Principal Elementary

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4800 students of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery support and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools strategic plan Moving Forward Together builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach how we work together and how we support students well-being.

Many successes contributed to Holyokes return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:

• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful applied learning opportunities for high school students including theme-based academies career vocational technical education programming work-based learning and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual biliterate and bicultural

• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us our recent accomplishments and our commitment to equity.

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PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12. grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que en conjunto educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke Avanzando Juntos se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y al mismo tiempo sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:

• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada del 77.1 % lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria que incluyen academias temáticas programas de educación técnica y vocacional aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo la biliteracidad y la biculturalidad.

• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad.

ROLE OVERVIEW / KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Receiver believes that schools are the units of change and that Principals are vital to school success. The Principal will have the opportunity to build a team to establish and implement a highly effective school. The Principal will have a high degree of autonomy and trust as well as significant opportunities for development and growth. The district is seeking Principals who will effectively lead manage and oversee all functions of the school which includes (but is not limited to) the responsibility to:

• Provide instructional leadership:
• Establish and implement a vision for school improvement that is focused on outcomes maintains high expectations for teaching and learning and is aligned to the districts strategy for turnaround
• Enhance the consistency and rigor of classroom instruction through implementing the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks which include Common Core Standards
• Support and inspire teachers to continuously improve planning and instruction through coaching feedback resources training and evaluation
• Build a culture that utilizes performance and other data at the school- grade- classroom- and student-levels to understand student needs help teachers improve instruction and monitor teacher/student progress

Build and cultivate a high-performing and collaborative school culture:

• Maintain high expectations for the achievement of all students particularly the traditionally underserved student populations (i.e. students with disabilities limited language proficiency and low socio-economic status)
• Build and develop a school instructional leadership team that effectively cultivates a high-performing and student-centered school culture
• Effectively plan and lead meetings and PD sessions that prioritize high-quality instruction
• Cultivate an environment that promotes collaboration and hard work
• Lead the development and implementation of a multi-tiered system of social-emotional and instructional supports for all students

Manage and operate a safe efficient and effective learning environment:

• Develop and execute systems and procedures (e.g. student behavior management systems schedules interventions PD food services transportation) that promote teaching and learning
• Manage a human capital system (e.g. hiring induction evaluation coaching development) that ensures high-quality teaching in every classroom
• Build and manage a budget that prioritizes teaching and learning while controlling costs
• Adhere to district policies and state/federal regulations (e.g. special education ELL services)

Partner with families and community members:

• Build relationships and engage frequently with parents and community members as critical partners in school improvement
• Thoroughly understand the diverse culture and backgrounds of students and families

Additional information:

• Report to the Superintendent/Receiver and Chief Academic Officer of Holyoke Public Schools
• Have a high level of support from central office including at least biweekly coaching sessions with district leaders and monthly leadership training sessions
• Have a high degree of trust and autonomy with accountability to outcomes

SKILLS / COMPETENCIES:

We are seeking a passionate and committed instructional leader who demonstrates:

• Student-first mentality: holds high expectations for student achievement; makes decisions that prioritize the needs of students above all other competing priorities; measures success by student outcomes and student academic and social emotional success; believes families are an integral component to student and school achievement
• Visionary leadership:An ability to be a bold innovative and engaging change agent and culture-creator; a visionary leader with a track record of inspiring and motivating those around them
• Commitment to urban education:has a strong commitment to equity and social justice; maintains a high level of commitment to traditionally underrepresented student populations (i.e. students with disabilities limited language and low socio-economic status); maintains a commitment to high performance standards and unwavering belief that all students can excel
• Instructional leadership:has a demonstrated history of raising student achievement; identifies and cultivates high-quality instruction and effective instructional programming; has a strong understanding of the Common Core State Standards and pedagogy; has a proven track record of using individual student and school-wide assessment data to drive student achievement gains in an urban setting;
• Organizational leadership: builds high-performing and collaborative classroom/school culture; inspires and leads others in driving towards improved student outcomes and a strong school culture; builds strong relationships and is able to have difficult conversations when necessary; believes in a shared leadership approach to school improvement
• Problem-solving and persistence:responds to challenges or uncertainties with resourcefulness creativity hard work and resiliency; proactively develops solutions to problems with a focus on improving student results
• Growth mindset:possesses the belief that oneself students and adults can learn and achieve more when working hard and persevering which creates a love of learning and desire for continuous improvement; desires feedback
• People and team-orientation: collaborates effectively with school staff and other district leaders; embraces and empowers families as an integral component of our collective job of educating all children; contributes to and is aligned with the district-wide vision for turnaround; demonstrates professionalism humility and respect
• Strong communication: Possesses strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to guide and inspire teachers school staff school leaders and central office staff toward a common goal

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree and Masters degree in Education
• Certified (or in the process of obtaining certification) in Massachusetts as a school principal
• Minimum 2 years of experience as a school instructional leader
• Demonstrated history of raising student achievement particularly that of underserved populations (i.e. students with disabilities ELLs)
• Experience effectively leading supervising coaching and developing educators

Required license(s):Principal/Assistant Principal PreK-6 with SEI Endorsement

Required Experience:

Staff IC