Founding High School Principal

Great Oaks-NYC is excited to launch our new high school in New York City, complementing our existing middle school. Our ideal candidate is a talented, tenacious leader who shares our belief that all students can achieve at a high level.

About Great Oaks Charter Schools

The mission of GO-NYC High School is to graduate students who will shape the world, not be defined by it. Therefore, we believe that children learn best through a combination of direct instruction and project-based, authentic experiences to support skill development and accelerate learning. Our program is organized around the design principles of Mastery, Leadership and Community, providing challenging academics with a well-rounded approach to the whole child. We combine project-based learning, an advanced curriculum, and supplementary tutorial support to maximize student agency.

What sets Great Oaks Charter Schools apart from other charters is the use of additional instructional support implemented by the Great Oaks Fellows, a group of recent college graduates who provide up to two hours of daily individualized support to every student. Great Oaks Americorps Fellows provide students with additional opportunities to engage in critical content, which helps to close academic achievement gaps and level the playing field.

Great Oaks Design Principles

Mastery: For students to shape the world and not be defined by it, they must have deep knowledge and the ability to apply that to new contexts. Therefore, we emphasize hands-on, project-based curriculum and joyful teaching.

Leadership: The purpose of leadership is to support a vision of the world in which equity and justice are essential. Therefore, we offer leadership opportunities to students so that they can persist through challenges, plan proactively for their future, and collaborate with others.

Community: Community is predicated on the understanding that if it takes a village to raise a child, why not help raise the village. Therefore , we support the whole child in the development of healthy self-esteem and confidence through building deep relationships with others and themselves.

About Great Oaks Charter School - New York City

Great Oaks (GO) Charter School - New York opened in 2013 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with a focus on serving a heterogenous population of students. Currently, Great Oaks-New York City serves 265 students in grades 6-8. GO-NYC is growing to serve students in grades 6-12 by adding one grade level each year. Our first ninth grade class will begin in August of 2021 in a full inclusion model.

Position Summary

Great Oaks New York City Charter School is seeking a dynamic, experienced, and focused High School Principal to lead the launch and growth of Great Oaks NYC High School (GO-NYC). The Principal is responsible for the overall performance, management and operations of the Great Oaks Charter High School on 38 Delancey Street in Manhattan. The Principal is responsible for ensuring the Great Oaks model for the high school is fulfilled daily on behalf of the students and families. Specifically, the Principal is responsible for the following:

• Plan the implementation of an effective high school strategy that enlists staff, families and students in a common effort for student college and career readiness aligned to the GO-NYC High School design and vision,
• Effectively lead the high school staff around instruction and culture, building a community organized around the GO-NYC HS vision,
• Ensure that the high school enacts the vision of the GO-NYC model, including the implementation of effective youth culture systems rooted in strengths-based development research, builds an effective and caring culture in the school, and promotes student voice and leadership,
• Ensure that high quality, student-centered curriculum and pedagogy are implemented across subject, content areas and tutorial settings,
• Ensure effective inclusion of diverse learner populations and effective support to ensure that all students meet Great Oaks standards,
• Oversee the systemic use by teachers and staff of daily, weekly and monthly assessment systems throughout the school aligned to state standards and designed to accelerate student outcomes and their passion for learning,
• Work with administrators, staff, Fellows, students and families to utilize the information to improve learning and teaching,
• Ensure that systems are implemented effectively to develop, support, coach and supervise teachers in a way that builds teacher knowledge, inspires and enlists them, and holds them accountable for student learning,
• Ensure that the school attracts and retains high quality staff,
• Ensure the implementation of effective youth culture systems that build off strengths-based leadership development research and enlist staff and students to establishing an effective and caring culture in the school,
• Implement and refine the Fellow Corps model in the high school, where every student receives effective tutoring, mentoring and enrichment each week that significantly improves their skills and abilities and orientation towards college readiness and increases intellectual engagement,
• Establish effective and regular ongoing systems of communication with teachers, Fellows, students and parents within the High School,
• Support the Executive Director in communication to the Board and State Education Department; this includes the following:
• All members of the school community are fully engaged and can bring their whole selves to the school;
• A warm, caring, and strengths-based culture is built, deeply committed to student learning and success, that values openness, hard work, and achievement;
• Ongoing work on diversity, equity and inclusion for staff, students, and families;
• Coordinate instructional, assessment, curricular, culture support with the Great Oaks Foundation and the Executive Director for the school,
• Support the Executive Director in implementing the policy, structures and systems to support effective management of the school in areas ranging from budget to enrollment, student data systems to state compliance,
• Collaborate with the Director of High School Design and the Executive Director to realize the vision and design of GO-NYC High School,
• Collaborate with the Middle School Principal and the Executive Director Team to ensure consistency between the middle and high school,
• Uses reflection and improvement in all aspects of work and in leadership of the school to reach all students and effectively drive student learning,
• Agrees to seek - through formal and informal feedback - to continue to develop and improve his/her job performance while employed by the School. At Great Oaks, an ongoing quest for improvement is considered essential for all staff members.

The Principal reports to the Executive Director of Great Oaks New York City. The Principal supports and coordinates with the Executive Director's ongoing efforts in policy design and implementation, 6-12 curriculum coordination, budget and student enrollment management, communication with the Great Oaks Foundation and other crucial partners, and monitoring of compliance with all New York State policies and laws.

Competencies and Qualifications

The successful candidate will have proven success in implementing high-quality instruction that led to the improvement of student achievement in an urban school. S/he will possess exceptional relationship building skills and the ability to communicate clearly to multiple stakeholders. The successful candidate will also have:

• A strong academic record with a Bachelor's degree from a competitive college or university required; advanced degree in subject area required
• At least 6 years in education and a minimum of two years of administrative experience leading student achievement at an urban high school
• School Leader Certification (strongly preferred)
• Extremely strong systems management abilities
• A strong belief that all students can succeed
• A do-whatever-it takes attitude including a willingness to work occasionally on the weekend or in the evening
• An exceptional ability to respond well to feedback and implement it immediately

Compensation

Great Oaks provides a competitive compensation and benefits package; exact compensation will vary based on experience and education.

General Information

This position is for the 2021-2022 school year and the successful candidate will start in late spring 2021 in order to prepare for the launch of the high school. Selected candidates will be contacted to set up a video interview.