Founding High School Academic Dean / Principal

Empowerment Academy is hiring an Academic Dean / Principal to lead our rising High School Academy.

INITIAL SALARY: $90,000 - $120,000 depending upon experience

ABOUT EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY

Empowerment Academy Charter School is a college preparatory charter school in culturally vibrant Jersey City, located just minutes by subway from New York City, Hoboken and Newark.

The school served grade levels K-1 when founded in 2015, but has added one grade level of 120 students each year since then. In SY23-24, it will be kicking off its high school by creating a Ninth Grade Academy. The growth plan is to add one high school grade level a year until it offers all grade levels, K-12, in SY26-27. You can read here about the spectacular high school building being built, scheduled to open in September 2025, and read here about the high school program envisioned.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The school is broken down into academies -- Primary, Upper Elementary, Middle School and (beginning next year) High School -- each led by an “Academic Dean”/Principal. We use the Academic Dean title because Principal certification, while desired in candidates for this 12-month leadership position, is not required. More important to us is experience and demonstrated effectiveness professionally developing teachers and successful education programs.

We would like the candidate hired to start with us in Spring 2023 to get to know our school and students, participate in the selection of high school curriculums, and assist in the hiring of high school teachers. (The candidate hired will receive three weeks of paid summer vacation to be taken between late June and early August.)

If you have the demonstrated effectiveness we are looking for and want to help lead a cutting-edge education program serving a student body that is among the most economically and ethnically diverse in America, then apply at www.empacad.org/careers today.

Requirements

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Although a Standard teaching license from the NJ Department of Education is the minimum certificate required, Principal certification is desired. (Note: Upon being hired, candidates with a Principal CE license can enter into the mentoring program required to obtain a Standard Principal license.) Candidates with teaching or school leader certification in other states who are still seeking reciprocity certification from New Jersey, should flag this for us during their initial interview.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum six years of teaching experience
• Experience as a leader in a high-performing charter public school (e.g., UnCommon Schools, KIPP, Success Academy), traditional public school or privately managed school.
• Experience working with a diverse student population
• Proven strengths in the area of teacher professional development and coaching.
• Expertise in the analysis of assessment data, in how to use data to drive instruction, and in training teachers in how to conduct effective, data-focused Professional Learning Community meetings
• Commitment to the mission and goals of the school

RESPONSIBILITIES

Academy and School Wide Leadership

Academic Deans are members of Empowerment Academy’s K-12 instructional leadership team and report to the schoolwide Director of Education (Head Principal) and Executive Officer (Superintendent).

Teacher Hiring, Induction and Certification Oversight

Academic Deans are centrally involved in teacher interviewing, hiring and induction,and oversee teacher certification at their academy.

Teacher Professional Development, Coaching, Support and Assistance with Evaluation

Academic Deans are expected to:

• Oversee teacher professional development in classroom management, data-driven instructional planning, the creation of effective lesson plans, the delivery of engaging and effective instruction, and in the effective use of technology and learning programs;
• Periodically meet one-on-one with academy teachers throughout the school year to review and guide the periodic revision of their Personal Professional Development Plans;

• Provide observation and feedback, as well as real-time coaching and instructional modeling for academy teachers;
• Ensure teachers and students are receiving the support they need from other instructional and student professionals; and
• Work with the schoolwide Director of Education (Head Principal) in the evaluation of teachers.

Department Chair Training in Assessment Data Analysis and Professional Learning Community Leadership

We look for Department Chairs to conduct effective Professional Learning Community meetings with their department peers -- meetings that focus upon the kind of “test-in-hand” data analysis that:

• Goes beyond what scholars got wrong to why scholars got it wrong;
• Facilitates teachers taking responsibility for (either individually or as part of a team) successfully addressing their scholars’ learning challenges; and that
• Develops teachers’ ability to effectively use data to drive high quality instructional planning.

Academic Deans must be expert in these skills so they can coach Department Chairpersons who have not yet mastered them.

Parent Meetings

When requested by an academy teacher or as otherwise appropriate, the Dean will be expected to meet with the parents/guardians of a scholar.

SALARY: $90,000 - $120,000 to start

Benefits

Charter schools ARE public schools. Our teachers are part of the New Jersey Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF), the same as teachers at traditional public schools, and can transfer their pension credits from a traditional public school to our school and vice versa.

Additional benefits include:

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development

DEAN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The candidate hired will be asked to read and master:

• Leverage Leadership by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo;
• Driven by Data by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo; and
• Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov.

The Dean will also be expected to attend professional development workshops and training if so directed by the Executive Officer or Director of Education.

--

As an equal opportunity employer, Empowerment Academy hires without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability.

INDINSTRUCTION