Executive Director of Secondary School Performance

Position Title: Executive Director of Secondary School Performance

Reports To: Deputy Superintendent                              FLSA Status: Exempt

Classification: Executive                                            Amount of Travel: Minimal

Job Status: Full-Time Level: District Administration

Work Schedule: 245 Days                                           Date Created: February 2022

Salary Range: $69,714.75 to $114,673.47        

Position Summary: The North Little Rock School District (NLRSD) is seeking exceptional applications for the executive leadership position of Executive Director of Secondary School Performance. This newly reorganized role is responsible for the direct supervision and evaluation of school-based principals based on the Leader Excellence and Development System (LEADS). Responsible for implementing the district’s mission to improve student achievement within each secondary and alternative school. Provides leadership coaching, professional development, and direct support to school-based administrators.  Responsible for directing and assisting principals and other school-based administrators with all aspects of teaching and learning. Through a lens of equity, structures, culture, and leadership, provides supervision of the general operation of secondary schools with a focus on improved student performance and building professional capacity of school-based leaders. Spends the majority of time in schools coaching principals and other school-based administrators for the purpose of developing and refining the skills needed to drive continuous improvement in teaching and learning.  Expected to be highly visible in the communities of secondary schools and to participate in community organizations, community functions, and extracurricular activities.

Essential Functions: The following duties are representative of performance expectations. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Executive Director of Secondary School Performance responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as a member of the Superintendent’s executive leadership team.
• Provides direct technical and instructional support to principals and school-based administrators. Supervises the work of school principals, ensuring adherence to established policies, procedures and standards; advises and assists subordinates, as necessary, resolving problems as situations arise. Spends the majority of working time in schools to help principals grow as instructional leaders.
• Participates in budget decisions and support to school principals. Oversees expenditures for assigned schools; demonstrates fiscal responsibility and ethical practices related to oversight of budgets, maintains an aligned instructional program that addresses state, local, and federal requirements to ensure academic achievement.
• Assists and supervises principals with developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating a school improvement plan for accelerating academic achievement for every learner and eliminating all academic and behavioral gaps in alignment with the district’s new strategic plan goals and compliance with local, state, and federal policies and regulations.
• Effectively plans, develops, and facilitates high quality, data-driven professional development for principals and aspiring leaders.  Develops a plan for continuous professional learning for self, principals, and aspiring leaders based on assessed need; researched-based best practices; trends in educational technology; curriculum, instruction and assessment; and innovative practices in teaching and learning.
• Advises, interprets, and communicates policy/regulations, budget, school/district goals and priorities for principals, teachers, community, and other district employees. Establishes and monitors systems of accountability for job performance, community involvement, adherence to ethical practices, and compliance to local federal and state policy/regulations for principals and other school-based administrators.
• Uses school and district data to assist with planning, monitoring, and evaluating the performance of principals, teachers, and students for the purpose of achieving continuous improvement in all aspects of teaching and learning with a focus on accelerating academic achievement for every learner and eliminating all academic and behavioral gaps.
• Monitor school progress through feedback from students, teachers, principals, directors, superintendent, the Board of Education, business leaders, consultants and parents. Receives suggestions, advice and general feedback on the operations of schools; helps ensure an open line of communication across the school system hierarchy, bringing insight from all levels to incorporate in policy and decision making.
• Demonstrates highly efficient time management and actively seeks ways to minimize disruption to school schedules and principal’s calendars by utilizing time in schools to engage and coach principals, other school-based administrators, and teachers in their natural setting; thus minimizing meetings and time outside of classrooms and schools.
• Actively participates in professional learning centered on improving principal effectiveness and student achievement (analyzing student performance data; observing classroom teaching and learning; understanding the shifts in reading, mathematics, and literacy; conducting principal/administrator and teacher evaluations).
• Assists the Deputy Superintendent with prioritizing the work, professional development needs, staffing needs, and resource allocation for the Department of School Performance. Assists and leads the process for recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting highly effective administrators and teaching staff in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Assists the Deputy Superintendent in implementing the Superintendent’s E4 the Future District Transformation Model vision aimed to create innovative secondary schools in new or creative ways to existing instructional and administrative practices that are intended to improve academic performance and learning for all students.
• Assists principals and other school-based administrators with building and maintaining positive school culture, especially during periods of change and increasing accountability.
• Provides leadership in organizational excellence by coaching principals in establishing and bringing to fruition the vision of the school in alignment with the new strategic plan, building leadership capacity, employee commitment and competence, performance expectations and measures, change management and implementation, and the alignment of budgets and expenditures to division priorities.
• Provides leadership, direction, and active participation via delivery of professional development, analysis of school/district data, and in all principals’ meetings and works collaboratively with the Executive Director of Elementary School Performance and the Executive Director of Curriculum Innovation and Design.
• Monitors education research, trends, and developments to support development and evaluation of school staff and school improvement efforts. Keeps current on national trends in the areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, the usage of data to improve instruction.
• Serves as a liaison and provides support with community and other stakeholders to address curricular needs, interests, and concerns. Publicly responds to concerns of the Community regarding schools; coordinates with community agencies to address the problems and needs of schools and their students.  Assists principal and school staff with developing and maintaining positive and collaborative community interactions.
• Perform other related work as required and directed by the Deputy Superintendent.

Competencies: Comprehensive knowledge of school-based administration; comprehensive knowledge of school district outcomes, procedures and organization. Knowledge and ability to lead and coach principals to improve teaching and learning. Ability to demonstrate strong internal and external support for the NLRSD. Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. Excellent knowledge and understanding of all facets of public school operations. Knowledge and understanding of the change process, organizational development, conflict resolution and facilitation skills. Highly effective organizational and consensus building skills. Knowledge and understanding of all policies and procedures of the NLRSD. Ability to conceptualize, initiate, monitor and evaluate new and/or current programs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Licensed Arkansas District Level Administrator (P-12), meets qualifications and requirements for reciprocity, or is eligible to hold appropriate licensure. Licensed Arkansas Curriculum Program Administrator (P-12) preferred.
• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in field related to the job duties and responsibilities preferred.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years’ successful experience as a secondary school principal. Experience as a turnaround principal is preferred.
• Have a minimum of eight (8) years’ of successful job performance in education including teaching, supervision, leadership, and administration preferred.
• Experience with educational accountability measures including federal educational reform efforts, and state and local assessments, knowledge of systemic organizational thinking, organizational leadership, and change management.
• Experience working in a highly collaborative environment where teamwork, creative problem solving, and self-motivation are necessary for success.
• Experienced leadership in an urban school district is preferred.

Skills and Abilities Required: The following characteristics and physical skills are important for the successful performance of assigned duties.

Instructional Leadership Knowledge and Expertise:

• Knowledge and ability to dedicate time to helping principals grow as instructional leaders.
• Knowledge and ability to coach and support individual principals and engage in effective professional learning strategies to help principals grow as instructional leaders.
• Knowledge and ability to use evidence of principals’ effectiveness to determine necessary improvements in principals’ practice to foster a positive educational environment that supports the diverse cultural and learning needs of students.
• Knowledge and ability to engage principals in the formal district principal evaluation process in ways that help them grow as instructional leaders.
• Knowledge and ability to engage in self-development and continuous improvement to help principals grow as instructional leaders.
• Knowledge and ability to lead strategic change that continuously elevates the performance of schools and sustains high-quality educational programs and opportunities across the district.
• Knowledge and ability to advocate for and inform the coherence of organizational vision, policies and strategies to support schools and student learning.
• Knowledge and ability to assist the district in ensuring the community of schools with which they engage are culturally/socially responsive and have equitable access to resources necessary for the success of each student.
• Knowledge and ability engage in their own development and continuous improvement to help principals grow as instructional leaders.
• Knowledge to lead strategic change that continuously elevates the performance of schools and sustains high-quality educational programs and opportunities across the district.

Work Environment:

• Work is primarily conducted in an office or school setting. Prolonged stationary work and attention to desk or computer tasks are required.  This position is cognitively demanding and requires especially well developed professional social skills and communication skills.  Movement in and about schools and office buildings/grounds is a frequent requirement and ability to carry or lift items 75 lbs. or less.

Empathy and Commitment to Cause:

• Deep commitment to improving student achievement and employee performance.
• Passionately believes that all students can achieve at high levels.
• Demonstrates cultural competence, equity, and a deep understanding of and empathy for issues facing minority and economically disadvantaged families and students requiring special services.

Problem Solving and Systems Thinking:

• Understands how various systems and departments interact to achieve district goals.
• Makes decisions using data and technology.
• Takes initiative to solve problems and create stakeholder buy-in.
• Identifies and prioritizes mission critical issues with alignment of people, time and resources.
• Offer innovative solutions to seemingly intractable challenges. .
• Exhibits strong focus on goals and results. Sets clear metrics for success.
• Removes barriers or obstacles that make it difficult for principals to achieve their goals and ensures that school leaders have the resources they need to succeed.
• Demonstrates excellent execution and project management skills, including attention to detail, organizational skills, ability to balance the big picture with detailed steps to reach the end goal, and ability to balance multiple projects under tight deadlines.

Leadership Skills:

• Motivates, inspires, and moves other adults to action to achieve ambitious goals.
• Skilled at re-envisioning, building, and managing a team, especially in a time of growth and change; excellent at identifying talent and taking advantage of each person’s skills and contribution to team effort.
• Builds and maintains positive relationships with individuals and groups.
• Moves groups to consensus and resolves conflicts. Exhibits willingness to have difficult conversations.
• Builds coalitions and works collaboratively with diverse stakeholders at all levels, including but not limited to district personnel, students, families, communities, and/or advocacy groups.
• Establishes clear expectations, deliverables, and deadlines.
• Sets clear agendas and facilitates effective meetings.
• Ability to train, supervise, and evaluate staff from different cultural backgrounds and skillsets.
• Exhibits transformational and servant leadership characteristics in daily work.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Performs such other tasks and assumes such other roles and responsibilities as the deputy superintendent and or their designee may assign.