School Principal

This is a general posting. We are accepting applications for elementary, middle and high school principals. Please specify your grade level & region preference in your application.
 

About the Principal role: We expect you to focus the majority of your time leading, steering, coaching, and developing your leadership team to ensure strong instruction and a school culture conducive to learning. KIPP Colorado Principals invest in leading and developing leaders and teachers to create a culture of belonging and academic excellence that supports the realization of our graduate profile for ALL students: 21st century readiness, emotional intelligence, and direction. At KIPP, we trust and expect that our Principals build schools that are built to last by developing a pipeline of future leaders, creating systems to maximize impact, and coordinating the on-going development of school staff. Principals are expected to develop a successor leader in partnership with regional leadership and to build the leadership capacity of the school staff. This role reports directly to a Managing Director of Schools. 

About KIPP: Together with families and communities, KIPP creates joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. KIPP is a national network of tuition-free, public charter schools open to all students. There are 255 college-preparatory KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 100,000 students. Nationally, KIPP students are graduating four-year colleges at three times the national average for low-income students.

Who we are: KIPP Colorado Public Schools is a network of six free college-preparatory public charter schools open to all students. Our 350-person staff educates 2,600 students from ECE to 12th grade. At KIPP Colorado, we partner with our KIPPsters, educators, families and communities to ensure that we are all united around the goal of a choice-filled future for our KIPPsters. Our KIPP Forward Team supports our 1,000+ high school Alumni as they create their own paths. Our core values of excellence, belonging, belief, advocacy and courage are central to who we are and how we operate at all levels of our organization.

What we do: We believe in the unique gifts and brilliance of every student. We believe in setting a high bar for joy and academic excellence to ensure the infinite possibilities our students have before them become a reality. We aspire to create and reinforce a culture of achievement, belonging and support. We know that every student is different and we personalize learning based on a student's needs, skills, and interests.

About the School Principal Role: As a School Principal, your primary role is to drive exceptional student experience and academic outcomes that equip all students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. 

Professional Responsibilities 

• Believe deeply in the mission, values, and Race, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (RIDE) commitments of KIPP Colorado Schools and that all children can and will learn
• Assume personal responsibility for student achievement
• Read, internalize, and adhere to the KIPP Colorado Policies and Procedures manual and guidelines
• Providing an active presence, strategic supervision, and intentional monitoring to ensure student safety and engagement in rigorous learning (regardless of my role and its proximity to students)
• Take ownership for the development of your craft (meet 1x/1-2 weeks with a manager, implement feedback, engage in active practice, etc.)
• Commit to being prepared. Such as; internalizing and preparing for lessons; preparing for O3s/coaching, preparing for meetings, coaching, PD, etc. 
• Meet professional obligations including and not limited to meeting deadlines and honoring schedules
• Consistently leverage existing professional tools, including but not limited to Google Suite (google documents, etc.) and Microsoft Suite (including but not limited to your KIPP Colorado email, Teams chat / meetings, Teams phone, and Microsoft outlook)
• Maintain strong attendance each day and be on time to all responsibilities
• Collaborate with colleagues and seek feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement
• Reflect on professional practices to meet individual professional development goals 
• Actively participate in professional development, grade level, and department meetings
• Actively engage and implement in all school-wide and Org wide professional development
• Serve as a positive, contributing member of a grade team or functional team, collaborating with colleagues to tackle common challenges and implement org and grade-wide initiatives
• Share candid, solutions-oriented feedback with peers and leadership on a regular basis, assuring that feedback is shared directly with the intended recipient. Ensure that feedback is focused on improving outcomes and experiences for students
• Assist with both student and staff recruitment and engagement- including events, home visits, calls home, and other determined and related requirements
• Your role, professional development, org wide meetings, etc may require you to travel around Denver to other KIPP Campuses, our Home Office, or other KIPP or PD events.
• Other duties as assigned (such as but not limited to, lunch duty, arrival/dismissal duty, bathroom duty, school support duties, etc.) 

How We Work: The Principal works in close partnership with the Home Office to create a cohesive, coherent experience for our students and families and to realize the goals and priorities of our Strategic Plan. This includes (but is not limited to): 

• Aligning the school vision, strategy, and goals to KIPP Colorado’s organizational vision, mission, strategy, priorities and scorecard
• Investing in and leading change management as we shift operating models and increase organizational alignment across KIPP Colorado 
• Partnering deeply with the Home Office Team to execute strategy and develop staff 
• Building context and sharing context to ensure alignment of campus-based work with broader vision and strategy 
• Implementing and progress monitoring organizational priorities and initiatives at the campus level 
• Championing and stewarding KIPP Colorado’s vision, values, RIDE Commitments, and strategy 
• Providing input and insight to shape organizational strategy, including priorities, initiatives, and implementation 

Key Outcomes: KIPP Colorado believes in the importance of equitable experiences and outcomes for all students. To fulfill our mission and strategic plan, we must clearly establish benchmarks for excellence and align our practices, decisions, and resources to meet these ambitious and feasible performance targets. 

• Partner with the Home Office Team to set ambitious targets and metrics for campus goals aligned with the KIPP Colorado early childhood through 12th grade vision and strategic plan scorecard 
• Plan and prioritize time, talent, and resources to achieve campus goals

Academic Excellence: The School Principal is an Instructional Leader

• Build own and school staff’s knowledge and expertise in effective instructional design and academic standards
  • Develop teachers’ conceptual understanding of what students must know and be able to do and what instructional methods drive student mastery
  • Develop knowledge of how standards map to curriculum and assessment
• Develop leaders to coach teachers to provide rigorous, engaging, affirming, grade-level and culturally-sustaining instruction that prepares students for multiple post-secondary opportunities
  • Lead analysis of, and develop teachers’ ability to analyze, student data to identify strategies that will move students toward mastery
  • Regularly observe and coach instructional leaders to ensure they are providing high-impact, actionable and bite-sized feedback to teachers on a weekly basis
• Develop teachers to provide rigorous, engaging, affirming, grade-level and culturally-sustaining instruction that prepares students for multiple post-secondary opportunities 
• Build and develop own and all staff’s capacity to support learning for all students, including an understanding of and ability to implement well: IEPs, 504 Plans, ALPs, BIPs, best practices in academic and behavioral intervention, strategies for multilingual learners, and universal design 

Thriving Talent: The School Principal is a strong People Manager and Cultivator of Talent

• Cultivate a diverse, high-potential school leadership pipeline (from teacher leader to AP to successor) and develop leadership team members by teaching and insisting that they are true owners of the work and coaching and assigning stretch activities
• Implement systems and structures to hire and retain diverse, highly-effective staff
• Develop staff to be a positive, high-functioning team
• Ensure teachers can collaborate, analyze their practice and their student data, and adjust instruction in content teams
  • Lead whole-school professional development workshops that drive highest-impact improvements in teacher practice
• Cultivate School Leader’s own success and sustainability by engaging lifelines, investing in coaching, and renewing to get stronger

Culture of Belonging: The School Principal is a Strong Culture Leader for Families, Students, and Staff 

• Actively promote the representation of students and families’ cultures, backgrounds, and experiences into the culture and learning experiences of the school
• Define and model expectations for leaders, teachers, and students on school-wide practices to ensure a positive learning environment
  • Set explicit school-wide expectations
  • Design systems, structures, and routines to ensure consistent school-wide implementation of expectations
  • Lead school-level initiatives to develop restorative practices into the culture of the school
  • Develop staff with the knowledge, skills, and leadership to effectively implement classroom and school-level cultural expectations
• Makes considerable efforts to engage with families, building relationships and a culture of trust

 Outstanding Operations and Sustainability: The School Principal Leads in all areas including Operations and Compliance

• Ensure that all school functions (operations, electives, instruction, leadership, etc.) have systems to coordinate and communicate with one another 
• Comply with district and KIPP policies and state and federal laws and regulations affecting the schools
• Develop annual budget based on documented program needs, estimated enrollment, personnel, and other fiscal needs; keep programs within budget limits, maintain fiscal control; accurately report fiscal information
• Compile, maintain, all reports, records, and other documents required including accurate and timely reports
• Articulate the school’s mission to the community and work with the Advocacy and Community Engagement Team to solicit support in accomplishing the mission
• Use appropriate techniques to encourage community and parent involvement

RIDE Commitments: The School Principal is a Leader of Racial Equity

• Highly values diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of work
• Leads and communicates effectively across lines of difference 
• Centers marginalized groups and acts to ensure equity in all systems and processes for which they are responsible
• Challenges the status quo and actively disrupts white dominant culture both at the school and regional level

• Student Focus: Believes that all students, regardless of background, have the ability to go to and through college and/or career pathways; demonstrates commitment to the school’s unique community
• Personal Leadership: Sets clear and focused vision and direction across an entire school, grounded in excellence centered on what’s best for students. Motivates and influences others to action towards this vision through building authentic relationships, effectively leading change, and continuously learning and improving
• Achievement Orientation: Demonstrates resilience and focus on student culture, academic, and socio-emotional outcomes
• Instructional Leadership: Sets clear, detailed, and ambitious vision for academic excellence. Adept at data analysis; Extracts meaningful insights across school-wide data and act on them to improve outcomes. Expertise in what the school-wide academic standards and state assessments require of students’ knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery; able to translate student mastery requirements into instructional plans and strategies. Deep understanding of appropriate application and differentiation of high-leverage instructional strategies for rigorous and deep thinking (e.g., pacing, stretching it, etc.) based on comprehension and application of child development and pedagogy. Command of instructional design and the benefits and tradeoffs of school design decisions in driving student achievement
• Talent Leadership: Cultivates, hires, develops, and retains high-quality staff members and school leadership. Demonstrates accountable student achievement results from teachers and leaders that he/she manages and coaches,
• Culturally Responsive: Create inclusive student, family, and adult environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives through modeling and facilitating courageous conversations. Creates structures to identify and dismantle inequitable, biased, or oppressive systems and practices
• Culture leadership: Sets a vision and expectations for staff and student culture; grounded in equity and inclusivity that supports student learning. Models self awareness and personal responsibility, and holds self and others accountable for the bar of authenticity
• Bachelor's degree (required)

• Spanish bilingual (preferred)
• At least 7-8 years of relevant and aligned experience (required)
• At least 6 years of K-12 teaching experience and/or a strong record of helping underserved students achieve academic success (required) 
• Past experience (2 years) of leading adults in a school environment (at the Assistant Principal level) (required) 
• A full understanding and Commitment to an Exceptional Student Experience (more about that HERE) (required) 
• Outstanding organizational skills and high attention to detail; outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Ability to manage the ambiguity and multiple priorities inherent in an entrepreneurial environment
• Proactive problem solver who demonstrates initiative and teamwork
• Strong work ethic coupled with an enthusiastic and passionate approach to one’s work
• Multi-faceted, multi-skilled, resourceful and willing to do whatever it takes to help the school reach a level of academic excellence
• High level of detail orientation and sound excellent organizational skills
• Strong communication, feedback and facilitation skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Articulate, professional demeanor with strong self-confidence and initiative
• Entrepreneurial mindset, with the creativity and versatility to work productively in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, high-energy environment with a proven ability to meet and complete multiple deadlines and tasks with meticulous attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop productive working relationships with stakeholders across functional and organizational lines
• Passionate commitment to KIPP Colorado mission and to high standards of excellence

Compensation and Benefits

Employee retention and satisfaction is imperative for KIPP Colorado. We seek to provide competitive compensation and benefits including the following:

• Competitive Market Salary: Starting salary for this role begins at $117,300 and is commensurate with experience
  • Please submit a comprehensive resume to assure all your experience is accounted for! Tip: We don't care if your resume is more than one page, we are eager to see and compensate you for all of your experience and accomplishments
• Excellent Healthcare Plan: 100% of employee-only monthly premium paid by KIPP Colorado and options for family enrollment and coverage, through United Healthcare 

• Time Off !!!: More than 6 weeks of annual vacation and Paid Time Off (PTO) 
  • Based on hire date, employees are eligible for up to 8 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) 
  • All employees receive summer break through an organization-wide closure, based on work location and position
  • Access to parental and medical leave: includes 6 weeks paid and 6 weeks unpaid for a total of 12 weeks (after your first year)

• Career Trajectory: Access to opportunity to move up, across schools, and grow your career during weekly coaching sessions to refine your craft

• Mental Health Care: Immediate and ongoing access to mental health support through our Employee Assistance Program

• Technology & Access: Equipment provided: laptop & phone 

• Retirement Planning: Participation in the Colorado PERA retirement program, including a PERA 401k option
• Move to Join Us: Relocation reimbursement (when applicable)
• Additional Pay: Most schools offer various stipend opportunities
• Other Insurance Options: 
  • Wellness reimbursement
  • Voluntary employee, spousal, and child life insurance
  • Voluntary long term disability insurance
  • Voluntary short term disability insurance
  • Optional Basic Life and AD&D Insurance

• Additional Information: For more information, you can view our benefits FAQ here