Head of School

Phoenix schools challenge resilient, disconnected young people with rigorous academics and relentless supports, so they take ownership of their futures and succeed in high school, college, and as self-sufficient adults.

Philosophy

Phoenix Charter Academy exists to serve young people that are the most disconnected in their communities, providing pathways to college and the possibility of economic freedom. Phoenix Charter Academy was founded on the unwavering belief that all scholars can succeed at high levels. Phoenix truly endeavors to reach every scholar, focusing on the growing number on the margins of the traditional public district education system: young people who have dropped out of high school, are parenting children of their own, are or have been involved with the juvenile justice system, are older and new to the country and cannot gain access to public schooling, and young people who are under-credited relative to the number of years they have spent enrolled in high school. Our scholars are not only capable, but also demonstrate key strengths, that facilitate the development, of the skills necessary to set themselves up for lifetimes of economic prosperity and success. In this way, Phoenix Charter Academy aims to show the world what all young people can do, and to defy the limitations of societal assumptions, classism, and racism.

Role Summary

Phoenix Academy Charter Network is seeking an experienced, innovative and passionate leader to steward a multi-year change process in our flagship location of Chelsea.  Phoenix Chelsea is undergoing a bold and exciting process of change to better serve the community’s evolving scholar population which is now 60% English Language Learners, a large percentage new to the country.  Called Phoenix Forward, the changes are all designed to ensure increased numbers and readiness levels of Phoenix graduates to achieve beyond high school.  The shifts include a transition to a competency-based mastery grading system and personalized learning, which will expand on Phoenix’s historic commitment to relationship building and youth development. Phoenix Forward focuses on restorative practices and increasing the school’s commitment to flexible scheduling and programing, to meet the needs of young people with very real competing priorities.  The Head of School must possess a collaborative and inspirational leadership style grounded in accountability, concrete metrics, and must be a passionate advocate for scholars, staff, and families. Phoenix school leaders are visionaries within the network and the external community, representing - through evidence and urgency - that non-traditional scholars can achieve at high levels.

Leadership Commitments

Leaders model the core values and mission of Phoenix consistently, in every aspect of their work. The Head of School reports directly to the Chief Academic Officer.

Qualities of Phoenix member:

• Unwavering Belief in Phoenix Scholars - Phoenix staff operate with the deeply held belief that all young people want to and can succeed even in the face of what can seem like insurmountable barriers and societal constraints.

• Ability to Put Scholars First - Phoenix staff go above and beyond to ensure mastery of the skills and development of positive self-identity that will ensure success for college, careers and beyond.  Phoenix staff find every opportunity to engage in teaching and learning with scholars, using conflict to build supportive relationships with scholars and never taking things personally.

• Eager to Learn Under Pressure - Phoenix staff must be able to learn as they go in a fast paced, ever evolving, urgent environment. They have the desire to receive direct feedback and the ability to implement the feedback into practice quickly.

• Experience with Low Income Communities -  Staff have the proven ability to work across cultures and experience serving low-income communities and/or academically-disconnected adolescents.  

• Ability to Find Inspiration In the Small Things - In the face of challenge and hard work, Phoenix staff must have the ability to find humor, inspiration, success and joy in the day to day interactions with scholars and the larger Phoenix Community.

• Personal Commitment to Cultural Proficiency and Ongoing Development - Phoenix staff are ongoing learners about diversity, equity and inclusion and seek to understand the ways that their self-identity and experiences impacts and interacts with their daily work, colleagues and scholars.

Specific Job Responsibilities:

Envisioned as the comprehensive leader of the school, the Phoenix Head of School must be able to demonstrate and juggle leadership across multiple priorities.  

Instructional Leadership

• Ensure the Phoenix priority academic standards for core content areas:  foundational academic skills, social emotional development, and college and career readiness are implemented into a backwards planned curriculum.
• Lead a scholar focused academic program by ensuring scholars have demonstrated the ability to master and apply skills in new environments through a variety of assessments and activities, with the ultimate goal of completing college and/or other post-secondary opportunities.
• Lead, support and evolve a curriculum that integrates the meta-cognitive and social emotional skills across the College Services, Advisory, and content areas to ensure that scholars are developing the skills, habits, and mindsets of successful college scholars.
• Work with the Leadership Team and Instructional Leadership Team to design and deliver engaging and focused professional development to ensure that all staff are continuously engaged in growing their practice.
• Lead Instructional Leadership Team to identify academic needs and develop shared team action plans to ensure that gaps are addressed.
• Coordinate with the CMO Instructional Team to align academic work to centralized competencies, curriculum and assessments to ensure a consistent approach to helping scholars achieve the learning milestones.
• Supervise the Special Education and English Language Development programs and services for Phoenix scholars, ensure that staff complies with responsibilities and continuously develops practice in these areas.
• Supervise the leadership team member acting as Site Supervisor of the Phoenix AmeriCorps Program.
• Supervise the planning and implementation of Summer Academy programming for scholars.

School Culture Leadership

• Foster a positive school culture in which, scholars are continuously learning to hold themselves to high expectations and to make decisions that reflect a high degree of respect for self and others.
• Oversee the development of school wide discipline practices communicated in an annual scholar handbook. Oversee consistent administration of policies and compliance with state law and best practice.
• Develop the capacity of staff to build positive relationships with scholars and to ensure that they are making positive and healthy decisions that will lead to success at Phoenix, in college, and beyond.
• Lead community-wide rituals such as community meetings to share key information, recognize scholar and staff achievements, and provide a ritual for community connections and celebrations.
• Ensure coordinated and innovative scholar support services including the Student Support Team.
• Remain responsive to professional needs of staff and infuse added supportive and developmental sessions when necessary.
• Collect ongoing feedback from staff to identify needs and to develop actions plans to provide appropriate supervision, direction, support, and recognition to staff.

Student Recruitment, Retention and Community Engagement

• Oversee year long scholar recruiting practices and management of all new scholar orientations to ensure that enrollment targets are met.
• Supervise attendance support and intervention programs and practices to constantly re-engage scholars and make sure that they are attending regularly, using Phoenix core practices of relentless outreach.
• Oversee the overall scholar attendance and retention trends to meet clearly established goals and benchmarks.
• Oversee school-wide staff engagement on retention activities using the mantra that “everyone is a retention specialist”.
• Build and maintain critical community partnerships that will ensure that the most disconnected young people can access Phoenix as an opportunity to get back on track to college and careers.
• Ensure that Phoenix is a visible and trusted community institution.

Operational Leadership

• Manage instructional budget and work closely with Manager of Operations to monitor relationship between budget and enrollment; become deeply knowledgeable of fiscal boundaries of school budget.
• Ensure building is clean, welcoming, and conducive to learning at all times, and that building sends positive messages to scholars about their worth and importance in our community
• Ensure appropriate DESE regulations are met and delegated to appropriate staff (including but not limited to data collection and annual disciplinary reporting).
• Ensure technology platforms are updated and accessible to staff and scholars.
• Oversee hiring processes through final offer; manage recruitment of diverse and talented staff; participate in salary discussions when appropriate.

Supervision and Development of Leaders

• Supervise, continuously develop, and evaluate members of the School Leadership Team.
• Manage Leadership Team meetings to ensure weekly coordinated action plans of enrollment, attendance, culture and academic achievement data.
• Support leaders in effectively supervising and evaluating staff to ensure that all staff members have focused goals for professional growth and receive ongoing feedback to improve their performance.
• Work with Chief Academic Officer and Instructional Leadership Team to develop Teacher and Fellowship Institute and annual Professional Development Plan.

We seek a diverse workforce. Phoenix Charter Academy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to providing equal opportunity to staff and applicants in all areas of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other area protected by federal, state or local law. Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to making any reasonable accommodation necessary to support an individual's employment.

**It is understood that this Job Description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the position. It is not intended to be a complete and total description of each and every duty and responsibility. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. He or she will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor. It is also understood that the Charter Management Organization retains the right to modify this Job Description at any time, for any reason, at the CMO’s discretion**