Middle School Dean of Students (Compass Coach, 2025-2026 SY)

Description

Location: Nashville Tennessee

Employment Type: This is a full-time in-person 12-month school-based leadership role for the 2025-2026 school year.

Internal Application Deadline: Friday August 1 2025 at 8:00am CST

Salary: The salary range for this role is $60450-$69550 and placement within that range is based on years of comparable professional experience.

About the Role:

The goal of the Dean of Students (known as a Compass Coach at Valor) is to create a positive strong and relationship-based school culture that aligns with Valors mission. Our middle schools Valor Flagship and Valor Voyager each have two Compass Coaches who serve as leaders and partner with the Assistant Principal of Culture to ensure schools have strong sustainable behavioral systems and culture. As part of the Compass Team you will work to create and implement strong behavioral systems (through mentor groups scholar comprehensive human development work Circles school-wide positive behavioral intervention systems family engagement) and restorative intervention systems (through restorative discipline tiered scholar supports classroom management training and coaching).

At Valor we believe that safe and supportive learning environments are rooted in having consistent positive high expectations and we train our teachers and scholars to use consistent routines and the Compass Coach role you will work to develop pathways to opportunity for our scholars help build strong school culture systems and foster a positive learning environment that contributes to their development.

About Valor:

Founded in 2014 Valor Collegiate Academies is a top-performing public charter school network in Nashville Tennessee serving students in Grades 5-12 across three schools. Our mission is to create a community where students of all backgrounds have equitable access to an education that prepares them to live inspired and purposeful lives. This mission is made possible through an innovative school model that balances rigorous academics and whole-child education in an intentionally diverse environment. Learn more about Valor: Responsibilities Include:

Family Relationships & Support

• Lead conversations with families about student behavior support plans consequences and behavioral successes
• Forge strong connections between support for students at home and school to establish the most successful environment for students to thrive in
• Be responsive to family concerns in a kind solutions-focused and timely manner

Teacher Training & Development

• As a school-based leader train develop and support Valor teachers in understanding and using Valors Fortified Environment and behavioral support systems
• Support teachers in facilitating weekly scholar Circles
• Conduct weekly teacher walkthroughs behavioral observations and coaching to ensure teachers are building and maintaining classrooms that are safe and productive for scholars

Scholar Behavioral Support

• Support the Principal Assistant Principal of Culture and Compass Team to implement strong systems and routines in order to create a safe productive and joyful school environment
• Develop and implement multiple school-wide Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) interventions and systems
• Assist the Compass Team (student support team) in implementation of the Off-Compass (discipline and behavioral support) systems
• Facilitate Re-Calibration (restorative justice) supports and Circles each week
• Use behavioral data to identify students that are in Tiers 2 and 3 to create and implement Tier 2 and Tier 3 support plans
• Support high-need scholars and families via Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports and interventions
• Track document and effectively communicate accurate student behavior and school culture data to relevant stakeholders.
• Participate in the Compass Team meetings and carry out other program elements as needed

School-Based Responsibilities

• Enforce uphold and exhibit schools values student management policies and culture
• Own arrival duty recess or lunch duty and dismissal duty
• Collaborate with the operations team on matters related to school operations and safety
• Attend family meetings student orientation parent-teacher conferences and other school-wide or community events
• Attend faculty Circles once a week (Wednesday afternoons)

Key Experience and Qualifications:

• Either (1) experience in a formal 5-12 school leadership or 5-12 school counseling role or (2) at least 2 years of experience as a 5-12th lead teacher of record with evidence of being a high-performing classroom teacher in a 5-12th grade setting with strong personal development practice and/or history.
• Comfortable offering adults (i.e. teachers caregivers) feedback engaging in difficult conversations when needed and holding others accountable.
• Possess an exceptional amount of emotional stamina.
• Hold students to high behavioral expectations and possess strong classroom management skills.
• Proactive and solutions-focused.
• Utilize relationship-based interventions effectively minimizing the escalation of student behaviors in your classroom.
• Identify the root of a students Off-Compass behavior and act swiftly to respond to it and put appropriate supports in place.
• Able to set and reach ambitious goals and can handle the emotional intensity required to be part of the Compass Team.
• Can analyze qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions about culture and student interventions.
• Passionate about serving an ethnically & economically diverse student body.
• Able to model live and reinforce the schools core values norms and policies.
• Cultivate deep relationships with students families and staff to create a positive school environment.

Interview Process:

1. Resume & Cover Letter Review
2. Phone Interview
3. Performance Task
4. Final Interview with School Leaders
5. Reference Checks
6. Offer Extension

Compensation & Benefits:

• Full-time role with an annualized salary of between $60450-$69550
• Robust retirement and benefits plan through Metro Nashville Public School
• Comprehensive health (medical dental and vision) and retirement benefits
• Fully-paid 8 week parental leave policy
• 15 days of PTO annually plus access to an org-wide PTO Sharing program
• Free access to an on-site strength & conditioning facility Vanderbilt Health Clinic retirement counseling and mental health support and resources
• Employee laptop and unlimited supplies
• Full-time employees wishing to enroll their child at Valor in grades 5-12 will be placed at the top of the new student waitlist.

Commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion:Valor believes in the importance of being a diverse equitable and inclusive organization that enables students and staff to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin gender sexual orientation age marital status veteran status or disability status. We actively seek applications from people of all backgrounds to strengthen our community and the perspectives needed to thrive in a diverse world.