Head of Schools

Position Overview

The Head of Schools (HOS) is a senior leader at KIPP Nashville, contributing to fulfilling KIPP Nashville’s ambition in meaningful ways. The HOS drives student outcomes through vision casting, program design and leadership, and Principal and leader management. The HOS is an expert at school leadership and understands instruction, academic operations, believes in family engagement, and has experience building strong school culture with staff and students. The HOS reports to the Chief of Schools and will guide, support and lead a cohort of Principals.

Responsibilities of the Head of Schools will include, but are not limited to:

Principal Management & Training

• Manage, supervise, and evaluate a cohort of Principals to drive towards school improvement initiatives and regional results.

• Provide differentiated management and coaching support to Principals and as a group across the breadth of competencies, including (but not limited to):

• Instructional knowledge

• Teacher and Assistant Principal coaching/development

• School culture and operational management

• Staff culture and management

• Family engagement

• Time management/effective planning & prioritization

• Effectively and regularly evaluate school, Principal, and School Leadership Team (SLT) strengths and needs 

• Analyze and respond to school-wide data and be equipped to report findings out to the region and to support interventions

• Design and execute Principal and Assistant Principal training and professional development, in partnership with the Chief of Schools, Chief Academic Officer and Academic Team members

• Create tools and exemplars to support Principal execution – on boarding materials, AP coaching materials, SLT meeting agendas, etc.

• Serve as first point of contact for Principal in troubleshooting family/staff concerns, student crises, etc. and support Principal in resolving issues appropriately, quickly and effectively

• Serve as interim Principal when unplanned gaps in leadership occur

Build Academically Excellent and Joyful Schools

• Support Principals to internalize and implement academic and school culture strategy within and across school campuses

• Facilitate annual planning processes, including master schedule development, with a cohort of Principals in alignment with regional and KIPP Foundation goals

• Closely monitor progress towards short and long term goals and initiatives

• Examine student learning and culture data within and across schools to identify school and cohort priorities

• Collaborate with regional leaders to implement initiatives aligned to school, cohort, and org-wide priorities

• Champion English-learners, students with IEPs and 504s to receive exceptional services and support in compliance with state and federal regulations

• Support the development of strong school operational systems and processes with a focus on data collection and strategic scheduling

Data Use, Data Reporting & Analysis

• Leverage data strategically to support Principals in meeting their all of the school’s goals

• Drive goals and use data in making decisions, providing in-depth monitoring of regional performance metrics and producing compelling plans to motivate and inspire others to act and share investment in achieving outcomes

• Support school-based instructional and culture staff using data tools and reports for continuous improvement

• Provide additional data reporting and analysis for external accountability, compliance, surveys, operations evaluation, or development tasks

• Analyze school performance management data to identify gaps in school design and make necessary adjustments for successful outcomes and compliance

Regional Support & Collaboration

• Serve as a member of the Regional Leadership Team (RLT), working closely with the Chief Team to inform decision-making and shape the direction of the organization

• Work closely with academic team members who are supporting schools

• Inform region wide school design – academics, culture, staffing, schedules, etc.

• Support regional talent assessments and Principal succession planning

• Liaises with external stakeholders, community agencies, donors, and other third-party constituencies.

The Head of Schools will have a deep passion for building great schools, a commitment to academic excellence – including a demonstrated belief that students of all backgrounds deserve access to excellent instruction – and extensive experience as a school leader.  He/she is excellent at building relationships with network leaders, school leaders, teachers, students and families. The individual will have a history of collaborating with diverse groups of stakeholders to achieve ambitious outcomes, an established track record of leading change management efforts, coaching others to achieve outcomes,  and an ability to influence others especially when no direct reporting relationship exists. Additionally, successful candidates will leverage data and excellent listening skills to shape their perspective and resulting programs and strategies.