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Location

Lynn, MA | United States

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Job description

Our Mission

The mission of all of KIPP Massachusetts schools is to create an environment where students develop the academic skills, intellectual habits and character traits necessary to maximize their potential in high school, college and the world beyond. Our program is based on:

• A focus on high-quality instruction supported by rigorous professional development to ensure that our students develop the academic skills necessary to pursue the life they choose.
• A high regard for character development to ensure that our students and staff celebrate and develop their character and identity strengths.
• An emphasis on family engagement, because we believe that our students are most likely to be able to maximize their potential when we work in partnership with our students and their families.
• A focus on college readiness for all students so that all students can make choices about their post-secondary education and future.

What We Do

We seek to provide a world-class education for students from educationally underserved communities in Lynn and Boston. Our student demographics mirror those of neighborhood schools in terms of race, socioeconomic status, Multilingual Learners (MLL), and students who receive special education services.

Our promise to families is that their children will enter college and the professional world able to thrive academically due to their literacy, numeracy, and core knowledge in science and social studies. We also promise that our students will develop the zest for learning and grit necessary to persevere as they climb the mountain to and through college and career. Our graduates will be prepared to return to their community as teachers, leaders, and architects of continued growth in Lynn and Boston.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Vision

At KIPP Massachusetts, we believe that Knowledge is Power. Every day, our team and family have the opportunity to either perpetuate systems of oppression or disrupt them. We are compelled by the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Therefore, we continuously commit to operating as an anti-racist organization. Read more at Diversity Equity Inclusivity Vision.

Who We Are

KIPP Massachusetts began enrolling students in 2004. We currently hold two charters, operating two “districts.” Our first district, KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School, is based in Lynn, MA. Our second district, KIPP Academy Boston Charter School, is based in Mattapan, MA. Each district is housed on one or more “campuses,” which we use to refer to different grade spans, for example, elementary grades, middle school grades, or high school grades.

In Lynn, KIPP Academy Lynn Elementary (serving grades K-4), KIPP Academy Lynn Middle (serving grades 5-8), and KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (serving grades 9-12), are all under our Lynn charter. Admission to any grade in the Lynn district is admission to all remaining grades in the Lynn district K-12. 66% of our students in Lynn are Hispanic, 23% are African American and 11% are other races/ethnicities.

In Boston, KIPP Academy Boston Elementary (serving grades K-4), and KIPP Academy Boston (serving grades 5-8), are both under our Boston charter. Admission to any grade in the Boston district is admission to all remaining grades in the Boston district, K-8. 68% of our students in Boston are African American, 30% are Hispanic and 2% are other races/ethnicities.

Across both districts, KIPP Massachusetts will serve over 2,200 students.

KIPP National

KIPP Massachusetts partners with the KIPP Foundation, or KIPP National, which is a non-profit national network of college-preparatory public charter schools serving elementary, middle and high school students. KIPP National has a 25-year track record of preparing our students in educationally underserved communities for success in college and life.

There are 242 KIPP schools in 20 states plus the District of Columbia educating over 100,000 students on their path to and through college and career. We believe that excellent academic, safe and structured schools, empowered teachers, an emphasis on character development and support through college are the foundation for student success, and we strive to provide this for every student.

All KIPP schools, whether they are in Massachusetts or in other states, are part of the free public school system in their respective states and enrollment is open to all students. KIPP public charter schools are given more academic and budgetary flexibility than traditional public schools, and in exchange commit to deliver high-quality academic results for students.

Job Description

Principal

KIPP MA is looking for committed, culturally competent, and ambitious Principals who have the power to lead a school that amplifies our children’s potential by creating a school experience that affirms, values, and challenges students each day. The Principal’s primary job is to drive academic and character outcomes for students, centering rigor and joy in our teaching and curriculum. 

Effective KIPP leaders are champions of educational equity. They achieve world-class outcomes and experiences for students by leading self, leading people, and leading results. They do so together with their teams, families, and communities, and in doing so, create joyful, academically excellent schools and thriving school communities that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. 

Student Focus lies at the center of our model. KIPP Principals believe in the boundless potential of our students. We think, act, and make decisions that center students daily. And, to center students daily, we work to create conditions where the adults in our organization can thrive. We embrace this ‘and’, acknowledging the tensions we must grapple with in doing so.

• KIPP MA Principals are champions for educational equity in all that they do. Anti-racist behaviors that support equity and belonging are integrated into every competency in this model so that students, staff, leaders, and communities of all identities will be able to thrive. 
• KIPP MA Principals are transformational leaders. Transformational leaders engage stakeholders with attention to their needs and motives, cultivate their higher selves, and drive towards radical change, rooted in shared purpose, vision, and values. Transformational KIPP leaders attend to both adaptive and technical skillset development and implementation. 
• KIPP MA Principals know that the definition of leadership is ever-evolving and adapts as student and community needs change with time. As a learning organization, our understanding of strong leadership will continue to evolve over time. This model and the tools and systems built from it will evolve. The model will be intentionally reviewed and updated every 3 years to reflect this belief.

Reporting to and supervised by the Chief Schools Officer, the Principal will lead all instructional activities and programming to set a clear school vision, aligned to regional goals, that is ambitious and rigorous, while driving student achievement and instructional leadership.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead Self: KIPP MA Principals know that their ability to impact students and the adults they lead starts with a deep understanding of self and a willingness to continually strive to improve. KIPP leaders focus on:

• Self-awareness- KIPP MA Principals know that self-awareness is foundational to leading self, leading people, and leading results. They use reflection, self-understanding, and feedback to adjust behaviors, grow, and persist through challenges.
• Critical Consciousness- KIPP MA Principals know that the work to achieve educational equity for students and to dismantle White Supremacist Culture begins within. They continuously explore their intersectional identities, building awareness around interpersonal and systemic dynamics, and cascading changes with others, to enable thriving school communities. 
• Continuous Learning- KIPP MA Principals know that the work of personal development is ongoing and vital to their personal and professional success. KIPP leaders hold themselves accountable to evolving, growing, learning and unlearning in ways that improve results for students, adults, and the larger community.

Lead People: KIPP MA Principals know that the strongest outcomes for students are the result of shared ownership and leadership. They develop and empower others, creating stronger results than any one leader could deliver on their own. KIPP leaders focus on:

• Trusting Relationships- KIPP MA Principals know that relationships and lifelines are essential to transformational change. Those they work with most closely feel seen, known, and cared about as their full selves and trust that commitments made will be kept.
• Team Culture- KIPP MA Principals know that self-awareness is foundational to leading self, leading people, and leading results. They use reflection, self-understanding, and feedback to adjust behaviors, grow, and persist through challenges.
• Change Management- KIPP MA Principals drive collective action and systemic improvement in alignment with their vision and goals, knowing that transformational change is the work. They leverage their influence to improve processes and outcomes, deeply invest teams and stakeholders in necessary changes, and align the work in support of the changes they seek.
• Managing and Developing People- KIPP MA Principals prioritize developing and managing the people on their teams, including ensuring team members are clear about their roles and have strong impact in alignment with organizational goals. As a result of this focus, those they work with stay at the organization, feel developed and supported, use their strengths daily in their role to achieve excellent outcomes.

Lead Results: KIPP leaders know that in order to create equitable opportunities for students, they must ensure excellent and equitable outcomes for students. KIPP leaders focus on:

• Strategic Planning and Prioritization- KIPP MA Principals know that to walk the path of excellence with their teams and students, they must create a clear and compelling vision, set aligned goals, and make decisions that allow each team member to drive the work they are best poised to impact. As a result of this work, the members of the team are highly invested in the shared vision and are poised to be proactive, accountable, adaptive, and successful. 
• Problem-solving and Decision-making- KIPP MA Principals confront challenges with courage, intentionality, and an understanding that challenges are a daily part of the work of educational equity. They identify the root causes of challenges and sort through complexity with teammates to move towards timely solutions, continuous improvement, and excellent outcomes.
• Driving Outcomes - KIPP leaders drive themselves and others to equitable outcomes for students and teammates.

Campus and Community Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic liaison for parent concerns and communication
• Serve as a dependable point of contact for student, staff, and community stakeholders including local school districts, government, neighboring schools, etc.
• Relentlessly cultivate and model expectations for a positive, inclusive learning environment that supports student achievement, behavior, and academic development for all students, including multilingual learners and students with IEPs.
• Foster a school culture that supports both student and staff success that is aligned with KIPP MA’s core beliefs and values

Regional Responsibilities

• Implement and monitor core priorities set in partnership with the regional team
• Set ambitious school-wide vision and goals, aligned with the KIPP region, that provide students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -college, career, and beyond- so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world
• Plan and prioritize time and resources to achieve annual goals
• Embody KIPP MA’s Code of Conduct by acting with integrity, leading with humanity, centering self-awareness and critical consciousness, taking personal responsibility, and engaging productively
• Obtain required Admin SEI endorsement
• Participate and engage in regional professional development and community events as required

KIPP MA staff are supported in their demanding work by experienced and dedicated leadership and staff who have themselves proven successful in their role. Our KIPP MA Executive Leadership Teams maintain consistent systems and procedures designed to permit staff to do their best work. 

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, there will occasionally be other duties as assigned that staff will engage in to help promote a positive and safe learning environment and culture.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• Love and unwavering belief in the high potential of all students
• Experience supporting multilingual learners and students with IEPs
• Commitment to anti-racism and equity
• Commitment to collaboration with other KIPP principals and regional leaders

• Ability to set direction across an entire school and motivate others to action
• Demonstrated success in developing leadership capacity in others
• Demonstrated ability to create inclusive environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives 
• Adept at data analysis; ability to extract meaningful insights across school-wide data
• Expertise in what the school-wide academic standards and state assessments require of students’ knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery; able to translate student mastery requirements into instructional plans and strategies
• Deep understanding of appropriate application and differentiation of high-leverage instructional strategies based on comprehension of child development and pedagogy
• Command of instructional design and the benefits and tradeoffs of school design decisions in driving student achievement
• Outstanding leadership and management skills, particularly as it relates to building teams, getting people to share, managing conflict, goal setting, and holding people accountable
• The flexibility needed to accommodate the breadth and depth of responsibilities and priorities
• Excellent interpersonal, human relations, and stress and conflict management skills
• History of enthusiasm of engaging with parents and community
• 3+ years of school leadership as an AP or Dean, and additional classroom leadership experience ( preferred )
• Computer literacy and baseline familiarity with Google Suite
• Bachelor’s Degree required
• Pass Criminal Background Checks

KIPP MA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables all of our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. We hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability

Additional Information

What We Offer

The starting base salary for this exempt position is $110,000 with a $1,000 signing bonus and potential annual performance-based bonus—and $3,000 longevity bonuses in subsequent years, as well as the potential for an annual performance bonus. For more about what we offer, how to apply and more about KIPP MA, please visit this link HERE.

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