Our flagship high school, Brooklyn Ascend High School (BAHS), opened to 9th grade students in September 2015 and will expand by a grade per year through grade 12.

The director of culture is the cultural leader of the school and manages the culture team. This team is responsible for maintaining a culture of high academic and behavioral expectations, and ensuring a restorative and college-preparatory climate across the campus. Directors develop and cultivate enduring relationships with students, teachers, and parents—and support staff to do the same. The director of culture role is an ideal opportunity for a dynamic and visionary individual to play a central leadership role in growing and shaping one of our premier charter schools committed to helping students achieve high levels of academic achievement from kindergarten through college. The director of culture will participate as a member of the school leadership team and will report to the school director.

At BAHS, we are looking for leaders who believe in restorative practices and teach students to resolve conflicts on their own, understand the impact of their actions, and acknowledge responsibility to the school community. We believe that a true liberal arts education—which fosters and prizes critical thinking and independence of thought—cannot be joined to a no-excuses culture that emphasizes silence and compliance. It is a flagrant contradiction. We prepare students for success in college and in life by fostering agency—our students' confidence that they are in control of their own lives and can act of their own free choices, their conviction that they can assert their voice and power in the world.

Why extraordinary leaders lead at Ascend

Ascend is a network of K-12 public charter schools serving 4,000 students across 10 schools in Central Brooklyn. Our mission is to lead our students on a great intellectual journey, providing them with an exceptional education and placing them firmly on the path to success in college and beyond.

We guide our students to think critically and independently and to enjoy education as an end in itself. We teach a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures students' natural curiosity about the world. We foster a positive, non-punitive school culture where students feel connected, empowered, and safe to take academic risks. Even our school buildings are designed to reflect our high aspirations for teaching and learning and the notable accomplishments that occur within our walls.

To create this kind of vibrant learning community, we invest heavily in our faculty by providing ongoing professional training and support, and encourage our educators to collaborate closely and push each other to achieve great outcomes.

Leading at Ascend means growing deeply in your career, expressing your voice, and playing a defining role in the future of your students, your school, and the Ascend network.

Visit our website to learn more about the Ascend approach.

The director of culture will support the school's highly ambitious academic and cultural expectations. To accomplish this, the director of culture will:

• Supervise deans of students and teachers
• Provide support to teachers, helping them build and create a warm, structured and restorative classroom culture
• Work directly with high touch scholars and their families to provide supports and structures to ensure their academic progress
• Design and implement community meetings and celebrations to help build a culture of joyfulness
• Design and execute procedures for arrival, dismissal, tardiness, and other school-wide routines
• Coach and support administrators, counselors, culture team members, and teachers in driving Ascend's high achievement culture
• Maintain and report schoolwide discipline data; ensuring due process and legal compliance regarding all student disciplinary actions
• Serve as an external spokesperson for the school, conveying the school's mission and building strong relationships with constituents, including students, teachers, parents, and community members
• Work with the leaders and teachers to ensure a successful advisory program
• Develop and implement professional development for staff around restorative practices
• Oversee the implementation and development of systems and programs to support students that struggle with our high achievement culture
• Ensure that Ascend scholars meet high expectations for attendance certifying the campus maintains greater than 97% daily attendance and timeliness
• Work with families and coordinating family events to build and maintain strong relationships throughout the course of the school year

Staff and reporting relationships

The director of culture reports directly to the school director. Additional collaboration occurs with the deans of students and the Ascend network.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, with an advanced degree strongly preferred
• At least 6 years of experience in teaching, teacher coaching, and student support. Leadership experience preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook

Skills and traits

The director of culture must demonstrate:

• A deep belief in restorative practices, where discipline is an opportunity for learning, growth, and community-building
• Passion and commitment to urban education and our ultimate goal of closing the achievement gap
• The ability to be a bold, tireless, engaging change agent and culture-creator; a visionary; a leader who inspires and motivates students and adults
• A ferocious desire to provide our students with an exemplary education
• A focus on results; a flexible thinker willing to do “whatever it takes”
• Insistence on academic excellence and rigor at all times
• Self-awareness, with an ability to treat all members of the school's community with respect and possess an accurate idea of one's own strengths and weaknesses
• Absolute integrity
• Strong leadership and team building skills
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Superb organizational, self-management, and problem-solving skills
• An openness to accept and implement feedback and engage in a process of self-improvement
• Alignment with the educational philosophy and core beliefs of Ascend

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.

Compensation

Ascend offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Apply Here: http://www.Click2apply.net/m2tsrrdbp6w9p2m3

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