Job Description

Assistant Principal of Instruction

Highline Academy Charter Schools

Denver, Colorado

210 Contracted Days

Compensation: $82,350 - $104,206

About Highline Academy Charter Schools

Step into the vibrant world of Highline Academy, where every child is celebrated for their uniqueness and empowered to soar towards academic, civic, and personal greatness. Since our inception in 2004 in Southeast Denver, we've been more than just a charter organization; we're a tight-knit community dedicated to inclusive excellence and unwavering support for every student.

In 2014, our family expanded with the opening of our second school in Green Valley Ranch, further enriching our diverse tapestry. Hailing from fifty different countries and speaking 26 languages, our students bring a kaleidoscope of experiences and perspectives to our halls. Regardless of background or previous educational journey, each child finds a place to thrive within our inclusive environment.

At Highline, excellence isn't just a goal—it's our reality. Our students consistently surpass district and state averages, a testament to the passion and dedication of our exceptional faculty. With high retention rates among both staff and students, our school exudes a positive culture and a sense of belonging that fosters unparalleled growth and achievement.

But our commitment to excellence goes beyond academics. We believe in a well-rounded education that nurtures the whole child. That's why we offer a rich liberal arts curriculum, complete with Art, Music, Spanish, and P.E. instruction. We set the bar high for all learners, recognizing that each child has unique needs and talents. Embracing a highly inclusive environment to serve all students, including multilingual learners and students with special needs, our teachers provide personalized instruction in core subjects like math and language arts, ensuring every student can access the curriculum.

For those who require extra support, our robust intervention program offers additional resources tailored to individual needs. We proudly welcome students with special needs into our inclusive classrooms, where they're fully integrated and supported every step of the way.

But education at Highline isn't just about academics—it's about character development too. Our signature Reach program instills values like responsibility, empowerment, aspiration, citizenship, and honesty in every student. Implementing a restorative justice approach, we cultivate a culture of empathy, self-reflection, and academic excellence, empowering our students to reach out, reach in, and reach up to their fullest potential.

At Highline, we're not just educators—we're advocates for every child's success. With a students-first, growth mindset approach, we inspire our students to dream big and strive for greatness. And as role models, our staff embody these values, ensuring a safe, nurturing environment where every child can flourish.

Join us at Highline Academy, where excellence knows no bounds, and every child is empowered to shine.

About the Role

Reporting to the campus Principal, the Assistant Principal at Highline plays an integral role in realizing our mission to inspire and empower students to achieve their highest potential. As an Assistant Principal, you'll play a pivotal role in driving academic excellence, fostering a positive school culture, and supporting the professional growth of our dedicated educators. Your leadership will not only impact the lives of our students but also contribute to the overall success and reputation of our school within the community. If you're ready to make a profound difference in education and lead with purpose, this is the opportunity you've been seeking. Join us in shaping the future leaders of tomorrow and embark on a rewarding journey of growth and impact as an Assistant Principal at our K-8 school.

Outcomes

The Assistant Principal will be responsible for achieving the following outcomes within the first year:

1. The Assistant Principal leads staff to implement quality curriculum and instructional strategies to ensure improved and sustaining achievement for all students.

• Curriculum Leadership : Oversee and guide the implementation of a rigorous, standards-aligned curriculum to meet the diverse needs of all students.
• Data-Driven Instruction : Use student achievement data to inform instructional strategies and interventions, ensuring all students make measurable progress.
• Instructional Coaching : Provide ongoing support and coaching to teachers in best practices for differentiated instruction, formative assessments, and effective teaching techniques.
• Collaborative Planning : Facilitate regular meetings with teaching teams to collaboratively design and evaluate lesson plans, ensuring they align with curriculum goals.
• Professional Development : Lead professional development initiatives focused on enhancing instructional strategies, ensuring teachers are equipped with the tools to meet students’ needs.
• Monitoring Student Achievement : Establish systems to monitor and review student progress frequently, identifying gaps in achievement and responding with targeted interventions.

2. The Assistant Principal will support the principal in building a learning organization, ensuring a culture of high achievement and aspiration for personal and civic excellence by all adults and students through high-quality professional development and coaching of a set of teachers.

• Culture of Excellence : Foster a school culture where high academic achievement and personal growth are the norm, setting high expectations for all students and staff.
• Professional Development Leadership : Design, coordinate, and lead relevant professional development opportunities that build teacher capacity, including workshops, seminars, and collaborative learning communities.
• Coaching and Mentoring : Provide one-on-one and group coaching for a designated group of teachers to improve their instructional practices and support their professional growth.
• Collaboration and Reflection : Create opportunities for teachers to observe each other’s classrooms, engage in reflective practices, and share successful strategies.
• Teacher Support Systems : Develop and implement systems that identify teachers' needs and provide tailored professional development support to help them succeed.
• Monitoring Teacher Growth : Track teacher progress and improvement through regular observations, feedback, and professional development activities, ensuring continuous growth.

3. The Assistant Principal will work in partnership with the rest of the admin team to retain and hire new staff members that embody the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to continue to drive meaningful results for students and staff.

• Collaborative Hiring Process : Participate in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new staff members, ensuring they align with the school’s mission, vision, and values.
• Retention Strategies : Work with the administration team to develop strategies for retaining top-quality teachers, including career development, recognition, and support.
• Onboarding New Staff : Lead the onboarding process for new hires, ensuring they feel supported and integrated into the school community, with a strong understanding of school culture and expectations.
• Professional Growth for Staff : Identify opportunities for staff members to advance in their careers, whether through leadership roles, specialized training, or other professional development opportunities.
• Data-Driven Decisions : Use school performance data to inform staffing decisions, ensuring that hiring and retention practices contribute to improved student outcomes.
• Mentorship Programs : Establish mentorship programs where experienced teachers support new staff members in their growth and integration into the school.

4. The Assistant Principal will support teachers with ensuring fair and equitable discipline, implementing restorative justice practices, and building strong mindsets and practices regarding behavior management.

• Restorative Practices : Implement restorative justice techniques to address student behavioral issues, promoting conflict resolution, accountability, and personal growth.
• Equitable Discipline Policies : Ensure that discipline practices are fair, consistent, and equitable for all students, regardless of background or identity, and that they focus on student development rather than punishment.

5. Demonstrates Leadership Excellence:

• Scores Proficient or above on all core competencies of the Assistant Principal position rubric.
• Serves as a thought partner to the Principal and leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and decision-making that strengthens Highline’s impact.

Core Competencies

The ultimate aim of the Assistant Principal is to achieve the outcomes listed above. In order to achieve those outcomes, we imagine that the Assistant Principal will bring a desire to continue to build upon the following core competencies:

• Instructional Leadership - Maintains a laser-like focus on academic achievement and continues to grow and develop an encyclopedic knowledge of best practices in student, family, and staff engagement, culture, data-driven instruction, and achievement.

• People Management - Manages people development, work activities, and performance with the goal of optimizing efficient use of talent. Unlocks and channels staff’s potential and sees this as key to Highline Academy’s success. Plans for development, coaches others, and addresses performance issues and conflicts at the individual and organizational level.

• Personal Agility - Demonstrates a positive attitude, resilience and openness to change. Adapts one’s approach as the requirements of a situation change, is comfortable in ambiguous situations, and works effectively in a variety of settings with individuals and groups of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

• Service Orientation – Builds relationships with others by acting with the needs of students and staff in mind. Facilitates delivery of solutions that meet expressed and unexpressed needs with a genuine desire to assist others and “move the boulders in the road” that impede success in the classroom and the school environment.

• Culture Add and Equity - Understands importance of Highline Academy being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization; shows daily commitment to diversity and mission, including various perspectives in work. Maintains a deep commitment and competency in diversity, equity, inclusiveness, belonging, and anti-racism, actively fostering environments where all individuals are valued, respected, and provided with equal opportunities regardless of their backgrounds.

• Mission and Core Values - Internalizes Highline Academy’s mission and vision and excites others about what’s possible for our students, families, and communities. Internalizes, embodies, champions, and holds others accountable to the Highline Academy core values of responsibility, empowerment, aspiration, citizenship, and honesty. Brings a diverse perspective, a strong desire to learn, and a spirit of generosity and curiosity to the team.

Qualifications

• 4+ years classroom teacher experience, including working with students in Title I schools and multilingual learners (charter school experience preferred)

• Relevant school leadership experience (minimally as an Instructional Coaching, Curriculum Leader, or Assistant Principal)

• Proven experience in attaining outstanding academic results for students
• Experienced and highly effective in using data analysis to drive instructional decisions and coaching
• Demonstrated interest and experience in considering issues of marginalization and equity in education
• Demonstrated technology skills, including experience with G-Suite
• Bachelor's degree required with preference for advanced degree in curriculum and instruction, leadership, or education
• Teaching or social work License required at minimum, preference for administrative license or special education license

Equal Opportunity Employer

Highline Academy is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Highline Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please email us at staylor@highlineacademy.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

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