Chief Schools Officer
Alma Advisory Group, United States
Job Description
About LEARN Charter School Network
LEARN Charter School Network (LEARN) opened its doors as a charter school in 2001 with the mission to provide children with the academic foundation and ambition to earn a college degree. LEARN’s commitment to providing underserved communities with a high-quality, college prep elementary education is unwavering. LEARN currently serves 4,000 students, a majority low-income, minority student population (88% and 98%, respectively), across 10 campuses in Chicago and Lake County, IL. LEARN will replicate its model in its expansion to Ward 8 in Washington D.C in Fall 2021, and will educate students in grades PK3-8th grade from both the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB) and the adjacent Ward 8 community. LEARN alumni graduate college at 2x the rate of their peers exceeding city, state and national averages. Our college graduation rate is 10 points above the national average for all students regardless of socio-economic status or ethnicity. We are proud to be closing the achievement gap.
Each LEARN Campus is led by an empowered principal, committed to the five Core Values:
- Culture of respect,
- High expectations,
- Safe and nurturing environment,
- Commitment to the whole child, and
- Family involvement.
About the Chief Schools Officer
LEARN is seeking the next Chief Schools Officer (CSO) who will oversee the overall academics strategy for the organization and serve as a leader, thought partner and coach to the 11 principals of its campuses. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, this individual must be an experienced and accomplished instructional leader who is compelled by the opportunity to chart the path for how LEARN will refine, enhance, and implement their student-centered, rigorous academic program throughout the growing network. The Chief Schools Officer will serve as a core member of the 5-member leadership team, and as such will collaborate closely with the Chief Executive Officer on a wide variety of organizational decisions including the development of short and long-term goals to ensure the successful implementation of LEARN’s overall organizational mission. The Chief Schools Officer (CSO) provides leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the curriculum, instruction, assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives and will work to ensure students’ access to a high-quality, equitable, data-driven learning environment.
Requirements
Specific Duties and Key Responsibilities
Setting and Implementing the Academic Vision and Strategy
- Ensure that LEARN continues to have strong partnerships beyond the organization, including the multiple charter authorizers, philanthropic partners, local government officials, and key leaders in the Chicago and Washington, D.C. education communities.
- Ensure our students’ academic success by keeping students at the center of all decision making and ensure that every aspect of our academic program works well for our students.
- Set a clear vision and goals for the Teaching amp; Learning and Student Support Services departments to increase academic achievement and provide support for all students.
- Build on LEARN’s successes to drive innovation and apply best practices which inform instruction, intervention programs and improve the delivery of support services.
- Lead and support our strong leadership team and principals to advance the vision for academic programming and operational excellence across all current and future schools.
- Continually assess the effectiveness of the Teaching amp; Learning and Student Support Services departments and effectively prioritize, plan, and implement improvements, as needed.
- Ensure that curricula are aligned to the organization’s mission, values, and academic goals that meets the need of all students.
- Secure/create instructional materials and resources that allow for the delivery of high quality instruction and appropriate interventions.
- Use and analyze school and network level data to drive decisions and guide problem-solving to achieve the best student outcomes.
Systems and Support
- Engage stakeholders in the development/refinement of the network’s theory of action regarding school/programmatic autonomy, accountability, and decision making.
- Establish performance management processes for evaluating the effectiveness of programs, quality controls, operational efficiency, and accuracy in the network support and school level implementation.
- Create proactive systems that garner feedback from stakeholders (network, schools, teachers) to inform academic strategy and practice.
- Assess the efficacy and effectiveness of the academic programs through coaching conversations, regular observati