Chief Academic Officer

Tulsa Honor Academy•Tulsa, OK

13d•$100,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) plays a central role in fulfilling Tulsa Honor Academy’s mission by advancing and executing THA’s academic vision and strategy across all schools. The CAO leads the development of rigorous and engaging instruction, curriculum, and assessment systems and directly coaches and supports School Principals to ensure strong implementation and continuous improvement. As a member of the Executive Team, the CAO works closely with the CEO and other senior leaders to ensure every THA scholar receives an excellent education that prepares them for success in college and beyond. Core Commitments It is hard, but joyful - for kids and adults. You work hard, but love just as hard. Develop a palpably positive school climate with frequent and authentic instances of shared smiling, laughter and enthusiasm where joy is deeply rooted in achievement, the content, and team/individual successes. Believe that scholar actions and mindsets stem from teacher actions and mindsets Back-to-basics, liberal arts school - You have a fundamental belief in teaching kids to be critical thinkers through ELA and STEM. Ensure all scholars complete the cognitive work during the lesson, such as reading, writing, discussion, analysis, meaning-making, computation, and problem-solving Display that you value risk-taking, especially when the work is challenging. Expect all scholars to attempt all work, take academic risks, and learn from their mistakes. Structure Driven School - You sacrifice autonomy in exchange for consistency and commitment to a shared definition of excellence. You sweat the small stuff Believe that scholars want and need to be held to a higher standard and that scholars are capable of making good choices Teach and enforce school-wide systems, rules and consequences, disciplinary codes, and rewards at all times Know that warm and strict are not opposites Team, team, team - You support our community, learn from one another and respect each other enough to hold high expectations for ourselves and our scholars. Value parents as our partners Model what you expect because you know adults drive culture Believe in a all hands on deck mentality Constant Improvement - You model what it really means to receive feedback. Gain energy from the feedback cycle, not lose it Looking in the mirror rather than pointing out the window Use feedback to make productive changes in performance Diversity and Equity - You believe institutions thrive with diverse people and backgrounds Ensure our community is an inclusive and safe place People, paper, college - What you invest in says a lot about what you prioritize Developing rigorous instructional materials Supporting teammates, families and scholars Do whatever it takes to ensure our scholars go to and graduate from college

Requirements

Experience as School Principal required
Leadership experience in high-performing charter school strongly preferred
Experience leading and coaching high-performing teams required

Nice To Haves

5+ years of experience in educational leadership preferred

Responsibilities

Champion and advance THA’s vision for world-class academic excellence that prepares scholars to thrive in and complete degrees from competitive four-year colleges and universities.
Serve as a key member of the Executive Team, partnering with the CEO, senior leaders, and School Principals to establish organizational priorities, long-term plans, and measurable academic goals.
Collaborate across departments to ensure organizational systems, staffing, budgets, and resources support THA’s academic vision and drive continuous improvement.
Lead, develop, and manage a high-performing academic team with clear expectations, strong systems of accountability, and a shared commitment to THA’s mission and core values.
Translate THA’s academic vision into clear expectations for rigorous and engaging instruction supported by a coherent, vertically aligned PK–12 academic program.
Oversee the selection, implementation, and evaluation of curricula and assessments, ensuring alignment with state standards, college-readiness expectations, THA’s academic vision, and scholars’ needs.
Develop and maintain systems for monitoring instructional quality and providing actionable feedback that strengthens teaching and learning.
Ensure academic and assessment data is timely, accessible, and used to improve instruction, evaluate program effectiveness, and inform school- and network-level priorities.
Directly coach, develop, and support School Principals in implementing THA’s academic vision, leading strong instruction, and improving scholar outcomes.
Establish a comprehensive professional development strategy aligned with THA’s academic priorities, performance data, and staff needs.
Oversee teacher and leader training, coaching, development, and evaluation in partnership with school and network leaders.
Promote the sharing of effective practices and relevant research across the network to strengthen teaching and learning.
Ensure THA maintains effective systems for identifying and supporting scholars who need additional academic or behavioral support.
Oversee a cohesive, data-driven continuum of interventions that responds to scholars’ individual needs while maintaining high expectations.
Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of interventions, ensuring schools adjust supports based on scholar progress.
Promote collaboration among school leaders, teachers, interventionists, and other staff to provide coordinated and timely support.
Maintain and advance the network-wide vision for school culture that creates safe, joyful, inclusive, and academically focused environments for scholars and staff.
Ensure scholar and adult culture systems and practices reflect THA’s mission and core values.
Coach and support School Principals in building strong scholar and adult cultures characterized by high expectations, trust, accountability, collaboration, and belonging.
Use qualitative and quantitative data to monitor school culture and strengthen implementation in response to scholar, staff, and school-level needs.