JOB STATUS
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JOB TYPE
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LOCATION
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TO APPLY
Interim Principal
- Reports to: CEO
- Classification: Full-time/Exempt
- Start Date: June 2022
- Location: Seattle, WA
- (May be virtual dependent upon COVID-19 restrictions but RVLA requires teaching staff reside in the state of WA)
OPPORTUNITY:
We are seeking a talented, entrepreneurial educational leader to be the Principal of Rainier Valley Leadership Academy. The ideal candidate will lead with a desire to foster high levels of academic achievement, provide an anti-racist and collaborative community framework to ensure the wellbeing of middle and high school scholars as the principal of Rainier Valley Leadership Academy (RVLA) in Seattle, WA.
The Principal will serve as the school’s academic leader and work collaboratively with an executive leadership team to help build an ant-racist long term vision to achieve the schools mission, possessing a passion for excellence and growing a world class team of educators who deeply believe in their capacity to prepare scholars for the college or career of their choice.
Our ideal candidate is scholar focused and utilizes innovative, data driven, anti-racist instructional practices to engage, connect and build relationships with scholars and their families to foster educational success. We are looking for an individual who is passionate about having a long term commitment to joining the RVLA community and wants to lead a community-centered school driven to dismantle systemic oppression through the unit of the school.
To learn more about what it’s like to work at RVLA, please visit: myrvla.org
ABOUT RAINIER VALLEY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY:
Vision: Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is an anti-racist collaborative community of critical thinkers focused on dismantling systemic oppression through scholar leadership.
Mission: We fulfill our vision by ensuring scholars are college and career ready by providing an anti-racist education, opportunities for collaborative problem solving, and community leadership experiences.
Rainier Valley Leadership Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school, providing an anti-racist collaborative community and rigorous education, while providing access to civic leadership and college and career success for all scholars in Seattle. RVLA serves grades 6-12 in the Seattle Community. We respect and celebrate the wealth and vitality of the ethnic and cultural traditions that thrive in our neighborhood and seek opportunities to partner with our community to provide a more robust learning environment.
We integrate college and career-ready hands-on instruction to expose all scholars to a variety of authentic experiences. Our teachers use data driven collection to meet scholar needs and differentiation. We use common planning time and collaborative team time to analyze data to inform instruction. We provide a teacher mentor for every scholar, and focus on personalized learning.
RVLA boasts a highly-qualified and diverse faculty and staff that not only have excellent educational credentials, but also bring to their classrooms many years of dedication to scholar success and passion for our mission. Our small school community allows adults to know each and every scholar by name, strength and need. We pride ourselves on building and maintaining close relationships with scholars and families.
Our academic model is based around a college and career going culture with high expectations and high support, including acceleration and intervention.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Educational Program Oversight and Vision
- Serve as administrator and instructional leader of the school, directing and supervising the curriculum and advisory program of the school
- Lead an instructional administrative team to provide world class professional development, coaching and learning opportunities for staff
- Engage in data-driven instructional strategies to close skill gaps and accelerate scholar learning
- Oversee school’s approach to curriculum, include rigorous, standards-aligned curriculum and differentiation to give access to all scholar learners as well as responsive elective offerings
- Plan the master schedule of classes for scholars and ensure college preparatory course sequences
- Oversee an inclusive special education and Multilingual Learner program and training for all staff
Performance Management
- Monitor scholar growth and absolute performance data and adjust academic strategies as needed
- Coach and evaluate the performance of teachers and other school employees, ensuring individual development and growth
Ensuring Strong School Culture
- Champion building an equitable, inclusive environment welcoming of all scholars, families, staff and community partners
- Ensure a scholar-centered socioemotional program and scholar discipline policies to meet unique scholar population needs
- Maintain professional standards and a school environment that is productive, safe and focused
- Manage attendance and truancy processes, tracking key metrics like ADA, chronic absenteeism, etc.
- Hire and develop school staff (certificated and classified)
Community-Centered Leadership
- Work closely with parents and our community, building relationships to support scholars’ academic growth and socioemotional wellbeing
- Initiate and implement parent and/or community support and advisory groups
- Available for contact with parents, scholars and staff to discuss scholar progress and problems after class, at night or on weekends (via cell phone or in person)
Organizational Leadership
- Engage in school budget planning process, ensuring alignment of resources to strategic priorities and monitor spending
- Maintain work hours extending beyond school hours for other professional duties or functions such as staff meetings, supervision of scholar events, etc.
- Support scholar recruitment efforts and strategy
- Co-lead annual strategic planning process to receive Board approval
- Manage relationships with Board to ensure effective governance of the school’s academic program and outcomes, including presentations and participation in monthly Board meetings
- In partnership with executive leadership, maintain relationships with civic leaders
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Possessing a growth mindset and an anti-racist approach to learning
- Experience with leadership roles (mentor teacher, department chair, assistant principal, etc.)
- Demonstrated leadership capabilities
- Proven management and team building skills
- Experience creating and implementing policies and systems
- Excellent interpersonal communication and writing skills
- Experience working in an entrepreneurial environment
- A passion for improving middle and high schools and driving education reform
- Ability to establish/foster a positive and safe school culture
- Experience in coaching teachers
- Experience in planning and implementing quality professional development
- Experience in leading/managing a team
- Experience in strategically engaging stakeholders
- Experience in conflict resolution
- Experience in making data driven decisions
- Experience and demonstrated ability managing multiple teams and resources
- Experience in creating and monitoring strategic plans
- Experience managing budgets
- A valid Washington State Administrative Credential or comparable out of state credential which is transferable to WA
- A minimum of 3 years teaching experience, preferably at the middle or high school level, with a history of success improving scholar achievement
- Prior administrative experience as an Assistant Principal or Principal (Required)
- Knowledge of bilingual education (strongly preferred)
RVLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strives for a balanced, productive workforce, which is diverse in terms of age, gender, and cultural identity. We do not base hiring or promotional decisions on factors other than performance and professional growth potential. Please note that we are unable to sponsor H-1B Visa applicants.
COMPENSATION:
Compensation for this role is competitive and based on education, experience and performance. In addition, we offer a comprehensive benefits plan as well as the opportunity to impact a growing, mission-driven organization that is committed to the success of scholars in Seattle.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
If interested in this position, please email your resume and cover letter to apply@myrvla.org. Only applicants chosen for an interview will be contacted, and we interview and hire on a rolling basis. The start date for this position is late June 2022
RVLA does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights, 504 and Title IX Coordinator: Chastity Catchings, (206) 659-0956, chastity.catchings@myrvla.org, 6020 Rainier Ave. South Seattle, WA 98118.