, but not limited to, actual or perceived race; color; national origin; immigration status (except as necessary to comply with federal, DC, state, or local law); religion; sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions); age; physical or mental disability; medical condition; sexual orientation; gender (including gender identity or expression); marital status (including domestic partnership status); genetic information; political affiliation; pregnancy; family responsibilities; personal appearance; veteran status; uniform service member status; status of being unemployed; status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, sexual offense, or stalking; matriculation; or any other protected class under federal, state, DC, or local law.

Click here or here to review KIPP DC’s non-discrimination policy and KIPP DC’s Title IX Coordinator’s contact information.