Middle School Director

Location: Denver, CO 

Application deadline: April 30, 2021

Background

Launched in August of 2015, Compass Academy is a public charter school in southwest Denver serving 300 students in grades 6-8. Our student population is reflective of Southwest Denver, with over 90% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches, 20% of students receiving special education services, and 60% of students classified as English Language Learners. Compass Academy is a partnership between the school’s founding board, City Year, Inc., and the Center for Social Organization of Schools (CSOS) at Johns Hopkins University. 

At Compass Academy, we believe that all students can succeed and become lifelong Learners and Leaders. We take a holistic approach to education, focusing on whole child development and trauma responsive practices. Celebrating bilingualism and biliteracy is at the center of our curriculum, and we support students’ growth from their strengths in their native language(s) and in English. At Compass, students learn to develop strong critical thinking skills, solve complex problems, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, be self-directed, and listen and respond to feedback. 

Key elements of Compass Academy include:

• A commitment to a rigorous standards-based curriculum rooted in relevance and purpose
• A focus on deeper learning and development of 21st-century integrated academic, social, and emotional competencies
• Customized supports for students with special needs and learning differences
• Tutoring, mentoring, and one-on-one support from City Year Americorps members 
• Spanish as core content as students work toward the Seal of Biliteracy
• Intense English language support based on student needs
• Daily teacher planning, collaboration, and targeted professional development
• Culture infused with family and community focus and trauma informed practices
• Use of a data driven continuous learning model

Strong relationships among staff are a hallmark of Compass Academy – our team feels more like family!  We offer robust professional development and support structures for teachers, including weekly coaching and data driven instruction protocols.  Our team collectively embraces equity and is committed to breaking down systems of oppression from within.  This work is a journey; we are committed to pushing ourselves everyday and welcome others who are driven to do the same.

Position Overview

The Compass Academy Middle School Director will advance the vision and commitment of our school towards academic excellence, family and community partnerships, bilingualism and biliteracy, overcoming trauma, and holistic learning while further deepening the culture and practices that make Compass Academy unique.  The Director will partner with teachers and staff across the school to ensure our students are thriving.  This position reports to the Executive Director and manages two direct reports.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

Foster a productive and healthy school environment

• Exhibit strong ethics, moral leadership, and an unwavering belief that all children can learn and lead
• Promote a culture that nurtures and celebrates the whole child: healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged
• Model reflective practice, confidence, humility, perseverance, and interest in continuous growth and lifelong learning
• Develop internal leaders and nurture an environment of distributed leadership, collective responsibility, and collaborative decision making

Engage school community in shared success

• Create and cultivate partnerships within family/caregiver, district, business, political, and greater community spheres to support the achievement of the school’s mission and vision
• Communicate consistently and effectively with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., through open Houses, School Accountability Committee, Coffee with the Principal, Family events, Thursday letters, Texts, robo-calls)
• Drive and navigate positive change in partnership with staff and the school community
• Collaborate with school partners to ensure effectiveness of services and programming provided

Serve as school instructional leader

• Build the collective capacity of school staff through robust Professional Learning Community community cultivation, differentiated supervision, coaching, feedback, and evaluation practices
• Promote monitoring systems that use real-time data to inform instruction and intervention at the teacher, team, and school site levels
• Ensure the school meets all stated accountability metrics and milestones
• Collaborate with the Leadership Team to ensure the academic, operational, and cultural success of the school
• Collaborate with the ELD Coordinator to develop and implement the Bilingual program that ensures our students will be eligible for the Seal of Biliteracy by 12th grade 

Skills, Experience, and Qualifications

• Possess prior education-based work experience, including:
  • Teaching in a 6-12 grade environment
  • Developing curriculum or program, implementing accountability measures, and managing professional development in support of high quality instruction
• Value constructive feedback and hold a strong commitment to continuous improvement and professional growth
• Embrace and exhibit a strong anti-racist orientation, commitment to equity, and desire to dismantle oppressive systems in education 
• Possess deep knowledge of and affinity for the SW Denver community 
• Embrace students’ home languages and cultures as valued assets 
• Value high student achievement and growth
• Enjoy taking things apart to understand intricacies and build (different) solutions for children and families 
• Embrace humility and the ability to fly at different altitudes 
• Inhabit a leadership style needed to make change; lead from in front, from behind, and from the side 
• Excel at coaching others and cultivating talent
• Bring joy and curiosity to this work, especially during challenging times
• Hold proficiency in Spanish and/or possess interest in working in a school that prioritizes bilingual and biliterate education
• Possess Bachelor’s degree; background with City Year preferred

Compensation

The salary for this position is between $85,000 and $110,000, depending on experience.  Compass Academy offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health benefits, 25 PTO days in addition to 10 holidays, PERA (Public Employees Retirement Association) benefits, and access to dental and vision benefits.  

Application 

The application deadline for this position is April 30, 2021.  After this date we do not guarantee review of submissions.  Please submit your application here.

The steps to our application process are as follows:

1. Application screen
2. Phone screen
3. Exercise
4. Interview and exercise debrief
5. Community-focused final interview
6. Reference check

Compass Academy is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. Individuals from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.