Principal-Garden Hills Elementary School

Atlanta Public Schools•North Atlanta, GA

About The Position

In Atlanta Public Schools, the principal's primary job is to drive academic and social emotional learning outcomes for students. We expect that our principals spend more than half of their time on instructional leadership, specifically on the activities involved in leading and developing teachers to improve their instruction and drive student achievement. We also expect our principals to build lasting, equitable and sustainable organizations by developing a positive school culture for teachers and students, creating systems for the ongoing development of school staff, building a pipeline of future leaders that consistently demonstrate mastery of APS' definitions of excellence, effectively engaging families and developing his/her successor.

Requirements

Commitment to APS' Core Values
Demonstrated commitment to APS' core values
Lead Academics: Instructional Leadership
Demonstrated student achievement results from teachers and leaders that he/she managed and coached
Demonstrated expertise in what the school-wide academic standards and state assessments require of students' knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery; demonstrated ability to translate student mastery requirements into instructional plans and strategies
Demonstrated command of instructional design and the benefits and tradeoffs of school design decisions in driving student achievement
Demonstrated understanding of appropriate application and differentiation of high-leverage instructional strategies (e.g. pacing, checks for understanding, students doing the heavy lifting, etc.) based on comprehension of child development and pedagogy
Demonstrated investment in and understanding of appropriate application of social emotional strategies to promote the development of the whole child
Lead Academics: Planning & Assessment
Demonstrated skill in data analysis; ability to extract meaningful insights across school-wide data
Demonstrated ability to develop, facilitate and ensure positive outcomes of teacher teams and professional learning communities
Build Culture
Demonstrated ability to set direction across an entire school and invest and motivate others to action
Demonstrated ability to create inclusive environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
Demonstrated ability to use a variety of strategies to invest and influence team and community members
Develop Talent
Demonstrated ability to develop and use well-defined systems to recruit, select and hire high-performing teachers and school staff
Demonstrated ability to develop teacher, teacher-leader and staff competencies through providing helpful feedback and professional learning opportunities
Demonstrated ability to retain top talent through recognizing strengths, developing career pathways and applying diverse strategies
Manage Operations
Demonstrated ability to align finances, time, people, systems and other school resources to supporting the success of all students
Valid Georgia professional certification at Level 5 or higher in a teaching or service field and in Educational Leadership (copy of the Georgia certificate must be on file or a letter of eligibility from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission may document leadership certifications from another State) by the start of the current or upcoming school year required
Motor Vehicle Operator's License or ability to provide own transportation.
Bachelor's and Masters Degree from an accredited college or university, preferably in School Administration.
A minimum of seven (7) years of successful K-12 education experience required
Experience as a principal, assistant principal, dean or other school-based administrative leadership experience required

Nice To Haves

Sixth year, doctorate, or other planned program in related field preferred.
Master's degree or higher

Responsibilities

Sets ambitious school-wide vision and goals, aligned with APS' mission and goals, that prepare students for success in college and beyond
Builds self and school staff's knowledge and expertise in effective instructional design and academic standards
Develops teachers' conceptual understanding of what students must know and be able to do and what instructional methods drive student mastery
Develops knowledge of how standards map to curriculum and assessment
Develops teachers to provide rigorous and high quality instruction
Leads analysis of and develops teachers' ability to analyze student data to identify strategies that will move students toward mastery
Regularly observes and coaches instructional coaches to ensure they are providing helpful, high-impact, actionable and bite-sized feedback to teachers on a weekly basis, modeling, co-planning with teachers and providing effective instructional models and strategies
Ensures teachers can collaborate, analyze their practice and their student data, and adjust instruction in teams
Leads whole-school professional development workshops that drive improvement in teacher practice
Develops systems and structures to hire and retain diverse, highly-effective staff
Cultivates a diverse, high-potential leadership team through on-the-ground coaching, insisting that they are true owners of the work and cultivating a pipeline of future leaders (from teacher leader to AP to successor)
Models expectations for leaders, teachers, and students on school-wide practices for creating a positive learning culture
Plans and prioritizes time, people, budget, facilities and resources to achieve annual goals
Sets the vision for school-wide operations, staffing, scheduling, testing and finance to ensure they are aligned with school goals and priorities
Cultivates own growth, sustainability and success through active participation in district-wide professional development and by seeking out high-impact growth opportunities
Engages and collaborates with families, community and GO Team to achieve the school's mission and goals