2025-26 Chief Academic Officer

About Us:
Freedom Preparatory Academy Charter Schools (www.freedomprep.org) is a network of PreK-12 free public charter schools serving students in Memphis, TN, and Birmingham, AL. Our mission is to prepare all students in grades PreK-12 to excel in college and in life. Since our founding in 2009, we have grown from a class of 96 sixth grade students to now serving over 1950 students across multiple campuses. In 2024, we expanded into Birmingham, AL, starting with grades K-1, with plans to grow to a K-5 campus. 
At Freedom Prep, we are committed to transforming education for students of color across the South, ensuring they have access to high-quality educational opportunities that empower them to thrive. Over the past 15 years, our students have consistently exceeded both local and state averages in math and have surpassed local benchmarks in English Language Arts on state assessments. Our mission is guided by three core beliefs: every child deserves the right to a high-quality public education, character development is essential to student success, and exposure to diverse opportunities builds the confidence and skills needed to excel in college and in life. At Freedom Prep, we cultivate a structured, academically rigorous environment that fosters excellence in core subjects, promotes advanced academic skills, and encourages students to embody the core values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Excellence, and Community.

**To apply please send your resume to jobs@k12searchgroup.com with the subject line of “Freedom PrepCAO” no later than January 19, 2025.**
Opportunity
Freedom Prep is seeking a seasoned, systems-minded, results-driven instructional leader to serve as the ChiefAcademic Officer (CAO) and execute the vision and direction for academics in support of the organization’smission. The CAO is responsible for overseeing the academic performance, instructional leadership, andschool culture across the Freedom Prep network of schools. The CAO will supervise and support FreedomPrep’s school leaders and members of the network academic team. The CAO will also ensure consistency ofall academic functions across the network and oversee professional development for instructional leaders andteachers.
The CAO will serve as a key member of Freedom Prep’s Leadership Team and report directly to the ChiefExecutive Officer. The Chief Academic Officer will collaborate closely with the Chief Operating Officer,Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief of External Affairs, and Chief People Officer to ensure thatFreedom Prep’s schools meet the highest standards of excellence and equity. The CAO’s primary focus is todeliver exceptional academic results, eliminate disparities, and foster a culture of success for all students.In the first year, the new CAO will be expected to:● Assess, modify, and scale Freedom Prep’s academic systems to support the current organization andexpected growth of the network;● Implement a strong instructional vision, plan, and corresponding strategies for the next 3-5 years;● Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Network Academic Team members, define theirpartnership with schools and school leaders, and continue to build out the team;● Build trust and strong relationships with key stakeholders including, but not limited to, seniorleadership, Heads of Schools and school-based staff, network leadership, and state authorizers.The ideal candidate is a current or former successful school leader and/or has experience managing charternetworks and/or districts to procure, refine, adopt, and progress monitor curriculum, instruction, andacademic systems. Strong CAO candidates have a track record of leading teams to improve student outcomeswithin a high-performing charter network or school district that serves a similar student population asFreedom Prep and are personally aligned with the organization’s mission and vision.
Responsibilities:Academic Leadership● Provide visionary academic leadership, ensure vision and mission alignment for Freedom Prep’sschool leaders and the network academic team;● Collaborate with the CEO to drive the academic vision for all Freedom Prep schools;● Implement research-proven, standards-based instructional practices and curriculum;● Support school leaders in implementing effective instructional cycles and data-driven decision-making;● Collaborate with the CEO on region-wide and individual professional development for Heads ofSchools and direct reports.
Network Leadership● Execute the vision for network-wide academic achievement and build out a network academic teamto operationalize this vision and drive school academic growth and success;● Lead the development and selection of high-quality curricular materials and aligned assessmentsacross academic disciplines and grade le