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ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL OF THE HORACE MANN LABORATORY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY AND S

Employer
Salem Public Schools
Location
Salem, MA, US
Salary
Competitive
Job Title: Elementary Principal of the Horace Mann Laboratory Elementary School, a Salem State University and Salem Public Schools Partnership

Application Due Date: Open Until Filled

Position Start Date: July 1, 2018 or Upon Availability

Terms of Employment: Calendar Year (12 months)

Salary: Competitive

Summary: Salem, Massachusetts is an historic seacoast community located 16 miles north of Boston with a culturally diverse population of 40,000. The successful candidate will possess the appropriate Massachusetts Educator's License as a Principal and will help the district to achieve its mission and related goals and objectives, to set an example of an exceptional professional educator for all students and staff to model and to provide an educational climate that fosters learning as a life-long process. The successful candidate will ideally be a professor or have experience working with a college or university in building successful mentorships and fellowship programs for student teachers and/or fellows.

Interested applicants should read the entire posting . Only candidates who submit a complete application including a targeted cover letter, resume, and responses to three short answer questions (listed at bottom of posting) will be considered. Please note that the cover letter, resume, and short answer responses must be saved in one PDF document.

We seek a highly effective elementary principal with a track record of success. We seek an instructional leader who also possess an exemplary managerial, instructional and operational skill-set. The leader must be committed to the belief in the potential of all students, including students at Salem State University. We seek a leader who is committed to the ideals of collaboration, innovation, and who will do whatever it takes ensure that all our young learners attend a top-tier school and that university students receive excellent training in the field of education.

The Elementary Principal of the Horace Mann Laboratory School must:
  • Put students first. Students are at the heart of our school district and state university and we look to recruit and select leaders who make decisions in their best interest.
  • Strengthen the culture of teaching and learning. The new leader of the Horace Mann Lab School will change ideas about how young children learn in the 21 st century and how to best train current and future teachers to deliver 21 st century education, and will redefine expectations about what young people in America's urban centers are capable of achieving.
  • Demonstrate innovative and entrepreneurial thinking. The Salem Public Schools and Salem State University value robust approaches to teaching and learning, especially in urban areas where standard practices have not always served young people well. Modeling innovation in other sectors, the Horace Mann Elementary principal will use technology to advance improved teaching and learning practices and implement more robust assessments, support teachers, student teachers and leaders as innovators, invest early in promising practices, and collect and use data to diagnose problems-of-practice and evaluate effectiveness of initiatives and to course-correct when necessary.
  • Engage families and the community as equal partners in the school improvement process. The Horace Mann Laboratory School principal will leverage the resources of Salem State University and the school district and will ensure that both parties are successfully collaborating on agreed upon criteria, including, but not limited to such categories as: professional development, curriculum alignment, and research for the learning of all students. The principal identifies deepening partnerships with parents, students, and the community, as a key strategy for improving student learning outcomes. An effective leader is able to conduct this important work with the many diverse populations that we have represented in our district.
  • Receive high levels of support in demand for high levels of accountability. Because teachers, student teachers and leaders are innovators, SPS realizes that they need high-touch, meaningful, and job-embedded support.


Responsibilities, Major Duties and Expected Qualifications of Elementary Principal at the Horace Mann Laboratory School:

Instructional Leadership
  • Develop and implement a Whole School Improvement Plan that sets the direction for school improvement efforts
  • Responsible and accountable for ensuring all students leave their school ready for the demands of middle/high school
  • Maintain a school-wide technology plan that effectively implements significant technology resources to differentiate instruction and support academic enrichment for all students
  • Analyze student achievement results to identify areas in greatest need of improvement and to inform school improvement efforts
  • Ensure that the learning needs of all students--special education, English Language Learners, and general education--are met
  • Effectively supervise the classroom teams, content-based coaches, reading specialists and other support staff.
  • Support and supervise the design of rigorous, standards-based instruction with measurable outcomes
  • Institute immediate targeted interventions and monitor their effectiveness
  • Conduct daily classroom observations to analyze instruction, supervise staff, and provide feedback to ensure continuous improvement in teaching and learning
  • Engage in continuous learning and on-going professional development with other principal/headmaster colleagues

Management and Operations
  • Recruit and retain a diverse staff
  • Align the use of people, money, and materials to the school's instructional priorities
  • Develop systems for optimal use of time by creating schedules/procedures that maximize instructional time and provide sufficient meeting time for all teams. Deflect activities that prevent staff from focusing on student learning during team time
  • Ensure a safe and nurturing environment for students, staff, and families
  • Design and implement a professional development plan and/or strategy that addresses instructional improvement priorities defined by student achievement and the individual needs of staff members
  • Manage school, facilities, and operations
  • Comply with the state and federal laws, policies and collective bargaining agreements

Family and Community Engagement
  • Strengthen teacher and staff capacity to cultivate and sustain meaningful partnerships with families of diverse backgrounds and with community members that support student achievement and student well being
  • Establish two-way communication tools for parents in their respective languages
  • Seek and develop strategic partnerships that will provide students with access to sports and extra-curricular activities that add value and help drive academic success

Professional Culture
  • Identify key levers that foster accelerated school improvement/turnaround
  • Demonstrate high expectations for all students and staff and a commitment to providing the support required to attain them
  • Demonstrate cultural competencies and antiracist leadership through behaviors and decision-making
  • Establish a collegial environment that honors and encourages staff's continuous learning
  • Manage conflicts and foster consensus building
  • Foster teacher leadership through delegation, shared leadership and decision-making

Executive Leadership of the Horace Mann Laboratory School
  • Convene the Laboratory School's Steering Committee, which is charged with developing the yearly partnership activities between Horace Mann and the School of Education at Salem State University in accordance with the Horace Mann Laboratory School and Salem State University Partnership (HMLS - SSU Partnership)
  • In collaboration with the School of Education Lead Faculty for School and Community Partnerships, administer and oversee the core activities of the HMLS - SSU Partnership: (1) Collaboration for Curriculum Enhancement; (2) Youth Development and (3) Educator Development
  • Maintain status as Visiting Instructor/Assistant Professor in the School of Education, attend Unit Meetings and contribute to the direction of the School of Education.
  • Provide professional development opportunities for enrollees of the School of Education

Qualifications:
  • Master's Degree required
  • Possession of a valid Massachusetts School Principal License
  • Ability to provide an accessible strong presence and demonstrate leadership by example
  • Three years teaching experience and three years of successful administration experience
  • Demonstrated success in leading in a diverse environment
  • Understanding of the Principal's role in establishing and maintaining a safe and disciplined school environment
  • Demonstrated leadership qualities, interpersonal skills, and personal characteristics necessary for working effectively with students, teachers, administrators, and parents
  • Demonstrated skills in creative problem solving
  • Experience supervising and/or evaluating staff
  • Demonstrated ability to manage a budget
  • Experience working in a complex, unionized environment

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Teaching experience in an urban public school setting
  • Bilingual, preferably in Spanish

Application Requirement : Interested candidates must submit a completed application along with a targeted cover letter crafted specifically to lead in SPS, a resume and a response to all three short answer questions. The targeted cover letter, resume, and short answer responses should be saved as one PDF document and uploaded to your application via https://salem.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx or by mail to: Elementary/K-8 Principal Search Committee c/o Superintendent - Salem Public Schools, 29 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970

Short answer questions (must be answered for application to be considered):

  • Why do you want to lead a school in the Salem Public Schools? (Maximum 200 words--longer responses will not be reviewed or scored)
  • What challenges do you anticipate if you are offered and accept the principal position at the Horace Mann Lab School (HMLS)? What three strategies do you anticipate utilizing in order to address these challenges and successfully improve student outcomes? (Maximum 300 words-- longer responses will not be reviewed or scored)
  • HMLS's model allows for students in the education program at SSU to observe, practice and participate in the education of the students at the school. This work builds their own expertise as future teachers within a district that serves a diverse student body. When you consider our diversity and your interest and past experiences, as well as the many options throughout Massachusetts, why and how do you believe your leadership will be best leveraged at the Horace Mann Laboratory School (HMLS), a lab school in partnership with Salem State University (SSU). (Maximum 200 words—longer responses will not be reviewed or scored)

  • Position Type: Full-time

    Equal Opportunity Employer
    Salem Public Schools is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws.

    Contact Information
    Liza Bento, Director of Human Capital
    29 Highland Avenue
    Salem, Massachusetts 01970
    Phone: 978-740-1115
    Fax: 978-740-1279
    Email: humancapital@salemk12.org

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