2025-2026 PRINCIPAL: WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

High School Principal

ROLE OVERVIEW:
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.    

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 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

• 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

• 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 2024-2025 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.
• Sixth year, doctorate, or other planned program in related field preferred.

• Master's degree or higher
• 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

COMPENSATION

• Salary Grade: Principal - Elementary
• Salary Range: APS Salary Schedules
• Work Days: 252

PHYSICAL ABILITIES AND WORKING CONDITIONS
The physical abilities, working conditions and other conditions of employment listed in this document are representative of, but are not intended to provide an exhaustive list of the requirements for positions in this classification.  In the event of an emergency or situation requiring guidance from Federal, State, or local or school district authorities, the requirements of this position may change temporarily or for the school year to best serve the needs of our students.

• Vision: Ability to read small print and view a computer screen for prolonged periods.
• Hearing: Ability to tolerate exposure to noisy conditions
• Speech: Ability to be understood in face-to-face communications, to speak with a level of proficiency and volume to be understood over a telephone or computer.
• Upper Body Mobility: Ability to use hands to grasp and manipulate small objects; manipulate fingers, twist and bend at wrist and elbow; extend arms to reach outward and upward; use hands and arms to lift objects; turn, raise, and lower head.
• Strength: Ability to lift, push, pull and/or carry objects which weigh as much as 15 or more pounds on a frequent basis.
• Environmental Requirements: Ability to encounter constant work interruptions; work cooperatively with others; work independently; work indoors.
• Mental Requirements: Ability to read, write, understand, interpret and apply information at a moderately complex level essential for successful job performance; math skills at a high school proficiency level; judgement and the ability to process information quickly; learn quickly and follow verbal procedures and standards; give verbal instruction; rank tasks in order of importance; copy, compare, compile and coordinate information and records. Understand how to manage stress
• Additional Work Conditions & Physical Abilities:  Will require travel to multiple sites.

The Atlanta Public School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, citizenship, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, medical status, military status, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, ancestry, or any legally protected status in any of its employment practices, educational programs, services or activities.  Reasonable