Job Application for Chief Schools Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools

New

About the Opportunity

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Schools Officer will be a critical member of the senior leadership team and is responsible for ensuring a 100% renewal rate for all schools across the DPPS multi-state network. The Chief Schools Officer will be charged with leading the work that ensures all Democracy Prep schools are delivering on their promise to students and families by running high-performing schools that provide a transformational education. The Chief Schools Officer sets direction for our schools and is fully responsible for principal management and the implementation of school functions and programs.

The Chief Schools Officer is also responsible for driving the school culture vision for the network and is ultimately accountable for network-wide school culture metrics, including scholar suspension and attrition rates. The Chief Schools Officer is responsible for ensuring Democracy Prep meets or exceeds school culture benchmarks as outlined in our multi-year strategic plan.

Who You Are

A leader and educator with an unwavering commitment to the Democracy Prep mission of college success and authentic civic engagement for all scholars, especially those with significant challenges.
A highly-effective educator who has a clear track record of raising student achievement for at least ten years as both a teacher and a school leader.
A self-reflective and self-aware leader who is dedicated to and supports Democracy Prep's commitment to antiracism and who is eager to further a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A professional who values diverse perspectives and is committed to empowering young people and to lifting up and working alongside communities.
An expert at translating academic standards and state assessment requirements into effective instructional design.
An experienced coach with demonstrated success in building and developing the leadership capacity in others.
An excellent writer and skilled orator who can easily connect with scholars, families, staff, and community members and effectively tailor communication to multiple stakeholder groups.
A data-informed leader, adept at data analysis, with the ability to extract meaningful insights from data across multiple schools and who is willing to reevaluate one’s understanding based on new information and data.
A leader with experience analyzing and managing budgets as well as strategizing in service of excellent academic and civics outcomes given limited resources available.
A graduate of a Bachelor’s degree program (required), Master's degree in related field (preferred).

What You’ll Do

Manage, coach and develop Deputy Superintendents to ensure the schools in their regions are meeting their goals and remain compliant with all state, local and authorizer mandates.
Set a strong vision for school leadership and principal management at Democracy Prep Public Schools to be executed through management of each Democracy Prep Deputy Superintendent.
Provide guidance and support to principal managers on all elements of running a high-performing school, including but not limited to excellent K-12 instruction, school culture and climate, teacher and leader development, talent, budget, etc.
Partner with the Chief Academic Officer to ensure the entire organization is leading for learning (e.g. teacher observations are held sacred in frequency and quality across all schools, teacher feedback is delivered in writing and in practice-based one-on-one coaching sessions at a regular cadence for emerging, developing, and master teachers, curriculum is being implemented to fidelity in each school, and the assessment strategy is rigorous, customized to the needs of the population, and strictly adhered to by school-based teammates and Network based support staff, including the execution of data-driven remediation blocks).
Partner with the Chief Academic Officer to design and lead systematic execution of the fall and spring school review process across all Democracy Prep regions, through strong management of Deputy Superintendents.
Develop a rigorous, research-based school culture vision which includes a plan for world class social-emotional supports for all scholars.
Create the conditions for an inclusive campus environment that values and respects all students and families within every Democracy Prep school.
Lead strategic culture planning processes for the network and for each region in order to set goals and priorities, including:

Defining focal areas for Democracy Prep’s Purpose over Power framework and the execution of tiered behavior management systems,
Working closely with the Director of Scholar Support to ensure that excellent restorative circles and other defined practices are implemented with fidelity in all Democracy Prep schools,
Pursuing opportunities for professional development for teachers and leaders around implementation of a support school culture for all scholars.

Develop and drive the systems/processes to assess progress against our vision.
Use data to progress monitor and drive interventions that lead to increased school performance.
Identify and leverage internal and external bright spots to continuously enhance our school model and support practices.
Analyze and manage budget strategy in service of excellent academic and civics outcomes, in contexts where given limited resources are available.
Serve internally and externally (e.g., at Board meetings and gatherings with key community partners) as a representative of Democracy Prep's leadership team.
Serve as a senior leader for Democracy Prep and steward of adult culture who moves the network forward in achieving its goals, helps make decisions about our strategic priorities, and models the network’s core values both to internal and external stakeholders.

Compensation

Salary range is $240,000-$275,000, commensurate with your experience. Democracy Prep employees are provided with a benefits package that includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, 403B matching, and parental leave.

Democracy Prep is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. Our mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars who will change the world. We strongly believe that by building a DREAM team that represents numerous perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise, we can achieve this goal together. This is a value we highly support and strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Democracy Prep Public Schools? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

First Name

Last Name

Country

Phone

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Preferred first name

Preferred Pronoun(s)

In order to confirm your background check with the State of New York, we need your social security number. Please include your social security number below.

How did you hear about this job? Please select:

Select...

If you indicated personal connection, professional connection, or other, please provide the name or source below.

Are you a current member or alumnus of any of the following programs?

Select...

Have you completed a 4-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university?

Select...

If yes, from which College or University?

What degree did you receive and in what field?

What was your graduation date?

If N/A, what is your anticipated date of graduation?

If you are currently enrolled in a post-secondary program, please share the degree you are working towards and your anticipated completion date.

Are you authorized to work in the United States?

Select...

If you answered "no" to the question above, please provide an explanation below:

Please note that these positions are available exclusively to permanent residents of the United States. Continued residency within the US is necessary for employment with us. Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or J-1 visa status) or Green Card sponsorship in order to work for Democracy Prep Public Schools?

Select...

If you answered "Yes" to the question above, please provide an explanation below.

Consistent with applicable law, Democracy Prep employees are subject to criminal background checks. To the best of your knowledge, do you have a pending criminal charge or a criminal conviction in any jurisdiction?

Select...

If you answered "Yes" to the question above regarding criminal history, please provide each of the following: (1) a brief summary of the conduct that led to the criminal conviction(s) and/or pending criminal charge(s), (2) the current status of the criminal conviction(s) and/or pending criminal charge(s), and (3) any other relevant information, including an explanation of how Democracy Prep can feel confident that such conduct will not be repeated and will not affect your work with Democracy Prep. Please note that one or more pending criminal charges and/or criminal convictions will not necessarily bar you from working for Democracy Prep. However, we prefer to know about such issues in advance of your background check.

I certify that all the information I have provided in order to apply for and secure work with this employer is true, complete, and correct. I expressly authorize, without reservation, the employer its representatives, employees or agents to contact and obtain information from all references (personal and professional), employers, public agencies, licensing authorities and education institutions and to otherwise verify the accuracy of all information provided by me in this application, resume or job interview. I also understand that if I am hired, I will be required to provide proof of identity and legal authorization to work in the United States and that federal immigration laws require me to complete an I-9 Form in this regard. The information that I am providing here in the application and in the hiring process, including but not limited to information from the phone screen, demo lesson, and interview, will be used for research purposes to improve DPPS’s selection methods. I understand that all personally identifiable information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with non-research partners. Notice to applicants: An applicant who willfully provides false information or fails to disclose the information required is subject to criminal prosecution, as well as a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars and may face discipline up to and including termination or denial of employment.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Democracy Prep Public Schools’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Gender

Select...

Are you Hispanic/Latino?

Select...

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Veteran Status

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
Blind or low vision
Cancer (past or present)
Cardiovascular or heart disease
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
Diabetes
Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
Intellectual or developmental disability
Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
Short stature (dwarfism)
Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status

Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Chief Schools Officer

Apply for this job

Voluntary Self-Identification

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability