POSITION: Chief Schools Officer
REPORTS TO: Executive Director
WAGE/HOUR STATUS: Exempt/12 month
Mission: Educating and inspiring a diverse community of K-12 learners by engaging them in rigorous real-world learning experiences which prioritize intellectual, social and emotional growth.
Vision: Tapestry is a vibrant, sustainable school that empowers learners and leaders to make a positive impact in our communities and beyond.
Values: Perseverance, Integrity, Respect & Responsibility
Goals: The Chief Schools Officer is responsible for collaborating with the Principals of each Tapestry campus to ensure that all campuses achieve the goals in their annual work plans.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Chief Schools Officer ensures that Tapestry provides its students and families with a world-class K-12 educational experience. The CSO helps to make this possible by supervising and supporting three principals: an elementary principal, a middle school principal, and a high school principal as well as a Director of Curriculum and Assessment. In this role, the CSO supports Principals to implement the enabling systems necessary to achieve ambitious academic and cultural goals for Tapestry students. In particular, the CSO works with principals to ensure the effective implementation of best practices in the areas of strategic planning, instructional planning, student culture, data informed instruction, observation and feedback, professional development and staff culture. The CSO is a key member of the Tapestry's K-12 leadership team, Compass.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Planning and Alignment
- Continuously invests leaders and staff in a shared vision for how students will demonstrate the core principles of the Expeditionary Learning Model (Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character and High Quality Work).
- Plans, implements and coordinates the K-12 Work Planning Process annually by assisting Principals in drafting work plans; providing feedback on those plans; and ensuring the effective implementation of those school-specific plans to achieve the goals in Tapestry's 5 year strategic plan.
- Conducts quarterly step back meetings with Principals to review the progress made against their work plans, celebrating areas of success and building action plans to address areas of growth.
- Continuously invests leaders and staff in a shared vision for how staff members experience their work at Tapestry-including how they will receive ongoing coaching and support in a collaborative environment focused on student success.
School Accountability
- Partners with the Chief Operating Officer to plan for future charter renewals by ensuring that the school's program aligns to its mission and key design elements as well as the goals and expectations of the Charter Schools Institute.
- Recommends annual academic and cultural goals for Tapestry that align to the school's 5-year strategic plan.
- Conducts midyear and end of year evaluations for each of the school's Principals.
- Spends focused time with Principals at their campus each week that is designed to help each Principal successfully implement their work plan and achieve their annual goals.
- Partners with the Chief Operating Officer to draft the annual accountability report for the Charter Schools Institute.
- Delivers presentations to the Tapestry Board of Trustees to describe the performance of each campus, to share strengths of their programs, and to share action plans for addressing any areas of development.
Professional Development
- Leads the planning and facilitation of summer professional development, including New Teacher Orientation, summer principal development, summer academic leader development and summer culture leader development.
- Leads the planning and facilitation of K-12 Tapestry professional development days throughout the school year.
- Collaborates with Principals to develop annual professional development plans for their campuses that are aligned to campus work plans and the priority work and goals of Tapestry's strategic plan.
- Trains Principals and campus-based leaders on best practices in leading adult professional learning and provides ongoing coaching and support related to the delivery of professional development sessions.
Budget and Finance
- Collaborates with the COO to ensure that Tapestry's K-12 budget reflects the school's academic and cultural priorities and that each campus has the resources needed to achieve its goals.
- Collaborates with the COO and Principals to define what responsibilities will lead to extra compensation in the form of stipends and ensures effective implementation of any stipend policies.
- Partners with the COO and Director of Curriculum and Assessment to use the textbook funding from the city of Buffalo to purchase materials that align with Tapestry's academic initiatives.
School Leader Coaching and Supervision
- Continuously invests leaders and staff in a shared vision for how Tapestry supports its campus leaders to implement the school's key design elements in pursuit of achieving its academic, cultural and operational goals.
- Supports all Principals to gain a deep understanding of the core practices of the Expeditionary Learning model, including its emphasis on leadership, curriculum, instruction, culture and character, and student-engaged assessment.
- Establishes shared practices and systems across all Tapestry campuses that ensure that EL's innovative approach is translating into strong outcomes for Tapestry students.
- Trains and coaches Principals to effectively implement best practices in data informed instruction, including backwards planning from assessments, effective assessment administration; data analysis; and the implementation of action plans to respond to data.
- Trains and coaches Principals to effectively implement best practices in instructional planning, including internalizing the rigor bar of priority assessments; unpacking curricular resources; establishing expectations for content-specific instruction; and the creation of lesson internalization systems that support high-quality instruction.
- Trains and coaches Principals to effectively implement best practices in establishing and maintaining strong student culture, including drafting the vision and minute by minute plans for priority routines at their campus; rolling out those expectations to staff; monitoring the strength of student culture on an ongoing basis; and implementing action plans to address gaps in student culture.
- Trains and coaches Principals to effectively implement best practices in establishing and maintaining strong staff culture, including drafting their vision for staff culture and related expectations for staff members at their campus; rolling out these expectations to staff; monitoring the strength of staff culture on an ongoing basis; and implementing action plans to address gaps in staff culture.
Additional Duties
- Leads the development of Tapestry's K-12 school calendar, including detailed calendars for the lower school, middle school and high school.
- Models the facilitation of consistent Tapestry systems and structures to support Principals, instructional leaders and academic leaders.
- Attends key school events to serve as a resource for campus team members.
- Develops an annual work plan that outlines how each campus will receive the unique support they need to ensure that their staff members and students can thrive in the year ahead.
- Oversees Tapestry's specialized K-12 programs that serve students who are English Language Leaders
- Serves as a liaison with the Buffalo Public Schools to ensure the effective implementation of Tapestry's specialized programs to serve students with special needs.
- Other tasks as needed as assigned by the Executive Director.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master's degree in Education, Education Leadership, Curriculum Development, or Educational Administration or similar area required.
- 10+ years professional experience in education and/or related fields required.
- Successful past experience as a School Principal with a track-record of inspiring high levels of student growth and achievement.
- Familiarity with expeditionary learning and project-based learning is preferred.
- Experience based on past history results.
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Unwavering belief that Tapestry's students can perform at the highest level academically.
- Knowledge of best practices in school leadership, including, but not necessarily limited to, how to implement the Core Practices of Expeditionary Learning to drive transformational outcomes for students.
- Excellent organization skills, including the ability to set priorities, manage their time, and ensure the successful completion of long-term projects.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate information verbally and in writing.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, including with a wide variety of diverse stakeholders.
- Knowledge of applicable laws, educational regulations, and other requirements that apply to charter schools in New York that are authorized by the SUNY Charter Schools Institute.
- Knowledge of instructional best practices frequently used in charter schools sponsored by the SUNY Charter Schools Institute.
- Experience with school or network operations, including strategic planning, policy development and budget implementation.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Work is performed primarily in an office environment, exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Repetitive motion including walking, bending, standing. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers to complete typing, filing, and data entry. Required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading. Position requires talking, walking, driving, speaking and comprehension of complex matters.
The above job description is not a contractual or binding document; it is provided as a guide to the types of duties required to be undertaken. Duties may vary from time to time and this description is subject to review. Modifications will be made as needed to support changes in the business climate and requirements.
Job Attachment View Attachment
Itinerant Location 65 Great Arrow Ave. Buffalo, NY 14216
Salary: From 120000.00
Salary: To 145000.00
Salary Competitive Y
Position Status Full time
Contact Person's Name HR Department
Contact Person's Phone 716-204-5883
