SY 24/25 Academic Assistant Principal - DC Prep

Academic Assistant Principal

Start Date: July 2024

Role Type: Full-Time, 12 month

Location: Washington, DC

FLSA Status: Exempt

WHO WE ARE

DC Prep is a high-performing network of public charter schools serving over 2,100 preschool through 8th-grade students across six campuses in Wards 5, 7, and 8. We're proud of the high bar we set for ourselves to achieve results–our students deserve our best! We recognize that how we support our students to be successful is just as important as the results we achieve, which pushes us to reflect on questions such as: 

• How can we facilitate our students' academic, social, and emotional development?  
• How can we support our team members' professional growth and personal ability to do this work long-term? 
• How can we engage our students' families as our own? 

While this work is hard, it's worth it – we believe in the transformative power of education, the can-do-itness of our students and staff, and the joy that comes from engaging in meaningful work with people we care about and trust!  

Here's how we drive results: 

• Rigorous academic focus.  Our Preppies receive the highest level of academic preparation through standards-based instruction, daily targeted interventions, and meaningful assessments.
• Social-emotional learning. We have always had a dual mission of academic and social-emotional skill development.  Our research-based SEL curriculum is integrated into daily instruction, helping students leverage their personal values to strengthen their self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making skills and create a school-wide culture of empathy and reflection.
• Commitment to reflection and refinement.  Our results tell us that we are moving in the right direction, but there's further to go to ensure that every student receives a transformative education. As a team, we regularly reflect on our programmatic model to see what's working and where we can get better.  

Are you interested in learning more about the DC Prep Way? If so, check out our website to find out more about what we're working towards and how we're doing it.

Academic Assistant Principals:

• Elementary AAPs support kindergarten/1st grade OR 2nd/3rd grade
• Middle AAPs support Math/Science or ELA

The Academic Assistant Principal works as a key member of the campus leadership team in partnership with other leadership team members and teachers to ensure that all students are making academic and social progress at DC Prep. The Academic Assistant Principal role may vary according to the size or needs of the campus, but is always focused on curriculum/assessment or student behavior. Academic Assistant Principals share general administration responsibilities and may also have an instructional coaching portfolio. Campus leadership team roles are twelve-month positions and lead development, refinement, and implementation of all aspects of the school's academic and culture programs in accordance with the DC Prep Way. Leaders are on duty during regular school hours as well as nights and weekends to handle parent communication, staff after school activities, and/or to complete administrative work. 

School leadership team members hired will participate in leadership development designed to hone their skills for success in their current roles while also developing expertise needed for future leadership opportunities. Their development as leaders will be focused on participation in cohort professional development and customized coaching while also gaining practical on-the-ground experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Academic Assistant Principal responsibilities fall into some or all of the following categories:

Instructional Leadership

• Coordinate with Principal and content specialists to support teachers developing competence in the curricula through modeling, observing, providing feedback, and supporting teacher reflection
• Provide hands-on coaching to all ELA and Math general and Special Education teachers
• Coach teachers through observation, modeling, lesson prep and more with the frequency needed to make steady progress for students and teachers in pursuit of goals
• Track and monitor teacher responsiveness to feedback as evidenced by the implementation of strategies
• Manage ELA and math programming, including interventions
• Manage ELA and Math Department Chairs
• Lead vision and coordination for ELA and Math professional development
• Work with teachers and instructional staff in establishing positive classroom climates
• Support teachers in establishing effective classroom management systems and developing students' positive social behaviors
• Review teacher lesson plans for quality ensuring standards alignment, rigor, differentiation, etc.

Social Emotional Learning & School Culture

• Provide leadership to all staff and students in establishing a positive, structured, and achievement-oriented school culture
• Ensure that teachers set extremely high expectations and run their classes in accordance with the DC Prep commitment to excellence 
• Coach teachers to improve their instructional practices especially as it relates to issues of discipline and school culture
• Be highly present and visible during school hours relentlessly ensuring a positive school  environment
• Model the school's core values and set the standard for professional behavior
• Create and sustain programs for students that teach DC Prep's vision, mission, culture and school expectations
• Manage, monitor, and sustain an effective behavior management program 
• Collaborate with other members of the school's leadership team to create and sustain programs for students and families that recognize and celebrate achievement and continuous progress

Wrap-Around Services

• Identify, plan, and implement strategies to address barriers to learning including, attendance concerns, behavior issues, and social adjustment
• Participate in coordination of annual summer program for all DC Prep students to include remediation and student learning extension
• Assist in coordination of extended student support services, including tutoring

School Community

• Fully embrace DC Prep's mission, vision, and values and promote them to students, staff, other faculty, parents, and members of the outside community
• Communicate regularly with families to develop a supportive home-school relationship and to reinforce school expectations and student discipline. Address parent concerns in a professional and timely manner
• Encourage, support, and maintain parent buy-in for school-wide behavior and social emotional programming
• Actively encourage parents to participate in school activities such as parent meetings, field trips, policy council and as classroom helpers
• Model and support the DC Prep Way of purposeful and rigorous academic instruction combined with instilling and reinforcing behaviors that lead to academic and life success
• Maintain positive, constructive and professional relationships with students, their families, and colleagues

Attendance

• Plan, design, and conduct follow-through strategies to implement the school attendance program
• Coordinate school attendance learning support and interventions which assist students' daily attendance in order to improve their academic achievement

Targeted Intervention Design and Implementation

• Support teachers in the implementation of ongoing assessment, data collection and data analysis to support mastery of standards across the content areas
• Support teachers in developing and implementing targeted interventions
• Use coaching tools effectively (classroom observation tools, data sheets, student action plans, etc.)
• Support the Student Support Team (SST) process with the Principal, intervention specialist, and other members of the instructional staff
• Support teachers to develop competence in differentiating instruction through modeling, observing, providing feedback, and supporting teacher reflection
• Help teachers develop and implement classroom-based, developmentally appropriate interventions for individual children and groups of children to enhance their acquisition of social/emotional and cognitive skills

Member of the Campus Leadership Team

• Plan and deliver professional development sessions to teachers at Wednesday PD, during Data Days, during teacher orientation, etc.
• Participate in grade level meetings and ensure fidelity to grade level lead protocols
• Meet weekly with leadership team members and share in the duties of running the campus effectively
• Be willing to take on additional responsibilities as necessary to fulfill DC Prep's mission for our students

Administrative Duties

• Support the professional development plans of colleagues, including sharing expertise
• Participate in working groups of staff and teachers to plan, problem solve, and support one another on an ongoing basis
• Participate in and deliver professional development and training on issues related to student support services
• Attend and participate in staff and other school activities and meetings as appropriate
• Liaise with Home Office staff in carrying out organizational goals as necessary
• Other appropriate tasks as needed

QUALIFICATIONS

Educational background and work experience

• Minimum of 3-5 years teaching and leadership experience in an urban school community 
• Familiarity with urban primary school students, ideally having worked directly with students in preschool-8th grade
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution

Skills and characteristics

• Desire and willingness to do "whatever it takes" to support student achievement in traditionally under-served communities 
• Passion for connecting with students and families in support of student success 
• Extraordinary oral skills to effectively communicate with varied audiences  
• Comfort with and ability to write efficiently and effectively as part of a culture where curriculum writing, email communication, and documentation are critical 
• Superior analytical skills and sound judgment to make critical decisions autonomously 
• Capable of thriving in circumstances involving ambiguity and nuance 
• Meticulous organizational ability in order to set priorities, organize workload, handle multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines 
• Emotional constancy and extraordinary interpersonal skills to ensure purposeful and professional colleague relationships 
• Positive attitude, maturity, and personal stability sufficient for a demanding position 
• Deep belief in DC Prep's mission, values and commitment to diversity 

WORKING AT DC PREP

DC Prep's faculty and staff are passionate, talented, and uncompromising with a mission to make sure all students succeed at a high level. Every aspect of our organization and program is designed – and continually refined – to ensure that goal. DC Prep students spend approximately 25% more time in school than other DC public school students. DC Prep's supportive, stimulating, and professionally rewarding learning environment continuously develops and motivates high-performing educators. DC Prep's staff and school leadership promote meaningful relationships between faculty and students, enable excellent teaching, and foster professional collaboration. The end result: great outcomes for students.

CAMPUS LEADERSHIP TEAM

DC Prep's organizational structure provides support and expertise that enables the best possible teaching and learning at each DC Prep campus. A central Home Office oversees all non-instructional aspects of education, freeing up school leaders to focus on instruction and culture. With supervision from the Senior Directors, Chief Academic Officer and other members of the Home Office Academic Team, Principals and their leadership teams build unique and close-knit communities at each school site focused on the twin elements of rigorous academics and character education. Members of this team typically include a Principal, Assistant Principals, Student Support Coach and a Special Education Coordinator. Leadership Team members are on duty during regular school hours and on call nights and weekends to handle parent communication, staff after school activities, and/or to complete administrative work.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Highly competitive salary 
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability insurance; maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; and a 403b retirement plan

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• DC Prep teachers are on duty at their assigned campus Mondays through Fridays from 7:15 am to 4:15 pm and must be prepared to receive students in the classroom at 7:30 am.  On Wednesdays, DC Prep staff report until 5:00 for Professional Development. 
• Occasionally, staff may be required to report to a different campus for professional development or all network event.
• All DC Prep staff perform clerical duties related to instructional supplies, student reports and records, attendance reports, assessments, etc.
• DC Prep staff regularly perform morning, lunch, and afternoon duties as assigned by their principal
• Additional responsibilities may arise during the school year.  This could include: attending staff and student field trips, after school events, family-teacher conferences, home visits, and other events involving parents and students, as needed. This list is not exhaustive. DC Prep will communicate mandatory events outside of school hours with ample notice.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role.  All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness to DC Prep's vision.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time
• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations
• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings
• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment
• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions

JOIN US

Do you believe that Learning Has No Limits? Are you eager to join a supportive, innovative, and collaborative community of educators? Are you committed to growing your strengths as an educator through individualized professional development and coaching? Apply today!

We're an equal opportunity employer and hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply.