Public Prep is a network of single-gender K-8 schools and co-ed PreK dedicated to academic excellence and whole-child development. We combine rigorous academics with social-emotional learning, fostering strong partnerships between families and staff to create a supportive, community-focused environment.Our commitment extends to investing in our educators, offering tailored professional development, coaching, and feedback cycles to promote growth, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. At Public Prep, we cultivate a joyful, inclusive, and high-achieving culture for both scholars and staff.
Why Join Public Prep?
- Growth Opportunities : Individualized professional development, coaching, and collaboration.
- Mission-Driven Culture : Create engaging lessons, foster strong relationships, and make a lasting impact on scholars and families.
- Benefits : Medical, dental, vision, 403(b) match, loan forgiveness programs, and more.
Primary Function & Position Overview
The Academic Director is the instructional leader of a school campus where the learning and achievement of all is the ultimate priority. At Public Prep, we believe that the people in front of our scholars each day are the key determinants of their ultimate success. We believe that trajectory-changing teachers are not born - they are coached and developed by strong school-based leadership teams deeply dedicated to their success. The Academic Directors at a campus are the primary manager and coach of all instructional staff, and therefore directly responsible for the academic results for our scholars.
As the Instructional leaders of the building, the Academic Directors own the intellectual preparation, implementation of instruction, and analysis of data from our teaching teams. They are responsible for the implementation of our network-wide vision, and oversee our shared curriculum and approach to instructional management. As such, Academic Directors are managed by school principals and coached by members of the network Academics Cabinet. Equal parts instructional visionary, strategic mastermind, data-driven decision-maker, people developer, and community builder, the Academic Director is the ultimate driver of student success across our schools.
Who You Are
Our ideal Academic Director will have an unwavering belief that our students can achieve at an exceptionally high level. Beyond that, a successful candidate is :
Deeply committed to serving our kids. You have elected to work with historically underserved scholars, and do this work because you believe that all scholars, regardless of background, are capable of excellence - and that it’s on us as adults to get our kids there. You can speak knowledgeably about our mission, and demonstrate a commitment to our educational model. You understand that the challenges faced by scholars in New York City are unique and specific, and you’re excited to work within the communities we serve.An instructional guru. You have at least 3-5 years of teaching experience with a demonstrated track record of exceptional student outcomes based on your instruction. You nerd out over content, long-term planning, and creating instructional materials that allow students to meet ambitious goals.A data maven. You look for and are able to discern trends that drive your decision making, and you evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions based on how the data changes.Driven by results. You are passionate about achieving results for scholars, and you are willing to think outside the box to achieve our shared vision of excellence for our scholars. You don’t give yourself a pat on the back just for checking the boxes and completing the inputs. You are only happy after you achieve and exceed your goals. You delegate when needed, set deadlines, and hold others accountable to get across important finish lines.A people developer. You’re passionate about leading, directly managing, and coaching teams and individuals to achieve strong results for scholars. You love and actively seek opportunities to develop others through ongoing coaching, clear expectations and accountability, strong inspirational and motivational skills, high leverage feedback, and targeted professional development.and a people leader. Let’s be real - managing people is hard. You have already (or have a strong desire) to coach, directly manage, and demonstrably move the effectiveness of other adults before taking this job. You build relationships across lines of difference, authentically inspire and motivate others to buy into your vision, navigate challenging conversations with finesse, make tough calls, communicate effectively in all formats, give and receive feedback fluidly, and model / hold a high bar for adult excellence and exuberance.An A Communicator. You’ve got a knack for speaking and writing clearly, succinctly and persuasively. You think about time, place, and format to share a message that will resonate to accomplish your goals.A gritty problem-solver. You keep it cool when facing challenges, approach problems with viable solutions, and know when you need to roll up your sleeves to support your team.Eager to one day assume the role of Principalship. At Public Prep, we invest a ton in the development of our school-based leadership teams, and we expect that folks who assume the Academic Director role are interested in one day leading a Public Prep school.Key Responsibilities
The Academic Director will drive rigorous instruction and create a culture of academic ownership by :
Providing best-in-class instructional coaching to all Public Prep teachers that demonstrably moves teacher practice to achieve student results.Ensuring that scholar achievement results for all demographics (GenEd, SpEd, ELL, etc.) meet or exceed school-level targets across academic assessment tools;Observing classroom instruction daily and providing “live” real-time coaching to ensure teachers are able to lead scholars to academic and interpersonal excellence;Engaging in consistent (weekly or bi-weekly) observation / check-in cycles to provide more substantive feedback and to help teachers set and track progress towards development goals;Facilitating weekly Intellectual Preparation protocols with teachers to ensure that all instructors have an extremely high bar of planning and preparation for facilitating student learning;Building strong relationships with families, scholars, and staff to ensure collective investment in network instructional priorities, initiatives, and expectations;Participating actively in coaching from Public Prep’s Network Academic Team to continue improving their instructional management and leadership;Leading teachers to analyze student work and study formative and summative data to ensure teachers are able to close academic gaps and ensure dramatic gains for all scholars; andPlanning and executing formal professional development opportunities to move teacher practice at the school level, and, depending on experience, support network-wide professional development for teachers and leaders across all Public Prep schools.The Academic Director will collaborate with the School Leadership Team to ensure a mission-aligned community by :
Managing teams of teachers, accountable for moving their instructional practice and their students’ academic achievement through data driven cycles of improvement;Modeling the core values of scholarship, merit, community, and responsibility, as well as school-wide norms, and beliefs that promote an inclusive culture, creating an environment where staff, students and families are valued and respected for who they are;Utilizing student culture and academic achievement data, student work, teacher practice and planning to identify, diagnose and take a course of action to move the teacher and student forward; andBuild deep relationships with families and scholars such that key stakeholders are inspired to remain with the school, and are committed to persisting through challenges to produce scholars that are bound for success in college and in life.The Academic Director will lead the school’s continued excellence by :
Overseeing the recruitment, cultivation, and coaching of teaching staff as well as supporting a broader strategic talent management structure that addresses all stakeholders and roles;Aligning and executing differential retention and cultivation practices to create and sustain a strong team to reach organizational goals at all levels;Recruiting, selecting, and hiring top talent from across the nation to teach, lead, and support the mission and vision of the network;Nurturing a warm, safe, and rigorous learning environment characterized by experimentation, collaboration, investment and cultivation of all individuals in their roles; andEnsuring evidence-based decision making guides all meetings for scholars who are identified for services and ensure appropriate follow through with necessary stakeholders takes place.Additional Qualifications
At least three (3) years demonstrated success improving scholar outcomes in a leadership capacity at an elementary or secondary public or charter school.An M.A., Ed.M or Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and / or Educational Administration, preferred.New York State Certification as a School Administrator, preferred.Fluency in Spanish, preferred.Public Preparatory Network is an Equal Opportunity employer. Public Preparatory Network is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.
