Social-Emotional Academy Leader

Williamsburg Charter High School

History

Williamsburg Charter High School (WCHS) is a high-performing, public charter high school located in Brooklyn, New York. WCHS opened in August 2004 as the first Chancellor-authorized charter high school in the City of New York. The school’s mission is to unite youth, families, staff, teachers, and the community at large in providing young people with the tools necessary to make sense of the world and prepare them in their journey to become skilled workers and literate citizens of the world.  Young people will accomplish this through their participation in a rigorous and demanding liberal arts education that includes language, literature, writing, science, history, mathematics, the arts, technology, and exploration in disciplines designed to teach fairness, justice, respect, and compassion for themselves and others, as well as the skills of critical thinking, communication and research. 

Williamsburg Charter High School provides a broad liberal arts academic program to the high-school-age youth of north Brooklyn. School programs are individualized to connect to each student’s particular level of development, including English Language Learners and students with Special Education Services. Further, WCHS provides supportive relationships with faculty, extended instructional periods, and opportunities after-school and on Saturdays for additional academic support. Social and emotional support is also available to students to ensure their non-academic needs are addressed. Students are accepted to WCHS through a random lottery with no minimum requirements, tests, or auditions required to gain entrance, and, as a public charter school, there is no tuition.

The Williamsburg Charter High Schools seeks out individuals who: 

• Are committed to providing students with a highly rigorous academic experience.

• Enjoy working in a highly collaborative, professional setting as well as independently.

• Are sensitive to the unique needs of the community they serve as well as the complex issues that are present for urban youth and their families.

• Engage a youth development approach in their interactions with young people by being sensitive to the developmental needs of individual students.  

• Are passionate and positive about school culture. 

• Take full responsibility for students’ achievement.

• Act as professional role models for students. 

• Are reflective and willing to improve upon their practice through professional development and support.

• Manage time, resources, and technology effectively to ensure that they can complete all required responsibilities.

• Use objective data as well as anecdotal information to gauge student performance. 

• See their work as a career and a lifestyle, not just as a job.  They should be willing to take time before and after school to complete their responsibilities such as lesson planning, supporting struggling students, and grading student work.  

• Believe deeply in the transformative power of education for all students, families, and educators.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL ACADEMY LEADER:

• Articulates, models and positively reinforces a clear vision and values of the school’s culture, and involves students, families and staff in creating an inclusive and welcoming climate that supports it

• Oversees the daily operations of the Grade Level Academy;

• Monitors and assures compliance with applicable policies including those regarding student academics, discipline, attendance, instructional issues, school calendar, length of instructional day, extracurricular activities, employee matters, and Academy funding expenditures

• Supervises the faculty on issues of teaching and curriculum;

• Implements the Academy curriculum, educational strategies and teaching methods;

• Establishes and maintains a culture and environment consistent with the mission and policies of the Academy in collaboration with the Head of School

• Schedules, maintains and at some times leads appropriate staff development experiences, and;

• Supervises and evaluates academic staff.

• Promotes school-wide efforts to establish, implement and refine appropriate expectations for curriculum, instructional practices, assessment and use of data on student learning based on scientific research and evidence-based practices that result in student academic achievement

• Supports teachers through ongoing, actionable feedback and needs-based professional development to ensure that rigorous, relevant and evidence-based instruction and authentic learning experiences meet the needs of all students and are aligned across the academy 

• Holds all staff accountable for setting and achieving rigorous performance goals for all students, and empowers staff to achieve these goals across content areas

• Demonstrates a rich knowledge of effective instructional practices, as identified by research on best practices, in order to support and guide teachers within a culture of change that is focused on maximizing student success

• Stays current with educational trends, research, and best practices

• Attends all community, staff and school board meetings and conferences

Qualifications:

• A significant amount of study devoted toward the stewardship of the school mission, Master's degree or higher in an education-related field or School Administration 

• A track record of success in a leadership role, certified or certifiable as a school principal  or school building leader 

• New York State fingerprint clearance 

• 4 years experience as a Teacher, Counselor, Dean (preferably in urban schools)

• Proven leadership and strong communication skills 

• Experience in Teacher training and the delivery of staff development 

• Knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning /teaching strategies

• Broad-based knowledge of curriculum and instruction of New York City and NYS

• Knowledgeable about the needs of various special needs populations including English Language Learners 

• Evidence of flexible thinking and a new willingness to accept new idea and constructive criticism

• Experience working in a high school setting and familiarity with NYS graduation requirements and mandated assessments 

• Experience with developing  high school curriculum aligned with Common Core standards and driven by data