Principal - Nevada Connections Academy

Connections Academy•Reno, NV

16h•$88,000 - $95,000•Remote

About The Position

Nevada Connections Academy (NCA) is a tuition-free virtual public charter school serving students in grades 9-12 throughout Nevada. The school was launched in 2007 as a distance education charter school authorized by the Nevada State Board of Education and is governed by an independent Board of Directors. The school is operated by Nevada Connections Academy, a nonprofit corporation, through a contract with Connections Academy of Nevada, LLC, to provide its educational program and other services. Connections Academy, a division of Connections Education, is accredited by AdvancED, and NCA is accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission. Nevada Connections Academy seeks a dynamic, visionary leader and change agent to join its team as the Principal. This position ensures all students receive a personalized learning plan by implementing a distance education instructional program with fidelity. The Principal is responsible for establishing an organizational culture: putting the interests of students and families first; recruiting, retaining and developing faculty and staff; building and growing relationships with key external stakeholders including regulators; and implementing the vision where every child receives a personalized and customized education, and academic achievement is at the forefront. School-wide, the Principal will be responsible for assisting the Superintendent in developing and maintaining community partnerships throughout the state of Nevada to support student and family needs. The Principal will also be responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring the school’s credit recovery policies and procedures. The Principal will oversee Summer School programming school wide. Working from our office in Reno, Nevada, or your home office in Nevada, the Principal will report to the NCA’s Superintendent and will manage school staff as they consult regularly with Learning Coaches and students, ensuring that each child successfully completes his/her instructional program. The Principal is responsible for overseeing overall school operations working with parents, students, support staff, and certified teachers who virtually facilitate a home-based student instructional program. The Principal will spend the majority of their time working with external stakeholders on matters of academic outcomes, reporting, and supervision. This position is not pension eligible. The Principal must lead by example regarding continuing education and professional development. To lead effectively in these areas, the Principal must: Participate successfully in the training programs offered; review current trends, developments, and research as they pertain to education and school operations; and be familiar with school law and Nevada State Statutes

Requirements

Nevada Residency Preferred
Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from a regionally accredited college/university required
Valid Nevada Administrator Certification
Valid Nevada Teaching Certification with three years minimum of successful teaching experience.
Three years of administrative or management experience required, charter school management a plus
Strong leadership qualities and a commitment to goal-directed management and accountability
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
Knowledge of Professional Learning Communities
Customer-focused approach
Flexible, ability to transition from task to task quickly
Demonstrated ability to work well in fast-paced environment
Team player
Technologically proficient (especially with Microsoft Office products and Google Suite)
Travel and attendance at in-person events, including State Testing is required throughout the school year, as determined by the school. This may require overnight travel
Ability to work some occasional evening hours, as needed to support some families
Must be able to use a personal electronic device and an email address for two-step authentication.

Nice To Haves

Virtual teaching experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage the implementation of the proven Connections Academy curriculum and school operation protocols
Exhibit high quality communication with all Connections Academy school staff, students and families and ensure that teachers exhibit and maintain a high level of professionalism, instructional support and customer service
Ensure the academic success of individual students by utilizing all levels of academic support available and by maintaining a high level of communication with parents to deliver program information and address individual student needs
Work with the Superintendent and school staff as well as other stakeholders to implement, manage, and monitor the School Improvement Plan and support the Superintendent in meeting the goals outlined in the SIP
Work with Pearson Virtual Schools (PVS) and the Superintendent to coordinate marketing, enrollment, curriculum, human resource, and training resources
Work with departments regularly as a Community of Practice to complete data analysis and documentation and use data regularly to assess the progress towards meeting department and school-wide goals and in monitoring continuous school improvement
Set up clear systems and structures to identify and provide additional support to at risk students based on student academic data that are below proficiency level and/or credit deficient
Seek out professional learning opportunities and collaborate with special education administrators and other support staff to become familiar with different types of disabilities and effective instructional practices that will help ensure student success and build understanding at the department level that each student’s unique needs, regardless of their disability category must be addressed (as measured by academic data)
Demonstrate sensitivity to and understanding of the disabilities and diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds of students
Coach school teams to hold conversations with each other that incorporate the use of student learning performance as a driver for instruction and foster a positive and collaborative culture that relies on data-driven decision-making and timely communication with other departments
Develop, monitor, and maintain grade band PBIS and Behavioral intervention systems including Behavioral Intervention Plans and Academic Success Plans
Work directly with the appropriate school staff to monitor and evaluate the behavioral intervention framework and the truancy intervention framework and collaborate with stakeholders for the purpose of serving as a liaison and resource for development of dropout prevention, intervention and recovery support opportunities for students
Educate parents, students, and staff regarding compulsory attendance and truancy laws
Assist the Superintendent and work collaboratively with the administrative team in implementing, monitoring, and supervising the Connections Academy School Year Cycle
Assist the Superintendent in supervising and evaluating the effectiveness of the staff in a performance-based environment and frequently conduct informal and formal observations (of instruction, phone calls, and grading practices) and provide leadership to Master Teachers who are evaluating the effectiveness of the staff in a performance-based environment.
Recruit, supervise and evaluate all school staff as required by the state
Understand the school budget and how to utilize the available resources successfully to meet the outlined goals of the High School Department
Oversee all elements of Career Ladder Support school administration in managing the school’s budget and various grants
Handle any student problems escalated by parents and teachers and maintain all Handbook Policies and state requirements in handling these matters
Respond to all Learning Coach/Caretaker inquiries within 24 hours, including responses in Webmail, email, telephone, and message board postings, as appropriate and document all interactions in user logs
Oversee the implementation and coordination of state standardized testing process, and ensure high student participation rates
Implement with fidelity the universal design for learning framework along with multi-tiered systems of support that encompass 1) school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports and 2) response to instruction and intervention
School-wide, the Principal will establish, manage, and maintain Community Partnerships across the state of Nevada to support student and family needs
School-wide, the Principal will plan, create, and facilitate outreach activities and serve as a liaison with community agencies across the state
Develop, implement, and monitor the school’s credit recovery policies and procedures for high school students
Develop, implement, and monitor summer school programming school-wide and serve as the summer school point of contact
Attend and participate in Special Education and Section 504 Meetings as required
Communicate and support caretakers/Learning Coaches in successfully supporting their student in a state aligned curriculum that is accessed from home or any place where internet is accessible
Participate in student recruitment efforts including in-state trips, presentations, Q & A sessions and responding to the press
Support a robust “school community” through a program of in person field trips around the state and virtual activities
Leader Graduation Planning Efforts
Be available to handle emergencies
All other duties as assigned.