Job Description
PRINCIPAL FELLOW _(known internally at Uncommon as Instructional Fellow) _ GENERAL SUMMARY To make more elementary, middle, and high schools, we need future principals to commit themselves to the most urgent and exciting work of our time. It takes principals who can inspire students, who put excellence ahead of easy, and who project urgency about closing the achievement gap. It takes principals who are fearless about making decisions and conducting difficult conversations and who can build a highly collaborative team and shape a vibrant culture. These principals cultivate learning communities that are simultaneously academically rigorous and joyful. They know that their job is the most important one in the world. Self-reflective and humble, they are open to feedback and committed to continuously improving. Uncommon Schools is offering a fellowship to prepare fellows to open a new Uncommon school or sustain an existing school as Principal. The length of the fellowship is typically one to two years and depends on the fellows’ readiness and the availability of a Principal position. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Principal fellowship provides a robust development process to prepare Principal Fellows to lead a school in conjunction with the Director of Operations. This Fellow and eventual Principal is a full-time employee, hired, supported, and, evaluated by the Assistant Superintendent. The Principal Fellow must have a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of four years of teaching experience and at least 1 year of experience leading or coaching teachers. PREPARE FOR SUCCESS Leaders are born, sure. But those who become great principals do so through hard work and deep learning. At Uncommon Schools, we make that learning possible through a year-long principal fellowship. The Principal Fellowship year is based on a foundation of six core elements that are aligned to the competencies of Uncommon Principals. Each element is designed to build a Fellows’ capacity towards becoming effective principals. These include the following:
EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK Throughout the principal fellowship year, Fellows will receive coaching and feedback from their Assistant Superintendent in addition to the school leaders they are working closely with during their fellowship year. Each Principal Fellow will have an Individual Development Plan that identifies the specific areas of development for the Fellow around which the fellowship will be customized to ensure focused development opportunities. FELLOWSHIP DELIVERABLES AND SCHOOL GUIDELINES During the fall of their fellowship year, Principal Fellows will be placed at an existing Uncommon school to observe and learn in the environment of a successful school. While in this residency, the Principal Fellow will be involved in teaching across subject and grade levels, observing and providing feedback to teachers, and completing special projects for the school. In addition, Principal Fellows will be responsible for completing a variety of pre-determined deliverables. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Ideally, Principal Fellows start in June to prepare to open their schools in the following summer. Throughout their fellowship, they will engage in professional development focusing on two domains: Cultural Leadership and Management, and Instructional Leadership. Each professional development session will be led by our experienced group of Assistant Superintendents, current leaders, and a select group of external partners. CULTURAL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT:
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP:
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS
Additional Information
Uncommon Schools offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package. Aside from extensive professional development, all our staff members are equipped with a laptop computer, email, and all necessary supplies.
Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for important dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students._ 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_.