Vice Principal

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT:

The Syracuse City School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all - including students who fall behind academically or have been considered "hard to support" for a host of reasons. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and he is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of school leaders and teachers to partner with him in moving the district toward its goals. The Syracuse City School District represents 34 schools and 4 alternative education programs, serving 19,000+ students Pre-K-12 of whom 77% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 18% are served by the Office of Special Education and 78% are students of color.

REPORTS TO:  Principal

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Vice Principal will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Results Orientation
  • Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that all team members must be advocates for students
  • Set high performance goals for self and others despite instability and obstacles to success
  • Establish and enforce high standards for excellence with students, teachers, and staff
  • Relentlessly focus school activities on student achievement
  • Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that it is their responsibility to help ensure this practice
  • Assist in creating a sense of urgency and in taking immediate action to ensure early successes
• Action Orientation
  • Effectively plan and take action to achieve goals and objectives under the direction of the principal
  • Consistently identify potential issues and obstacles and proactively take action to create and implement solutions
  • Formulate and execute on action plans despite ambiguity, obstacles or resistance
• Impact and Influence
  • Identify and engage teachers to drive consensus, build trust and facilitate change
  • Establish a culture of learning and achievement
  • Act consistently to influence others' thinking and behavior to achieve results
  • Assist in anticipating and responding to stakeholder concerns and identify and engage key influencers and community resources necessary for success
• Lead High Performing Teams and Develop and Execute Rigorous, Standards-Aligned Instruction
  • Know and execute teaching and learning best practices, including involving different modalities and engaging a variety of students
  • Coach teachers on recognizing cause and effect between instructional activities and results
  • Effectively organize adult teams to mirror vision and produce maximum results
  • Understand strengths and areas of growth for both team and individuals
  • Effectively engage team in shared decision-making when appropriate
  • Encourage learning and consistently provide instruction, expectations, feedback and other developmental activities to encourage leadership and build capacity
  • Consistently inspire excellence and promote high morale and a positive school culture
• Strategic Planning and Problem Solving 
  • Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to school performance
  • Analyze complex information to help formulate strategic vision and implement action plans 
  • Use qualitative and quantitative data to help in assessing performance and to help drive goals and decision-making
  • Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to student academic performance and be able to develop this skill in teachers
• The Vice Principal will be expected to perform additional related duties as required.

EDUCATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Possession of a Master's Degree or Certification in Educational Leadership or related field
• Minimum 3 years of teaching experience in an urban district
• Adaptable to the complexities of the urban school environment
• Strong belief that all students can learn at high levels and focus on building this culture school-wide
• Proven experience in teaching in urban schools to accelerate student academic and learning performance
• Demonstrated success establishing a safe and positive school and/or classroom culture that is conducive to student needs and student learning
• Familiar with classroom and/or school level best practices to build and sustain change
• Knowledge of current trends and best practices