Middle School Academic Dean

Who are we? 

Springfield Prep Charter School is a high-performing K-8 public charter school in Springfield, Massachusetts that prepares all students for high school, college, and life. We are driven by the belief that all children deserve a world-class education and that they can and will achieve when provided with high expectations, a rigorous curriculum, and a joyful school culture.  

Overview 

The Academic Dean (AD) will manage, coach, and develop a talented team of teachers across content areas to achieve extraordinary results for our scholars. The AD will focus primarily on ensuring the highest levels of instructional quality and will have broad responsibility for overseeing a positive, well-organized, and mission-driven school culture with a particular focus on a specific grade band.

What will you do as an Academic Dean? 

• Work closely with Middle School Leaders and take ownership of the overall success of scholars, teachers, and staff members in the specific grade band or content area they are responsible for.

• Build a positive, joyful school culture; develop strong relationships with families and students to create investment in school culture and academics and help teachers to build similarly strong relationships with their students and families 

• Teach a limited course load to provide an exemplary teaching model for other teachers 

• Continually improve the instructional practice of the teachers you lead through observation and feedback, curriculum planning sessions, data meetings, and formal professional development 

• Support teachers to prepare and deliver high-quality, standards-based curriculum, including unit plans, lesson plans, and assessments aligned to Common Core standards

• Collaborate with the Dean of Culture and school culture team members to ensure classroom cultures support learning.

• Contribute to key elements of the day-to-day school team processes, including staff meetings, internal staff communication, staff input on organizational decisions, and systems for accountability 

• Manage systems to ensure teachers are invested in using data to drive academic outcomes for their students and do so to meet ambitious academic goals. 

• Develop curriculum for new grades and/or improve curriculum for current grades, in consultation with other instructional leaders.

Is this you? 

• You are passionate about teaching and want your teams to share that passion too. 

• You’ve earned a Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred)  

• At least 3 years of successful lead teaching in a school in an underserved community, 4 years strongly preferred. 

• Experience coaching teachers in a school setting

• Experience leading adults in a school setting as a Grade Level Chair or similar role.

• You have strong leadership skills and the proven ability to manage and motivate people 

• You have a track record of producing high-quality, standards-based curriculum and assessments 

• You have outstanding oral and written communication skills and strong analytical abilities

• You have the stamina and work ethic required to handle the intensity and challenge inherent in assuming a leadership role in a start-up school.

• You’ve got a good sense of humor! We work hard but believe it’s important to have fun while doing it. 

What makes Springfield Prep different? 

• Co-teaching and collaboration: Our co-teaching model means increased collaboration and shared responsibilities, which help our teachers get great results for students. 

• 1-on-1 coaching: With weekly 1-on-1 coaching sessions, teachers have opportunities to quickly grow as educators. 

• Dedicated professional development time: Increased time for professional development, including a 12:30 pm student dismissal every Friday, means the time teachers deserve for collaboration and team planning. 

• Resources and support to develop and refine a rigorous, engaging curriculum: Teachers have multiple daily prep periods, which means more time to collaborate with colleagues and the chance to take less work home. 

• Support systems & teams to help teachers focus on teaching: Highly capable operations, student support, and school culture teams help teachers focus on great classroom instruction. Plus, there’s a stocked supply room and generous classroom budget for the teaching materials, along with a competitive salary and full benefits. 

Our community and student body are diverse and we believe that we can best achieve our mission when our leadership, teachers, and staff reflect the identities of our students. We are therefore committed to being a diverse organization at all levels and strive to have a diverse applicant pool. With this in mind, we encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. 

Compensation and Benefits

We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including generous paid family leave and all the benefits of the Massachusetts Teacher Retirement System (MTRS).  The salary range for this position is $80,000- $95,000 and will be determined based on a variety of factors related to the new hire’s years of experience in a position with a similar level of instructional management responsibility.  

Salary : $80,000 - $95,000