Director of Culture and Instruction

The New School of San Francisco•San Francisco, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

New School San Francisco is a public charter school serving 470 transitional kindergarten through 8th grade students. The school utilizes a "hands on minds on" approach to learning, fostering curiosity and encouraging students to construct their own meaning through inquiry-based learning. Equity is a core principle, ensuring every child receives an individualized education that builds on their strengths. The school pursues social justice, preparing students with problem-solving and critical-thinking skills for a changing world. The school is committed to anti-racism and pro-Blackness, actively working to dismantle systemic inequities and prioritize Black and brown students, English Language Learners (ELLs), and students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). They continuously examine their culture, climate, and curriculum to teach critical thinking about race and other inequities, aiming to become a pro-Black organization. The staff is expected to reflect the diversity of the students and families, and candidates are encouraged to apply if they are committed to anti-racism and pro-Blackness. The school invests in its staff through coaching, individualized learning plans, and opportunities for growth, valuing both hard work and self-care. The Middle School Director of Culture & Instruction is crucial in ensuring a rigorous, inclusive, and joyful learning environment where students feel a sense of belonging and are held to high academic expectations. This role sets a vision where strong culture and instruction are linked, driving student achievement and well-being through systems, practices, and adult actions. The Director collaborates with leadership, teachers, students, and families to develop and implement systems that support excellent teaching and equitable student outcomes, ensuring instructional practices, school culture, and student supports meet the needs of all learners.

Requirements

Deep belief in New School San Francisco’s mission, vision and values (required)
Bachelor’s degree (required)
Extensive experience and passion working with middle schoolers, families and staff from diverse backgrounds and with diverse learning needs, including – but not limited to – English Language learners, academically high-achieving students, students with IEPs, academically low-performing students, and students who have experienced trauma (required)
Proven record of collaborating well on a team and building relationships with students and families (required)
Deep commitment to equitable approaches, including — but not limited to — culturally responsive teaching, inclusion, anti-racist education, restorative practices, Universal Design for Learning, social emotional learning and data-informed instruction (required)
Familiarity with Special Education accommodations and modifications, IEP implementation, and inclusive practices (required)

Nice To Haves

Specialized behavior training (e.g. Restorative Practices, Applied Behavior Analysis, Crisis Prevention and Intervention) (strongly preferred)
Bilingual in Spanish (preferred)
Experience as a school leader and/or administrator (strongly preferred)
CA Administrator’s credential (preferred)

Responsibilities

Support the vision and strategic plan around school wide and middle school goals
Support and attend Culture and Climate and Instructional Leadership Team Meetings
Collaborate closely with the school leader and operations team to ensure a safe and consistent school environment for students
Design and lead cultural celebrations (e.g., heritage months, school-wide events, all-staff gatherings) that build community, elevate diverse identities, and strengthen a sense of belonging.
Develop and codify culture-building systems and tools (e.g., behavior matrices, shared norms, routines) to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment across teams.
Support with teacher recruitment and hiring process
Support and drive school culture aligned with the school vision and mission
Identify, retain and develop high performing teachers
Attend and lead professional development and collaboratives as assigned
Coordinates home visits and other interventions in addressing crises with the support of clinician and Head of School
Create a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement with a relentless focus on student achievement, operational efficiency, and self-improvement
In partnership with elementary leadership, develop and uphold bus expectations and implementation of expectations
Acts as the senior administrator when the Head of School is off campus
Help to execute daily operations (drop-off, pick-up, lunch/recess duty)
Coach grade team leads and grade level deliverables
Coach content teams and lead weekly data protocols
Manage specialist teachers
Oversee and support department chairs and department deliverables
Support administering all state and local testing
Track individual student and subset data to monitor progress of students in appropriate data systems
Plan, conduct and support teachers with data meetings
Support with facilitation of content specific blocks or intervention, including the scope and sequence, training, roll out, ongoing developments and progress monitoring
Support with school-wide curriculum implementation including professional development & progress monitoring
Oversee data collection & monitoring, including: behavioral data, attendance data and climate data
Develop staff members’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors through a variety of professional development targeted topics and designs
Drive instructional excellence by setting aspirational targets and ensuring that teachers receive appropriate and targeted coaching and professional development on academics, instruction and culture to implement successful classroom management and teaching
Utilize the teaching rubric to create teachers’ Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) and coach teachers towards goals
Support the instructional development of teachers, including meeting needs of Tier 1, 2, and 3 students (instructionally and behaviorally)
Internalize curricula and coach teachers towards implementation
Formally evaluate teachers and staff for their Annual Review
Observe teachers and staff and provide feedback on a weekly or biweekly basis
Support deep family engagement and communications
Partners with the Diverse Learners Team (DLT) to ensure that the instructional model and school environment responds to the needs (particularly mental, behavioral, and social-emotional of students)
Foster relationships with families and between families and teachers
Manage family and student concerns and problem solve for resolution
Develop community partnerships to enhance school programming
Support high school-readiness culture by planning events and assisting families with the process
Collaborate with staff to lead MTSS processes to ensure data-informed tiered behavioral and academic supports across the middle school program
Lead student-facing culture & climate initiatives, e.g. facilitate student council, lead middle school meetings (assemblies), facilitate small groups focused on socio-emotional learning
Be a model for staff in Restorative Practices and facilitate the restorative process when necessary
Co-create and implement informational workshops for families
Assist students, staff, families and other members of the admin team in the creation of responses to behavior that align with Restorative Justice Practices
Facilitate 504 meetings
Lead student behavior support during the school day
Complete other duties as assigned by Head of School