Director of Student Experience

Company Description

About KIPP New Jersey

KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized “Knowledge Is Power Program” network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, 80 fifth graders walked through the doors of our first middle school in Newark, New Jersey and KIPP New Jersey has since grown to educate 8,135 students in grades K-12 across 17 schools in Newark and Camden. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals. 

By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will provide a world-class education to over 10,300 students across fifteen schools in Newark and five in Camden. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org.

Job Description

KIPP New Jersey Culture Vision

At KIPP:NJ, we will cultivate the academic, social-emotional, and character skills students need to lead choice-filled lives. These habits will be built in the learning environment with staff, students, families, and the community. We use a variety of developmentally appropriate methods (i.e., responses, conversations, incentives, recognition, and consequences) to teach necessary skills for students to make more informed choices. We envision a school where:

• Our high expectations are rooted in clear, consistent, rational guiding systems and routines;
• Universal responses, conversations, incentives, recognition, and consequences are methods that we use to teach necessary skills for students to make more informed choices 
• All members of the school community exhibit cultural humility  and respect for each other
• Staff members equitably support 100% of our students to meet their potential
• Staff create a balance of proactive and reactive approach to student challenges
• Students take responsibility for their own actions and their own learning

Here's what you need to know:

 As the Director of Student Experience at KIPP NJ, you will play a crucial role in driving our culture vision forward. Collaborating closely with the School Management and Teaching & Learning Teams, you will coach our APs of Culture and leverage best practices, research, and feedback to respond effectively to the needs of our schools in support of our culture vision. Your responsibilities include monitoring key school culture and student experience data points and creating actionable plans to support leaders and schools that may be off track.

In addition to these responsibilities, you will focus on increasing the leadership capacity of school-based leaders, including APs of Culture, School Leaders, and Generalist Assistant Principals. This involves deepening subject matter expertise and providing modeling and coaching around the enabling systems for school culture. Ultimately, your efforts will ensure that our schools are joyful, safe, and supportive communities for all students, fostering environments where every student has full access to affirming and responsive learning experiences. We are committed to creating safe spaces where all students can explore their identities while consistently achieving high academic gains in preparation for college access.

Uphold Vision for School Culture

• Serve on the culture leadership team that drives our region-wide vision and philosophy of student culture.
• Design, develop and drive our school culture systems, identify action plans for continued improvement and lead the change management process in our schools and at regional level. 
• Assess and monitor school culture data, report out on high level trends to assess progress towards the school culture and the student experience goals.
• Analyze data from major milestones with culture leaders at each school and make recommendations for process and system improvements. 

Coaching, Support, and Professional Development

• Plan and execute professional development that aligns with priorities and goals in support of our culture vision.
• Collaborate with regional leadership to identify strategies that are responsive to the needs of Culture leaders and schools based on data.
• Work with culture leaders in each school, by engaging in walk-throughs, observing O3s, observing and monitoring culture team meetings to provide feedback, identify best practices, and provide support.
• Support our schools to get results for kids’ experiences, by engaging in coaching & strategy sessions with each school based on needs.

Manage Compliance

• Manage oversight of HIB investigations and data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with state regulations and reporting requirements an