Freedom Preparatory Academy

Deputy Director of 6th-12th Grades

ABOUT US

Freedom Prep Academy Charter Schools, a Memphis-based network, prepare all students in grades Pre-K through 12 to excel in college and in life. Our mission is to prepare all students in grades PK-12 to excel in college and life. Freedom Preparatory Academy opened in August of 2009 with a class of 96 6th graders. We now serve over 2300 students in grades PreK-12 in five schools. Our students have exceeded local and state averages in math and local averages in English language arts on the state exam.

We have three core beliefs that drive our mission: Every child deserves the right to a high-quality public education, a foundation in character development is essential, and direct exposure to an array of opportunities and experiences provides each child with the self-confidence and social knowledge to compete globally. We will accomplish our mission through a highly structured, academically rigorous environment where students will master the core subjects, develop advanced academic skills, and demonstrate the school’s core values of: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Excellence, and Community.

Respect– Shows respect to all members of our school community through words and actions

Responsibility – Takes ownership of work flow and products, is proactive / solutions-oriented

Integrity – Is trustworthy and reliable and a person of their word. follows through every time

Community – Demonstrates a consistent and positive commitment to our school’s success

Excellence – Shows excellence in all work habits, sweats the details, continuously grows

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are seeking a data-driven Deputy Director of 6th-12th Grades who will establish a clear vision and strategic direction for instructional leadership, school culture, and school improvement initiatives across Freedom Prep in Grades 6-12. This leader will be a strategic problem-solver responsible for ensuring significant student achievement gains at the school level as measured by school improvement data. The Deputy Director will have middle and/or high school expertise, demonstrated experience managing schools, developing leaders, and implementing evidence-based strategies to ensure the academic growth and success of their campuses.

The Deputy Director of 6th-12th Grades will be responsible for the overall quality of school programming in our middle schools and high school. They will maintain a laser focus on continually increasing the number of students who thrive in and graduate from the college of their choice. They pursue this work through excellent management and development of school leaders (Heads of Schools) and collaboration with other curricular, operations, talent, and finance leaders.

Reporting to the CEO, the Deputy Director works directly with the executive management team, Heads of Schools, Board of Directors, and other stakeholders to align the middle and high schools strategy with the full network. The Deputy Director will possess solid instructional expertise and a strong analytic and systems-thinking orientation to drive high-quality decisions that improve instructional practices across middle and high school campuses. The Deputy Director will be directly responsible for the growth and development of three Heads of School and one Teacher Development Specialist-6-12th Grades.

RESPONSIBILITIES

School Leader Supervision and Team Development

• Develop and lead middle and high school Heads of Schools in their role as instructional leaders, including support with creating annual strategic goals and plans to meet those goals
• Directly manage and serve as a thought partner to Heads of Schools of select schools as they lead their respective teams including supporting the creation and implementation of effective professional development opportunities for each school leaders’ staff
• Ensure the effective management, coaching, and mentorship of school leaders in ways that drive significant student achievement gains
• Support the personalized professional development of administrative staff to ensure they have the skills to select, develop and evaluate principals
• Utilize data to monitor the effectiveness of mentoring and coaching resources assigned to provide personalized support to middle and high schools as needed
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of school leadership, ensuring strategies are student-focused and aligned with Freedom Prep’s mission, core values, academic standards, and goals
• Partner with the Deputy Director 6-12 and Talent Team to hire school leaders and deans and execute the organization’s talent strategy in schools, including providing standard-practice coaching and development, annual goal setting, succession planning, and annual performance evaluations of direct reports
• Partner with instructional team colleagues to help plan and implement professional development for heads of schools and deans

6th-12th Grades Academic Strategy and Implementation

• Works with school leaders to implement academic strategies and talent strategies in support of strong classrooms and schools, and supports Heads of Schools to implement their school long-term and annual priorities in alignment with Freedom Prep’s vision, mission, and strategic plan
• Ensure students’ safety and academic success by keeping them at the center of all decision-making
• Set a clear vision and goals for middle and high school instructional staff to offer high-quality support for students
• Create a shared understanding of challenges at the middle and high school levels, and identify opportunities for improved student achievement
• Use and analyze school and network-level data to drive decisions and guide problem-solving to achieve the best student outcomes
• Collaborate with middle and high school leaders and centralized academic team members to monitor school improvement and make adjustments accordingly
• Create collaborative and effective communication channels between central office staff and middle and high school leadership
• Establish and maintain clear, consistent interactions with parents, families, and community partners to receive input and feedback on the effectiveness of our schools and to resolve concerns
• Be personally informed and keep direct reports informed of current educational trends, practices, and proposed legislation impacting the middle and high schools

Instructional Knowledge & Improvement

• Support Head of Schools to ensure effective implementation of middle and high schools’ educational design, including school culture, standards, assessments, and instructional guidelines
• Design and implement high-quality instructional practices and lead others to implement these practices across campuses consistently
• Lead a rigorous Plan for Continuous Improvement (PCI) process across middle and high school campuses that results in improved student achievement
• Drive the successful integration of evidence-based and equity-focused instructional strategies to ensure the growth and academic success of middle and high schools
• Collaborate with central office staff to utilize data to evaluate existing programs, services, and practices

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's required; Master's Degree preferred
• 8+ years’ experience with a record of effective school leadership in middle and/or high school settings
• Significant student growth results and proven success managing and coaching large teams to achieve ambitious goals
• Strong track record of implementing innovative and effective instructional practices and models
• Demonstrated commitment to the educational mission, vision, and goals of Freedom Prep
• Comprehensive knowledge of school personnel and administrative practices, procedures, and methods that drive school improvement
• Passionate about education reform and committed to building a network of schools that will yield high results, especially for children from high poverty homes
• Proven success running a high-performing organization
• Ability to conceptualize, initiate, monitor, and evaluate new and/or current programs
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with School Board members, school administrators, teachers, staff, and all support staff
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

REPORTS TO Chief Executive Officer

PTO POLICY Support Based Administrative

HOW TO APPLY: We are excited to review your application! To join our team, please visit our Join Our Team page here to learn more, apply directly at our Apply Now page here, and upon creating your profile, please submit your resume, references, transcript, screening reflections, and related credentials. It should take less than 30 minutes to upload your application.