Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create 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.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

Job Description

Every member of the Team & Family at KIPP Texas Public Schools plays a critical role in ensuring our students are on the path to get to and through college. The Dean of Culture assumes primary responsibility for the culture of the school, facilitating the development of student character and ensuring a positive and structured environment that creates the conditions for accelerated learning. This position requires an organized and consistent educator with a concrete vision of excellence, the ability to build outstanding relationships with stakeholders, and a talent for inspiring children to high expectations

As a KIPP Texas Public Schools Dean of Culture, your core responsibilities include:

Family Engagement and Ownership

• Establish family volunteer program so that 70% of families volunteer at least 10 hours per semester and 25% of families volunteer, on average, at least 2 hours per week
• Establish KIPPster Family Association with at least 25% of families in monthly attendance
• Manage family facing communications such as newsletters, flyers, Facebook
• Work with grade level leaders to plan special events and performances with at least 60% family attendance
• With grade level chairs, plan monthly achievement night with at least 40% family attendance
• Develop systems to ensure families receive communication around academics and character choices at least 2 times per month through goal folders. Work with grade level chairs to support teachers in meeting communication expectations.
• Develop systems to track family engagement in academic goals such as reading logs, sight words, weekly skills assessments and work with grade level chairs to support teachers in meeting communication expectations.
• Work with special populations team, including RTI team, to ensure 100% guardian attendance for ARD meetings, LPAC meetings, RTI meetings, and grade placement committee meetings.​

Establishing, Maintaining, and Celebrating a Culture Rooted in Relationships and Restoration

• Lead school wide efforts in developing a restorative culture rooted in student achievement through family engagement
• Assisting teachers, students, and parents in the effective creation and implementation of individual behavior plans.
• Observing implementation of individual behavior plans for consistency and adjustments as needed.
• As needed, work directly with students in individual and small group settings with direct instruction on social skills and social emotional development
• Work closely and effectively with children who have/are experiencing trauma resulting in behavior challenges. Engage their families, along with mental health professionals, to partner with behavioral health organizations and support services to execute individual individualized behavior interventions when needed.
• Manage social skills and mental health team.
• Coordinating re-entry meetings with school staff and families of KIPPsters who have been suspended
• Attend and lead professional development on restorative practices with our staff.
• Serve as an advocate for core groups of KIPPsters to engage families and teachers effectively and meaningfully to support student success.
• Determine restorative actions and consequences for tier 3 choices
• Keeping accurate student discipline records, documenting all incident reports, conferences, suspensions, and phone calls for behavior.
• Following KIPP Texas policies, determine in and out of school consequences
• Support student tier 2 and tier 3 choices, including out of class time with core group of students, in order to promote restorative culture
• Manage para-professional who responds to in-the-moment tier 2 and tier 3 needs
• Support operations staff in developing welcoming, affirming, and transparent environment that promotes restorative culture

Establishing, Maintaining, and Celebrating a School Wide Culture and Climate Where Kids Can Be Their Best

• Own the school's character development program and ensure it builds and reinforces positive self-identity and necessary character strengths
• Partner with parents and families to build an authentic school-wide community, including organizing monthly Family Achievement Nights
• Lead recognition assemblies, parent academies, community meetings and other school-wide culture building activities
• Facilitate staff trainings on student-teacher relationships, classroom management, parent partnership and school culture
• Coordinate school wide character education programs
• Coordinate weekly celebration
• Coordinate weekly community meetings
• Working with and through advisory boards to build student culture and incentives
• Setting school wide culture goals, including parent engagement, designing systems to meet goals, tracking progress to goals, and designing celebrations and recognition.

Family Support and Access

• Coordinating translation of all documents including family communication, report cards, and homework
• Support teachers that are not bilingual in translating high stakes family phone calls and meetings
• Supporting social worker in accessing community resources for immediate and external family needs such as bus passes, holiday meals, clothing drives, and meals.
• Build and maintain family resources center with information on health, recreation, and other family needs.
• Meet regularly with culture team and middle school counterparts in order to ensure consistent educational experiences.

​Community Partnerships and Service Learning

• Build at least 15 meaningful community partnerships in order to provide necessary resources to families and students
• Build a volunteer mentor ship program to have at least 15 regular volunteers each week
• Work with grade level chairs in order to coordinate 3 service learning projects per quarter

Qualifications

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university
• Valid Texas Teaching Certificate with required certification for subject and level assigned*
• Demonstrated knowledge of core subject area assigned
• Satisfactory outcome of a background check. Employees are responsible for a non-refundable fingerprinting fee (approximately $50.00).

*Applicants currently pursuing a certification may apply before certification is received. All certifications must be acquired and on file with KIPP Texas before the end of the first year of employment.

Additional Information

Compensation

As a full time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas' benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, as well as life insurance and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.