[2024-2025] KIPP NYC Principal in Residence

Company Description

KIPP NYC Public Schools is a non-profit network of 18 free, public charter schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan. We partner with families and communities to create joyful and rigorous schools in pursuit of a more just world. In 1995 we started our first middle school, KIPP Academy, in the Bronx, with a vision that every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities. Today, our network consists of eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, one high school, and KIPP Forward, a comprehensive program to support our students and alumni in choosing and preparing for the educational and career paths that fit their goals and sense of purpose. KIPP NYC currently serves more than 11,000 students and alumni, has a staff of more than 1,000 (11 % of whom are alumni), and continues to grow!

Job Description

Position Overview:

The KIPP NYC Principal in Residence program is a two year, regionally-operated residency to prepare aspiring Principals in the adaptive and technical skills needed to lead a KIPP NYC school as either a successor or a founder. Successful applicants to the program will have a minimum of three years of instructional leadership experience, likely as an Assistant Principal or veteran Dean.

The PIR program operates within a set of KIPP NYC leadership development programs, all with the goal of strengthening the leadership pipeline and developing a transparent pathway to leadership. PIRs are full-time members of their residency school leadership teams and will have daily opportunities to practice the skills and competencies required to lead high-performing schools. This may require moving to a new school site for additional growth and development. 

The objectives of a Principal in Residence program are to:

• Build regional capacity, structures, and systems to develop a healthy pipeline of aspiring school leaders 
• Develop upcoming School Leaders to successfully lead KIPP NYC schools through on-the-job development, coaching, and formal professional development
• Build a cohort of leaders who can learn from each other across the KIPP NYC region

Program Components:

• Cohort: Principals-in-Residence (PIRs) will become part of a cohort of aspiring leaders from across the KIPP NYC region. This group will attend PD and school visits together and collaborate over the course of the year to support and challenge each other’s growth and development.
• Residency: PIRs will complete a two-year residency where they are a full-time member of a school’s leadership team with responsibilities for coaching teachers and leaders and developing a strong learning environment for staff and students. PIRs will prepare to be assistant principals, successors, and/or founding school leaders for KIPP NYC.
• Mentor Principal & PIR Coaching: Each PIR will have both a mentor principal and a PIR coach who support their growth and development. Mentor school leaders also provide the PIR access to “principal moments'' to further their understanding of the principal role.
• Professional Development: PIRs will engage in collaborative professional development sessions to deepen their skills and leadership competencies. This formal PD will be provided by a combination of region-led and external PD providers. Additionally, PIRs are encouraged to participate in additional development activities related to their personal growth goals. Each month, there will be opportunities to opt into external PD sessions in the PIR newsletter. 
• Development Roadmap: PIRs will receive ongoing coaching against a development plan from a mentor school leader and regional academic leader. This roadmap is grounded in Leading for Learning rubric and outlines the skills and competencies a PIR must demonstrate mastery of in order to become a school leader. 
• Checkpoints: PIRs will be formally assessed against each of the skills in the development roadmap using the KIPP NYC PIR Assessment Toolkit, which outlines a transparent set of expectations for school leader readiness. Readiness checkpoints will also provide an opportunity for the PIR and support team to reflect on progress towards becoming a school leader.
• Transition Plans: In the second semester of their second year in the program, PIRs will gradually decrease responsibilities in their residence and increase leadership responsibilities for their future school. For a Founder PIR, this will include completing a school launch plan. For a successor PIR, this will mean creating and executing a school transition plan. For Assistant Principals, this means creating year-long priority plans in collaboration with their assigned school leader. 
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