Dean of Academic Progress (23-24)

Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to 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.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

Job Description

About the Opportunity

A KIPP Texas Dean of Academic Progress will provide assistance to the School Leader and/or Leadership Team with the administration of systems related to high school matriculation and graduation.

The Dean of Academic Progress furthers the mission of KIPP Texas by supporting a school culture that empowers students to develop the knowledge, skills, and character traits necessary to pursue a college education and a life of value, joy, and integrity. The Dean will work to support KIPP Texas’s mission and culture of achievement.  

We are committed to establishing high-achieving schools that are diverse, equitable, and partnered strongly with the communities they serve. This is a leadership position for a person who is organized, detail-oriented, and always follows through. Additionally, this leader is warm and demanding with students and parents, ensuring that they always turn in required documents and always complete challenging academic courses. The Dean of Academic Progress is relentless with adults and students and holds herself/himself accountable for achieving excellent results.

Duties and Essential Job Functions:

Academic Operations Support

• Assist with the registration, enrollment, withdrawal, and transfer of students and process applicable records

• Verify the accuracy and thorough completion of all student registration packets and determine eligibility for enrollment

• Enter all campus student information into the district student information system

• Communicate daily with campus administrators and special program coordinators to identify and correct missing or incorrect information in physical and electronic student data files

• Stay current with changes in Texas Education Agency governing documents pertaining to the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS)

• Coordinate campus-wide attendance process and work to maintain campus-wide compliance, accuracy and timeliness

• Maintain all digital course records and teacher/administrative access to online gradebook

• Process and transmit requests for student information, including verification of enrollment and transcripts for colleges and universities

• As directed, coordinate and manage state, district, and local testing

• Performs other duties as assigned

Academic Progress Management & Counseling

• Develop and maintain coherent, state compliant transcripts that prepare students for college and career (CTE, where applicable, and Advanced Placement).

• Develop and implement structures for clear graduation planning (Personal Graduation Plan) that includes electives, enrichment, credit recovery courses, and Advanced Placement courses.

• Monitor overall academic progress for all students

• Monitor and follow-up with students failing one or more courses each grading period, during the first four semesters in high school

• Coordinate teacher and advisor responsibilities and efforts to drive students’ academic progress through goal-setting and intrinsic motivation

• Intervene with support when students have challenges with attendance, academics or discipline

• Maintain and monitor [academic] compliance in areas such as Special Education, 504, LPAC and At-Risk students

• Coordinate verification and correction of grades, and printing and distribution of report cards

• Assist School Leader and Assistant Principals with campus and student scheduling

• Maintain student transcripts

• Ensures that transfer grades and GPAs are calculated correctly and reflected appropriately in the student information system

• Parent Outreach

  • Host parent events such as workshops, student-led parent conferences, open houses, or other events that support academic transitions to and through college

  • Ensure parents know the benefits of attending a KIPP high school and how to best support their student

• School Culture

  • Support leadership with building a student culture of achievement through investment, rewards, and activities

  • Support leadership with faculty reward programs and activities related to the culture of achievement

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to establish rapport with families and children

• Ability to work both on broad-based strategy and everyday details

• Ability to exercise excellent judgment in decision-making

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships both internal and external to the district

• Independent, self-starter with a strong focus on student development and a passion for working with underserved student populations and their families

• Proven written and verbal communication skills with all levels of management, both internal and external to the district

• Strong organizational and planning skills

• Possession of a passionate and loving attitude toward all children

• Possession of a belief in inquiry-based learning and constructivist methods

• Possession of a sense of urgency to do whatever it takes to assure that every student gets to and through college

• Commitment to the vision, mission, values and goals of KIPP Texas

• Motivation to grow as an educational professional

• Desire to implement curriculum, instruction, and assessment that is cutting-edge based on educational research

• Willingness to be an active member of a professional learning community focused on action research within the school and the classroom

• Responsiveness; Follow-up and follow-through with students, families, and faculty members is essential

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)

• Proficiency using computers, printers, copy machines, and fax machines

• Ability to travel throughout the district and the city

Required Education and/or Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree, required

• At least two years’ experience as a lead teacher/teacher of record educator in middle or high school classrooms in a traditionally disenfranchised community, required

• Experience helping students and their families navigate college admission, financial aid, and scholarship application procedures

• Experience developing new and deepening current relationships with key college access and college success organization

• Demonstrated strong achievement results and documented growth, required

Preferred Education and/or Experience:

• State of Texas teaching certification in content or commitment to enroll in preferred Texas certification program, preferred

• English as a Second Language (ESL) Supplemental certification or commitment to work towards ESL certification, preferred

• Spanish-speaking proficiency, preferred

Additional Information

Compensation

As a full time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, as well as life insurance and disability plans.

 KIPP provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.