ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

School leaders are responsible for setting an ambitious vision for student achievement and leading the school community to realize that vision.  Principals and Assistant Principals strategically implement the school’s mission, manage resources, lead students, and manage staff to ensure that every student in Minneapolis Public Schools is prepared to succeed in college, career, and life.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

INSPIRE PEOPLE & TEAMS: Effectively lead a high-performing team of teachers, academic support professionals, and operational support staff.

• Communicate regularly with staff to identify and address individual student needs and barriers
• Recruit and select staff members based on evidence of a commitment to high levels of academic success for all students, and their ability to get results
• Hold all staff members accountable for achieving ambitious, measurable standards of academic achievement
• Conduct timely and effective staff member performance evaluations
• Assume responsibility for staff member improvement and establishes a professional development plan with clear goals linked to school improvement priorities
• Create opportunities for leadership and recognition for staff members who consistently meet high academic achievement and professional standards and takes action with staff members who consistently fail to meet high standards.

BUILD THRIVING COMMUNITIES: Create a safe school environment that promotes equity, high expectations for all, and authentic engagement with diverse stakeholder groups.

• Establish a safe learning environment for staff and students
• Engage parents and families in supporting their students’ learning at school and at home
• Create systems and processes to support a culture of collaboration, understanding, inclusion of diversity, and mutual respect
• Communicate effectively with diverse groups and community stakeholders
• Respond to stakeholder concerns in a timely and professional manner

STRATEGIZE & ACHIEVE RESULTS: Lead the school’s instructional program to ensure that all students are college and career ready.

• Develop a shared vision for equitable results; sets aligned, ambitious short- and long-term goals; and creates an actionable school improvement plan (based on data and multiple sources of information) to ensure achievement for all students
• Create a sense of urgency to achieve goals and vision and takes immediate action to ensure early successes
• Establish and reinforce a school culture that is focused on continuous improvement, regularly uses data and assessments to monitor progress towards goals and strategically adjust practice
• Organize and schedule time in alignment with instructional goals
• Create effective systems and processes to align, obtain, allocate and efficiently utilize human, financial and technological resources to ensure staff and students have the support needed to succeed
• Identify and engage the key influencers and community resources necessary for success

MODEL EXCELLENCE: Model effective instructional leadership, high expectations for students and staff, and focus on continuous learning.

• Frequently observe instruction, review student data and work, and provide effective feedback and coaching on instructional practices
• Leas implementation of strong, research-based assessments, curricula, and instructional practices, including Focused Instruction
• Solicit and eagerly receive feedback from all stakeholders to improve professional skills
• Advance school district policies, procedures, and initiatives in pursuit of transformative change within the school

QUALIFICATIONS  

Minimum Qualifications

·       Master’s Degree in Education or a closely related field

·       Three (3) years of professional teaching experience. 

·       A valid Principal’s license in the State of Minnesota

Preferred Qualifications

• Successful experience as a principal, principal intern, assistant principal, or teacher leader, preferably in an urban school
• Exceptional results with raising student achievement
• Experience transforming a team or organizational unit
• Multilingual

Mindsets and Dispositions:

• A deep belief that all students can and will excel academically
• Initiative, persistence and drive to go above and beyond
• Resilience in the face of challenges and an orientation toward solutions
• High expectations for self and others
• Drive to continuously improve, commitment to using data, and openness to feedback
• Confidence to lead with humility, authenticity, and personal responsibility

Knowledge of:

• Student and school performance data
• Best practices in management and leadership (e.g., effective systems and processes to develop human capital in support of student learning, theories about leading change, etc.)
• Best practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, including for special student populations (e.g., English learners, students who receive special education services, and students who are advanced, off track, etc.)
• Principles and practices of administrative management, including strategic planning, budgeting, and contract management
• Legal, ethical and professional rules of conduct

Skill in:

• Creating and executing a school strategic plan
• Effectively managing resources and prioritizing tasks and projects to achieve goals (including planning, organizing and coordinating work of assigned staff members)
• Taking action independently without day-to-day direction and despite ambiguity, obstacles, and/or resistance
• Continuously evaluating efforts, owning missteps, and taking corrective action when necessary
• Building relationships and communicating effectively with many different stakeholders (e.g., students, families, staff members and the broader community), verbally and in writing
• Operating a personal computer utilizing standard and specialized software
• Ability to learn MPS, state and federal policies, procedures and programs

APPLY

The priority application deadline is March 11, 2016. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply before that date. Submit your materials online at http://bit.ly/LeadMPSApply.