High School Principal

Coney Island Prep•New York, NY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School is seeking an instructional and culture leader to serve as High School Principal beginning in January 2027. The Principal will lead the high school during its transition to a new building, setting a vision for academic excellence, student and adult culture, and school-wide systems that support students, staff, and families. The role centers on equity, anti-racism, inclusion, strong student outcomes, and preparing students for success in the college and career of their choice. The Principal will directly manage and develop Vice Principals and members of the School Culture Team, and co-lead the school with the Director of Operations. The Principal will work in partnership with school and network leaders to establish academic and culture priorities, oversee curriculum and instructional programming, develop staff and leaders, monitor school performance, and ensure a safe, welcoming, academically excellent environment. The role reports directly to the Chief Schools Officer. Coney Island Prep is a Brooklyn public charter school network serving the Coney Island community since 2009. Its schools emphasize rigorous academics, high expectations, strong relationships, educational equity, and ensuring each student is known, valued, and challenged. The school’s move to a new facility is an opportunity to strengthen its academic program and culture and create a distinctive high school experience.

Requirements

Deep passion for education and commitment to Coney Island Prep’s mission, values, and anti-racism commitment.
Belief that all students can achieve at high academic levels and deserve access to opportunities for college, career, and life success.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Demonstrated success as a school leader, preferably at the high school level, with a strong record of improving academic achievement and developing teachers and leaders.
Deep knowledge of secondary instruction, curriculum, assessment, and systems supporting graduation and postsecondary success.
Proven ability to build and sustain school culture grounded in high expectations, belonging, student accountability, and positive relationships.
Experience developing, coaching, and managing instructional leaders and teachers to improve performance measurably.
Strong data analysis skills and ability to translate student achievement, teacher performance, and school culture data into actionable priorities.
Ability to establish effective school-wide systems, manage complex priorities, and execute consistently with attention to detail.
Cultural competence and willingness to examine personal beliefs and biases across lines of difference.
Strong interpersonal, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills and ability to build trust across diverse stakeholder groups.
Reflective, growth-oriented leadership characterized by humility, curiosity, resilience, and openness to feedback.
Positive, solutions-oriented mindset and ability to lead with urgency, optimism, and sound judgment in a dynamic school environment.
Commitment to a school community where students, families, and staff feel valued, supported, and challenged to achieve excellence.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field.
Experience leading significant school improvement initiatives, organizational change, school launches, or transitions.

Responsibilities

Reinforce the school’s mission and values with staff, students, and families, and use them to guide school-based decisions.
Establish and execute a vision for high school academics, student culture, and adult culture aligned with the network’s K–12 vision and Graduate Profile.
Lead the transition into the new school building, developing systems, routines, traditions, expectations, and community ownership.
Build and lead a cohesive, high-performing leadership team focused on student outcomes and collaborative problem-solving.
Oversee curriculum implementation and instructional programming with Vice Principals, the Academics Team, and the Chief Academic Officer.
Monitor school performance, identify areas for improvement, and ensure follow-through on school-wide priorities.
Participate in Principal and School Leader Development meetings, collaborate with colleagues, share best practices, and take part in school collaboration visits.
Partner with the Chief Schools Officer to establish and execute academic, instructional, and culture priorities.
Co-lead with the Director of Operations on the building transition, operational planning, daily systems, and campus challenges.
Ensure the safety and security of students, staff, and visitors and maintain compliance with school policies, procedures, and applicable regulations.
Cultivate an inclusive community grounded in relationships, joy, academic excellence, and belonging for students, staff, and families.
Lead a positive adult culture and develop school traditions, celebrations, and community-building experiences that foster high school identity and a college-going culture.
Build partnerships with students, families, community stakeholders, and organizations, incorporating their perspectives and expanding opportunities for students.
Model professionalism, integrity, humility, and accountability as a visible school leader.
Manage, coach, evaluate, and develop Vice Principals and school culture leaders; build their capacity as instructional coaches.
Set measurable goals for school leaders and monitor progress and accountability.
Develop systems for lesson internalization, classroom observations, teacher coaching, professional development, and instructional planning.
Observe classroom instruction and provide actionable feedback to strengthen rigor, engagement, and student mastery.
Use student achievement data, student work, observations, and teacher performance trends to identify coaching priorities.
Design and facilitate professional development responsive to instructional needs and school priorities; develop leadership through modeling, practice, feedback, and increased ownership.
Promote continuous improvement and hold leaders and teachers accountable for high-quality, research-based curriculum and instructional practices.
Collaborate with the Director of Academic Inclusion and school leaders to ensure rigorous, appropriately differentiated instruction and support for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
Set ambitious academic goals and establish a data-driven instructional culture across high school content areas.
Oversee systems for lesson internalization, assessment, data analysis, instructional response, and timely academic interventions.
Monitor student achievement, credit accumulation, course performance, graduation progress, and readiness for postsecondary opportunities.
Partner with school leaders and the Academics Team on preparation for Regents examinations and other relevant assessments.
Establish expectations for student independence, critical thinking, academic discourse, and engagement with complex, grade-level content.
Build accountability systems to support every student’s progress toward graduation and postsecondary success.
Establish a joyful, rigorous, inclusive student culture grounded in relationships, clear expectations, restorative practices, and belief in every student.
Lead consistent student culture systems and expectations for arrival, transitions, classroom routines, common spaces, and dismissal.
Maintain high expectations for attendance, punctuality, behavior, academic performance, and engagement, implementing culture systems consistently and equitably.
Coach school culture leaders to identify student needs, respond to challenges, and implement targeted support plans.
Foster student leadership, school pride, community connection, and family partnership in student engagement and development.
Collaborate with the Director of Operations so the physical environment supports academic and cultural expectations.
Support the Director of School Recruitment and Enrollment and Director of Operations in student recruitment toward annual enrollment projections.
Create a high school experience supporting students’ academic, social-emotional, and personal development and preparation for life after graduation.
Coordinate with the Chief Schools Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Operations, and network leadership on the new facility transition.
Establish a vision for how the new space will support academics, student culture, staff collaboration, and community engagement.
Work with the Director of Operations to address building readiness, student movement, space use, safety, and daily operations.
Ensure the building transition is well planned, clearly communicated, consistently executed, and focused on student success.