Superintendent, Instructional

The Office of Schools is responsible for effective management, operation and achievement of schools and provides leadership to principals, administrators, and teachers to ensure academic excellence for all students.

Divisions/Teams

• Instructional Superintendents: are responsible for managing (1) the leadership of their assigned schools, (2) the performance of their assigned schools, and (3) the operations of their assigned schools. The core focus of the Instructional Superintendents is to ensure that high-quality instruction is delivered in their schools, by continually assessing the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the school level.
• Early Stages: works exclusively with children ages 2 years 8 months through 5 years 10 months and is responsible for meeting the District’s obligation under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B (619) to develop a comprehensive child find system to identify and locate all preschool-age children in the District who have a disability. The core aspects of this work include: (1) a public awareness campaign, (2) citywide developmental screening initiatives, (3) a referral and intake system, (4) the special education evaluation/eligibility process, (5) the transition process from Part C Early Intervention and (6) interagency partnerships with government and nonprofit agencies, (7) data management to determine which children have been identified and are receiving services.
• Early Childhood Education (ECE): works to support the provision of high-quality early education services that prepare children for kindergarten entry and later school success. Approximately 6,000 children ages three to five attend early childhood classrooms in 78 elementary schools across the district, including several schools that offer Head Start programming.

Responsible for managing (1) the leadership of their assigned schools, (2) the performance of their assigned schools, and (3) the operations of their assigned schools. The core focus of the Instructional Superintendents is to ensure that high-quality instruction is delivered in their schools, by continually assessing the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the school level.

The Instructional Superintendent is responsible for managing (1) the leadership of their assigned schools, (2) the performance of their assigned schools, and (3) the operations of their assigned schools. The core focus of the Instructional Superintendent is to ensure that high quality instruction is delivered in their schools, by continually assessing the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the school level. Therefore, the Instructional Superintendent is well-versed in child development, the fundamentals of sound pedagogy, and emerging practices that show the capacity to increase student achievement outcomes. Expertise in these three key areas enables the Instructional Superintendent to observe classroom and school-wide practices, identify areas of strength and growth, and outline a course of action for continuous improvement. Thus, the Instructional Superintendent manages, evaluates, and supports principals according to the standards of the Leadership Framework. The Instructional Superintendent also maintains excellent interpersonal relationships with parents and represents the District to relevant stakeholders and constituencies, including civic and business leaders on behalf of the Chancellor and the leadership team of the D.C. Public Schools.

If you are hired into this position at an annual salary of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) or more, DC government regulations require that you must establish residency in the District of Columbia within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective date of the appointment and continue to maintain residency within the District of Columbia throughout the duration of the appointment. If you do not currently reside in the District of Columbia and face extenuating circumstances that prevent relocation, you may request a hardship waiver for consideration.

The Superintendent, Instructional will report to the Chief, Schools .

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Develops clear, specific, and ambitious performance targets and evaluates progress of their cluster programs and initiatives; and holds parties accountable and helps adjust strategy and approach accordingly to achieve goals laid out by the District leadership, especially the system’s A Capital Commitment five-year strategic plan.

• Maintains constant contact with schools, spending approximately 80% of their time in the schools they manage, working with the leadership teams of those schools.

• Develops, supervises, and evaluates school leadership in their cluster.

• Builds the instructional leadership capacity of principals and school leadership teams with particular focus on pedagogy, data analysis, intervention, and professional development.

• Conducts planning and data meetings with school leaders and provides extra coaching to OSSE Status Schools.
• Leaders a Cluster Support Team of 14-15 central services team members representing several content areas to ensure integrated support for schools by identifying gaps, setting goals for support, and measuring the impact of support on schools.

• Collaborates with central services departments to provide the appropriate system resources that address the needs of schools. Responds and coordinates follow-up support as needed in emergency situations.

• Directs the implementation of the District’s shared instructional and operational vision.

• Fosters a vibrant and collaborative professional learning community among administrators across assigned schools.

• Demonstrates a commitment to antiracism, centers racial equity and inclusion, and interrogates how systemic and implicit biases play out in management practices; and proactively spots issues of equity and inclusion in the work and brings practical solutions.

• Leads diverse teams to great results, creates inclusive cultures where all members thrive, develops equitable processes and policies, and builds strong relationships across lines of identity and power.

• Collaborates with the other Instructional Superintendents to share best practices.

• Hears grievances and appeals and may act on behalf of the DCPS leadership team or the Chancellor on student transfers, expulsions, grades, and school staff disputes within the cluster.

Qualifications

• Master's degree with ten years of related experience.
• A minimum of five years of experience in the role of Principal or Head of School.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Urban school district leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledgeable of best practices in adult learning theory.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.