JOB TITLE: Dean of Instruction and School Culture
LOCATION: Alice Terry Elementary
WORK YEAR: 2026-27
WORK STATUS: 197-day, Licensed, Full-Time Exempt
REPORTS TO: Building Principal
This position is for the 26/27 school year and is probationary. When a position is filled after the opening of school by an individual who was not employed by the District in the previous school year, that employee will receive a one-year temporary contract.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Dean of Instruction and School Culture is a school-based instructional leader who works in close partnership with the principal to improve academic outcomes, strengthen instructional practice, develop staff talent, and create a positive, safe, inclusive, and achievement-oriented school culture.
The Dean serves as a member of the school leadership team and functions in an assistant principal capacity, with primary responsibility for instructional leadership, teacher coaching and development, proactive student supports, and positive school culture systems.
A central responsibility of the Dean is to develop the capacity of teachers and staff. The Dean maintains a consistent presence in classrooms; conducts learning walks; provides actionable feedback; facilitates coaching cycles; supports professional learning communities; analyzes student learning and school culture data; and works alongside teachers to strengthen Tier I instruction, classroom culture, student engagement, and academic achievement.
The Dean also leads and supports proactive systems for student behavior, including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), restorative practices, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), relationship-building, social-emotional skill development, and other preventative approaches designed to increase students' success in the classroom.
While the emphasis of this position is on instruction, prevention, coaching, and capacity building, the Dean also serves as an administrative layer of support for student discipline, conflict resolution, crisis response, family concerns, and school operations as assigned by the principal.
The successful Dean believes that strong instruction and strong school culture are interconnected and that sustainable improvements in student outcomes occur by developing adults, strengthening systems, and ensuring every student experiences rigorous instruction, high expectations, belonging, and appropriate support.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Instructional Leadership and Student Achievement
- Partner with the principal to lead implementation of the school's instructional vision, academic priorities, improvement plan, and student achievement goals.
- Maintain a consistent presence in classrooms through frequent learning walks, observations, coaching, and instructional follow-up.
- Provide teachers with timely, specific, actionable feedback aligned with district instructional priorities and expectations.
- Support teachers in implementing rigorous, relevant, evidence-based Tier I instruction that meets the needs of all learners.
- Facilitate teacher reflection and goal-setting through coaching conversations and collaborative planning.
- Analyze student achievement, growth, formative assessment, and other instructional data to identify trends, determine areas of need, and establish appropriate next steps.
- Partner with teachers and school leaders to strengthen lesson preparation, student engagement, differentiation, assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring.
- Support implementation of district-approved curriculum, instructional frameworks, assessment systems, and MTSS structures.
- Work with teachers and intervention teams to ensure Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III supports are aligned and responsive to student needs.
- Protect and maximize instructional time by helping establish effective schoolwide and classroom systems and routines.
- Monitor the impact of instructional improvement efforts on student achievement and adjust supports based on evidence of student learning.
Coaching, Talent Development, and Professional Learning
- Serve as a coach and developer of teachers and staff, building individual and collective capacity to improve student outcomes.
- Conduct job-embedded coaching cycles that may include co-planning, modeling, observation, feedback, reflection, rehearsal, and instructional follow-up.
- Identify staff strengths and areas for development and create differentiated opportunities for coaching, leadership, and professional growth.
- Model effective instructional practices, classroom management strategies, relationship-building, and student engagement techniques.
- Support the onboarding, induction, coaching, and development of new and probationary teachers.
- Facilitate or co-facilitate Professional Learning Communities focused on student learning, instructional planning, student work analysis, progress monitoring, and continuous improvement.
- Design and facilitate professional learning based on classroom observations, student data, staff needs, and school improvement priorities.
- Develop teacher leaders and create opportunities for staff members to share expertise, model effective practice, and contribute to schoolwide improvement.
- Build trusting professional relationships that allow for meaningful feedback, accountability, reflection, and growth.
- Partner with the principal in monitoring staff performance and supporting improvement efforts.
Positive School Culture and Preventive Behavior Systems
- Lead and support the development of a structured, positive, safe, inclusive, and achievement-oriented school culture.
- Establish and reinforce clear, consistent, schoolwide expectations for student behavior, academic engagement, attendance, and belonging.
- Lead implementation and continuous improvement of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), restorative practices, and other proactive school culture systems.
- Ensure students are explicitly taught the behaviors, routines, habits, and social-emotional skills necessary to be successful in classrooms and throughout the school.
- Coach teachers in proactive classroom management, relationship-building, restorative practices, de-escalation, student engagement, and positive behavior supports.
- Analyze behavior, attendance, climate, and academic data to identify patterns and develop preventative responses before concerns escalate.
- Partner with staff to strengthen classroom-level systems so students can remain successfully engaged in Tier I instruction.
- Coordinate behavior screening, intervention, and progress monitoring within the school's MTSS framework.
- Support the development and implementation of individualized student behavior and intervention plans when appropriate.
- Promote restorative approaches that help students develop accountability, repair relationships, solve conflicts, and successfully return to instruction.
- Ensure behavior systems maintain high expectations while preserving student dignity, relationships, belonging, and access to learning.
Student Support and Discipline
- Serve as an administrative layer of support when classroom-level and preventative interventions require additional assistance.
- Respond to student discipline referrals and significant behavioral concerns in accordance with district policies, school procedures, and applicable laws.
- Work collaboratively with teachers to ensure administrative responses to behavior are followed by appropriate re-entry, restoration, and plans for future student success.
- Conduct restorative conversations, conflict resolution, and problem-solving conferences with students.
- Partner with students, families, teachers, counselors, social workers, special education staff, and other support personnel to address student needs.
- Support students experiencing behavioral, social-emotional, attendance, or academic challenges through individualized interventions and problem-solving.
- Utilize trauma-informed and de-escalation practices when responding to student crises.
- Maintain accurate documentation related to discipline, interventions, student supports, and parent communication.
- Communicate effectively with families regarding student concerns, interventions, successes, and plans for improvement.
- Assist the principal with significant student, family, or staff concerns as assigned.
Data, MTSS, and Continuous Improvement
- Use academic, behavior, attendance, climate, and implementation data to identify trends and evaluate the effectiveness of school systems.
- Facilitate data-driven problem-solving with teachers and school teams.
- Support implementation of the school's Multi-Tiered System of Supports for academics, behavior, attendance, and social-emotional needs.
- Monitor intervention effectiveness and ensure appropriate progress monitoring occurs.
- Collaborate with the principal and school leadership team to establish measurable goals and monitor progress toward school improvement priorities.
- Use data not only to identify student needs but also to determine adult learning, coaching, and systems-level priorities.
- Regularly evaluate whether schoolwide instructional and culture systems are producing improved outcomes for students.
School Leadership and Administrative Responsibilities
- Serve as a member of the school leadership team and partner with the principal in the overall leadership of the school.
- Function in an assistant principal capacity when assigned by the principal.
- Support implementation of the school's vision, mission, values, strategic priorities, and improvement plan.
- Assist with maintaining a safe, orderly, welcoming, and academically focused school environment.
- Provide leadership and administrative decision-making in the principal's absence as assigned and appropriate.
- Assist with supervision of students during arrival, dismissal, transitions, lunch, recess, extracurricular activities, and other school events as necessary.
- Support the resolution of student, family, and staff concerns.
- Interpret and implement Board of Education policies, district procedures, state requirements, and school expectations.
- Participate in school leadership, MTSS, professional learning, student support, and other meetings as assigned.
- Communicate consistently and effectively with students, staff, families, district leaders, and community partners.
- Perform other duties assigned by the building principal consistent with the leadership responsibilities of the position.
KEY RESULTS AND MEASURES OF SUCCESS
Success in this position will be demonstrated through:
- Increased student academic achievement and growth.
- Improved quality and consistency of Tier I instruction.
- Evidence of teacher growth resulting from coaching, feedback, professional learning, and collaborative planning.
- Increased staff capacity to proactively support student academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs.
- Consistent implementation of schoolwide instructional and culture expectations.
- Increased student engagement and time spent successfully participating in classroom instruction.
- Reduction in repeated and preventable student discipline incidents.
- Effective implementation of PBIS, restorative practices, MTSS, and other preventative student support systems.
- Positive trends in attendance, behavior, school climate, and student belonging.
- Strong relationships and effective communication among students, staff, families, and school leadership.
- Development and retention of effective teachers and emerging teacher leaders.
- Evidence that instructional and school culture decisions are informed by student outcome data.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS
Required
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
- Valid Colorado educator license.
- Minimum of five years of successful experience in K–12 education, including demonstrated effectiveness as a classroom teacher and/or instructional leader.
- Demonstrated knowledge of effective, research-based instructional practices.
- Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring, developing, or providing professional learning to educators.
- Experience using student achievement and school data to identify areas of strength, need, and growth.
- Knowledge of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), positive behavior supports, classroom management, and preventative student support systems.
- Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with students, staff, families, and community members.
- Strong written and verbal communication, facilitation, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Demonstrated leadership and commitment to high expectations and equitable outcomes for all students.
Preferred
- Master's degree in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, or a related field.
- Colorado Principal/Administrator License or demonstrated progress toward administrator licensure.
- Previous school leadership, dean, assistant principal, instructional coaching, or comparable teacher-leadership experience.
- Experience leading Professional Learning Communities and adult professional learning.
- Experience implementing PBIS, restorative practices, MTSS, and trauma-informed practices.
- Experience supporting multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and students requiring academic or behavioral intervention.
- Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
The Dean of Instruction and School Culture is expected to demonstrate:
Instructional Leadership – Maintains a deep understanding of high-quality teaching and learning and translates that knowledge into improved classroom practice and student outcomes.
Talent Development – Recognizes the strengths and potential of staff members and develops people through coaching, feedback, modeling, professional learning, and meaningful leadership opportunities.
Culture Leadership – Creates environments characterized by high expectations, strong relationships, belonging, accountability, consistency, and student-centered decision-making.
Data-Driven Leadership – Uses multiple sources of evidence to identify needs, evaluate impact, and make decisions that improve outcomes.
Systems Thinking – Identifies root causes, develops preventative solutions, establishes clear systems, and monitors implementation rather than relying primarily on reactive responses.
Equity Leadership – Maintains high expectations for every student and works to ensure that school systems, instruction, interventions, and disciplinary practices provide equitable opportunities for success.
Collaborative Leadership – Builds trust, communicates clearly, manages conflict productively, and shares responsibility for improving outcomes.
Student-Centered Leadership – Makes decisions based on what will increase students' academic success, belonging, safety, development, and long-term success.
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
Employees of Sheridan School District No. 2 are expected to:
- Demonstrate professionalism, collaboration, integrity, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
- Maintain high expectations for students and adults.
- Build and sustain positive relationships with students, families, staff, and community members.
- Support district initiatives and building goals through collaborative problem-solving and shared leadership.
- Follow Board of Education policies, district procedures, school expectations, and applicable state and federal requirements.
- Maintain confidentiality and adhere to the professional code of ethics for educators in the State of Colorado.
- Demonstrate a commitment to equitable outcomes and the academic, behavioral, social, and emotional success of every student.
SUPERVISORY DUTIES
May supervise, coach, direct, and/or evaluate licensed and classified staff as assigned by the building principal and consistent with district policy and applicable licensure requirements.
CLEARANCE
Must successfully complete all required background checks and FBI fingerprint clearance through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
Placement will be determined according to the applicable Board-approved licensed salary schedule, work year, qualifications, and experience.
Eligible employees receive district benefits in accordance with district policy and applicable employment agreements. Sheridan School District No. 2 participates in the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA).
