Perspectives Charter Schools Network is seeking an Assistant Principal of Culture for the 2026 - 2027 school year!
About Perspectives Charter Schools
At Perspectives, our A Disciplined Life® education model teaches the whole child. We combine academic rigor, social emotional learning, and experiential opportunities to establish a culture of trust, curiosity and achievement. As one of the first charter schools in Illinois and founded by teachers, our mission is to provide students with a holistic, rigorous and relevant education, based on the ethical principles of A Disciplined Life®, preparing them for life in a changing world and helping them further become intellectually reflective, caring and ethical people engaged in a meaningful life. With 5 schools in three campuses, the Perspectives network has served public school students in grades 6 -12 on our city’s southside for over 20 years. Our scholars come from some of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in the country and graduate from high school with a plan to enroll in college or trade school, and take with them the tools to persist in college and career. The keys to our success are our dedicated, hard‐working, creative, and compassionate colleagues.
Perspectives’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
We are committed to reducing barriers and fostering an anti-racist, non-discriminatory and inclusive environment by internalizing our core values of A Disciplined Life® and ensuring that our practices allow our diverse population of students and staff to grow, thrive, and excel.
LOCATION:
Perspectives/IIT/Math & Science Academy; 3663 S Wabash, Chicago, IL 60653
JOB PURPOSE
Assistant Principals of Culture (APC) ensure that the A Disciplined Life culture thrives at their campus by assisting the implementation of the principal’s vision for school culture and operations. The APCs coach and develop teachers using the A Disciplined Life education model; build strong departmental teams; manage student support services personnel; and leverage strong community and family partnerships into robust after-school programming. Through the management of people, systems, and data, APCs ensure the school operates smoothly; creating a vibrant A Disciplined Life school culture with a strong code of conduct in a restorative and equitable manner, where students and families receive consistent and high-quality support. The assistant principal position is a 52-week position which directly reports to the principal and performs other duties as assigned by the principal.
WHAT YOU’LL DO: CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Academic Rigor
- Possess, inspirationally convey to teachers, and expertly implement classroom instructional techniques during teacher coaching sessions
-
Monitor classroom instruction in partnership with principal and leadership members and collaborative create and implement improvement strategies
-
Lead teams through academic and attendance data analysis to identify students who need additional academic or engagement support
Social Emotional & Ethical Learning
-
In collaboration with school leadership team, faculty, students, and parents, develop and implement a school-wide vision for school culture rooted in A Disciplined Life
-
Continuously monitor progress toward the school-wide vision for school culture with strong information systems that monitor attendance, GPA, student engagement, etc.
-
Use student-level and teacher-level data to design and deliver learning opportunities that align to the next edges of growth for Joslin’s school culture. These include individual coaching sessions; small-group skill-building teams; and whole-group professional development.
-
Coach, develop, and supervise A Disciplined Life teachers for all grade levels
-
Develop a strong and frequent accountability cadence that features positive and genuine praise, timely and clear feedback, and clear expectations
-
Leads the development and implementation of school-wide positive incentive programming, including rewards, celebrations, and student meetings (in-person or virtual)
-
Frequently liaises with all student leadership initiatives, including Peace Team, Student Government, and similar teams, to build student investment in school culture
-
Leads deans in the equitable enactment the Perspectives Charter Schools student code of conduct, using restorative justice practices when at all possible and appropriate
-
Coaches, supervises, and evaluates student support staff, including deans of students
-
Maintains confidentiality and privacy of all school records
-
Coordinates and supervises support services as assigned by the principal (i.e. food service, facilities, etc.)
-
Implements the school’s emergency plan
-
Delegates and supervises hall watch, security, breakfast, lunch, student entry, tardy students and school services
-
Other duties as assigned
Experiential Learning
-
Builds family and community partnerships through systematic outreach, cultivation of new partnerships, and development of robust after-school programs
-
Ensure special events, including seminars and job shadow opportunities, feature smooth logistics and strong student learning
-
Works in conjunction with the principal in supervising all school activities (dances, concerts, orientation programs, etc.)
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
Education:
- 3-5 years of experience in an educational setting
-
Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership preferred
-
PEL with Principal Endorsement preferred
Experience:
- Experience as an exceptional, engaging teacher in underserved communities as a core-content teacher with demonstrable results
-
Experience managing, coaching, and developing other adults in a school environment
-
Demonstrates success in engaging and empowering parents and families from underserved communities
-
High level of proficiency with data tools and software
- Microsoft Office
-
Proficiency with Excel formulas (VLOOKUP, COUNTIF, etc)
-
Ability to sort and filter Excel data sets with facility
-
Ability to use Microsoft Excel and Word together to mail merge large data sets into individual reports for families, staff, and students
-
Ability to teach others skills listed above
-
Google Suite
-
Proficiency with Google add-ons, including Mail Merge with Attachments
-
Ability to organize files in Google Drive
-
Strong proficiency in Google Slides
-
Ability to teach others skills listed above
-
PowerSchool
-
Experience scheduling students in courses
-
Experience running PowerSchool reports
-
Ability to teach others skills listed above
-
Tableau
-
Ability to navigate (not build) Tableau dashboards
-
Ability to download data from Tableau into Excel for school analysis
-
Ability to teach others skills listed above
CHARACTERISTICS YOU BRING TO THE TEAM:
- An unwavering belief in the power of inclusion and a commitment to equity in order to narrow the gap within the gap for students with disabilities
-
A strong commitment to live by the 26 principles of A Disciplined Life and a belief that all students in Chicago deserve an excellent education
-
A willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve outstanding student outcomes
-
A commitment to life-long learning with the desire to take advantage of professional development and coaching to constantly improve
-
Strong classroom management skills with the ability to inspire and motivate students
-
An analytical mindset that always asks the question is it working and how do we know?
-
An independent problem solver who sees gaps and takes collaborative initiative to bridge them
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Position requires availability for extended hours plus non-traditional hours required to perform job duties. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
-
Ability to work on-site while following safety protocols.
-
Nature of work requires an ability to operate standard business office equipment. Requires the ability to communicate and exchange information, collect, compile and prepare work documents, set-up and maintain work files.
- Majority of work will be performed in a general office/school environment.
-
Physical demands require the ability to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach or pull with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl around the classroom and kneel upwards of 60% of the day. Must be able to stand for long periods of time (up to 8 hours) and quickly ascend/descend stairs and/or being able to walk up and down stairs several times a day. Constant use of eyes (correctable vision to normal level required) to observe, read, interact with public and co-workers, view security monitors; includes hand/eye coordination
-
Must be able to lift 15 to 20 pounds for short periods of time and push and pull 30 to 40 lbs.
TRAVEL:
The majority of work will be performed in a general office/school environment. This position may require participation and attendance at organization sponsored events and meetings.
-
Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-area travel may be expected.
BENEFITS SUMMARY:
Perspectives offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package for all full-time employees, including:
-
Comprehensive and competitive benefits package
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
-
Paid time off including holidays
-
Company 403B plan with a 4% match if applicable
-
Company contribution towards the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund if applicable
-
Paid life insurance
-
Paid short and long term disability.
-
ISBE-approved professional development provider
-
Salary Range: $100,000 to $125,000
Perspectives Charter Schools works affirmatively to include diversity among its workforce and does not discriminate in the selection of its staff on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, income, marital status, or any other dimension of diversity. We encourage diverse candidates to apply for this position.
