Principal

Yellowstone College Prep

Title:                     Principal

 

Reports to:         Superintendent

 

Qualifications:   

Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s Degree/Management Certification preferred

Minimum 7 years of experience in education, at least 3 years in a supervisory position

Experience working in a turnaround school environment with demonstrable results

Experience working with families/students who reflect Yellowstone’s current demographics

 

Yellowstone College Prep Overview

Yellowstone College Prep (YCP) is an open-enrollment public charter school currently serving 260 students in 5^th through 9^th grade. We are a community school preparing community leaders. At Yellowstone, we Inspire, Empower, and Invest in our students to achieve their highest potential and fulfill their intended purpose. Our model includes smaller class sizes and a culturally relevant experience that includes rigorous academics, strong character education, and a focus on parent and community engagement. YCP will grow by a grade level each year, eventually serving students in 5^th-12^th grade.

 

Yellowstone College Prep operates on a beautiful Third Ward campus built in 1926 that is less than half a mile from downtown Houston. As part of its unique program, YCP is co-located with Yellowstone Academy, a private Christian school that serves students in preK3 through 4^th grade. This innovative public/private model is the first of its kind in the state of Texas. The Yellowstone Schools are governed by two separate Board of Trustees. They operate through a shared services agreement to leverage the Academy’s nearly 20 years of success and expand to serve close to 800 students in pre-K through 12^th grade within the next five years.

 

Primary Responsibilities

The Principal is a member of the Yellowstone Schools’ executive leadership team and oversees the daily operations of Yellowstone College Prep. The Principal manages the administrative team for YCP, and is responsible for student academic performance, curricular and instructional management, teacher management and professional development, school culture, and student support and management. The Principal reports to and will work closely with the Superintendent and other members of the executive leadership team to accomplish the school’s mission. Yellowstone is seeking a transformational leader who will fulfill this role and help lead the organization to a new level of excellence.

 

Student Academic Performance

The Principal will:

• Set ambitious targets for annual student achievement and manage the process of tracking student performance towards these goals;
• Coordinate the administration of benchmarking and end-of-year student assessments in all subject areas at all grade levels for YCP, and ensure that this annual assessment administration complies with all state requirements and laws as outlined by the Texas Education Agency;
• Guide instructional staff to use student assessment data to improve their instruction;
• Facilitate regularly scheduled grade level team meetings to develop student intervention strategies, share best practices, and ensure ongoing progress towards annual student achievement goals;
• Manage the administration of student progress reports/report cards throughout the school year; and
• Build systems of accountability for the entire team to ensure that all goals and progress measures are met.

 

Curricular and Instructional Management

The Principal will:

• Oversee the development of a rigorous scope and sequence and academic framework in all subjects for all grade levels;
• Facilitate the sharing of instructional best practices across the campus by creating a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement;
• Facilitate subject-specific departmental meetings to ensure vertical alignment of content and academic objectives;
• Manage and monitor the development of weekly lesson plans for all YCP instructional staff;
• Be responsible for YCP’s instructional budget and selecting appropriate teaching materials, textbooks, equipment and other related curricular resources; and
• Manage the approval process for all of YCP’s off-campus field lessons and related co-curricular experiences.
   

Teacher Management and Professional Development

The Principal will:

• Build an instructional culture among the staff that values feedback, seeks out growth opportunities, fosters innovation, and always puts student achievement first;
• Support the creation and ongoing work of school committees related to staff morale, educational best practices, new campus initiatives, and other related strategies as needed;
• Ensure students receive outstanding instruction in every YCP classroom by continually monitoring teacher progress through a cycle of teacher classroom observations and follow up coaching sessions
• Oversee a comprehensive performance evaluation system for both teachers and instructional aides,
• Provide direct coaching and training for teachers at all levels of their growth and development;
• Provide targeted support for teachers in their first two years of teaching on the YCP campus through a comprehensive onboarding process (in conjunction with the HR office), mentoring program, and specific cycle of classroom observations and feedback; and
• Manage all third-party consulting relationships related to teacher support and professional development.

School Culture, Student Support and Management

The Principal will:

• Oversee the plans, procedures, and programming that are necessary to achieve strong student attendance;
• Ensure the development and implementation of an effective campus and classroom discipline/behavior management system that leads to strong school culture and student learning;
• Oversee the creation and execution of a family handbook that outlines Yellowstone policies and clearly communicates expectations for staff, students, and families to follow;
• Guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive student support program to ensure students receive the social, emotional, and physical support they need to be successful on campus;
• Oversee the management of the School’s special education program and its related activities, as required by law;  and
• Manage the collection and use of student/family records, data, and related information to ensure strong family engagement, communication, and appropriate privacy/confidentiality as required by law.

 

Parent and Community Engagement

The Principal will:

• Build a strong working relationship with families to ensure there is an alignment between school and family expectations for student success
• Be responsible for weekly communication to YCP families regarding all academically-related updates, programs, opportunities, and policies.
• Working with the Director of Campus Services, develop, implement, and promote volunteer opportunities on campus and other programming that engages the families to be actively involved in their students’ time at Yellowstone
• Manage the tracking of parent engagement data to ensure Yellowstone is creating a campus culture where families are regularly updated on their student’s progress and given opportunities to engage with teachers and staff to support their child’s learning; and
• Promote among the staff the need to involve and engage Yellowstone families in both positive and constructive ways in their student’s behavior, academic learning, and co-curricular activities.

Executive Leadership Team

The Principal will:

• Work closely with the Superintendent and the Yellowstone Schools executive leadership team (comprising finance, HR, fundraising, and campus services) to develop the annual calendar, annual organizational goals, and a corresponding annual budget to ensure successful operation of the Yellowstone Schools;
• Collaborate and coordinate closely with the Yellowstone Academy Principal to ensure the daily schedule, master calendar, transportation, and facility usage enable both schools to operate efficiently and with excellence at all times;
• Attend and participate in YCP Board meetings, and board committee meetings (as required and assigned); 
• Work with the Superintendent and HR Manager to hire YCP instructional staff and assign related roles and responsibilities;
• Work with the Yellowstone Schools executive leadership team to develop all-staff days and other school-wide culture building activities and meetings; and
• With the other members of the executive team, serve as a daily exemplar of the Yellowstone Schools’ belief, mission, and values.

School Admin Team Management and Other Administrative Responsibilities

The Principal will:

• Manage the school-level administrative leadership team for YCP to ensure that each responsibility described herein is managed and executed with excellence;

• Participate in meetings, conferences, and other opportunities to stay well-informed about current best practices in education and continue their own personal and professional development; and
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Superintendent.

Yellowstone Values

Every employee at Yellowstone is committed to our PRIDE values:
 

Positivity: At Yellowstone, we smile first. We are a positive presence on campus and extend a good-natured grace and enthusiasm in all personal interactions.

 

Responsibility: We follow through on our promises and commitments. We own our actions and will never settle for less than our best effort.

 

Integrity: We demonstrate integrity in all circumstances and always put the best interests of the broader Yellowstone community first. We “walk the talk” and lead by example.  

 

Determination: We anticipate and overcome challenges. We are resilient in the face of obstacles and are committed to the success of every member of the Yellowstone community.

 

Excellence: We hold everyone (families, students, colleagues) to the highest standard of excellence and constantly look for ways to enhance the Yellowstone experience.

In addition, the Principal must be:

 

Passionate: enthusiastically committed to both the Yellowstone mission and to achieving extraordinary results for our staff, students, and families

 

Collaborative: a true team player who relishes the opportunity to lead and problem-solve with others, lead productive and effective meetings, readily engage in meaningful conversations, and genuinely celebrate and share other people’s successes 

 

An Excellent Coach: a “people person” with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (both written and oral) who has a record of helping others achieve their personal and professional goals

 

An Excellent Project Manager: a hard worker with a strong attention to detail who understands how to set ambitious milestones, use data to guide decision making, can effectively delegate responsibilities, and can navigate a complex task/project from inception through to completion

 

 

Additional Notes

This position will include early morning, evening and weekend commitments as required and assigned by the Superintendent. This position will require the utmost level of discretion and confidentiality, as the Principal will have access to student files, staff files, and other related institutional documents that are confidential.

 

Application Process

To apply for the position, please send a letter of interest and resume to Jasmen Denton at jdenton@yellowstoneschools.org. Candidates who are asked to continue through the process will be notified via email and asked to .prepare a strategic planning document.  Successful candidates wiill then be asked to interview with teachers and staff. Finalists will meet with the superintendent and members of the Board of Trustees. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience.  

Yellowstone College Prep does not hire nor release any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national or ethnic origin.  Nor do they limit, segregate, or classify its employees or applicants for employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect the status as an employee because of the individual’s race, color, sex, and/or national/ethnic origin.