Assistant Principal - Secondary Schools

Assistant Principal

The Assistant Principal will assist the building principal in providing instructional leadership by establishing, promoting, and leading efforts related to achieving the identified school improvement goals in service of the Federal Way Public School's strategic plan. The assistant principal will foster an environment characterized by high expectations, data-driven decision making, continuous improvement, capacity building, and cultural competence. Under the direction of the building principal, the assistant principal is responsible for leading, supporting, evaluating, and assisting in the supervision of building staff in the daily operation of the assigned school.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. This list is meant to be representative, not exhaustive. Some incumbents may not perform all the duties listed while in other cases related duties may also be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Major responsibilities in this section are all grouped by elements. These strategies are aligned with the Leadership Framework developed by the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) which forms the basis for principal and assistant principal evaluation.

Instructional Leadership

Establishes a mission and vision focused on shared goals and high expectations for all students.

• Assists in developing and sustaining a focus on a shared mission and clear vision for improvement of learning and teaching.
• Promotes an environment which fosters high expectations for students, staff, and self.
• Assists in the facilitation of collaborative processes leading toward continuous improvement.
• Supports inclusive programming for students qualified for special education services and those learning English as a second language.
• Assist in ensuring the implementation of the district strategic plan
• Implements rigorous standards-based curricula and assessments.
• Supports high expectations for self, staff, and students in the implementation and delivery of standards-based curricula.
• Assists staff in implementing and aligning curricula to state and district standards.
• Participates in creating and monitoring systems that ensure teachers utilize formative assessments to adjust instruction for improved student learning.
• Uses relevant data to design, implement, and evaluate an aligned strategic plan that drives continuous improvement (and ensures effective core instruction and interventions).
• Participates in data-driven conversations with individuals and groups of teachers to review student level data, discuss instructional implications, and build the capacity of teachers to lead and perfect their craft.
• Locates, analyzes, and interprets multiple data sources to inform continuous school-level improvement efforts.
• Assists staff in identifying and implementing proven instructional practices that are aligned with state and district strategic plan.
• Ensures that data reflecting the diversity of students are available for teachers to analyze and use in the development of appropriate instructional strategies.
• Assists in providing evidence that reflects student growth and is aligned with the school improvement plan.

Strategic and Organizational Leadership

Strategically manages resources to support all student learning and staff development priorities.

• Assists in management of both staff and fiscal resources in support of student learning.
• Assists in analyzing instructional employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities as related to the adopted instructional framework, and provides or directs staff to appropriate professional development opportunities.
• Utilizes staffing and scheduling practices in a manner that ensures the school day and school year maximize instructional time to benefit all students.

Manager of Talent

Increases teacher effectiveness through professional learning and rigorous supervision and evaluation.

• Monitors instruction and assessment practices by using the District's instructional framework to describe, analyze, and critique teacher performance, and to implement growth strategies where appropriate.
• Utilizes coaching skills to build capacity in support of the core mission of the District.
• Supports the utilization of Professional Learning Communities to assist staff in analyzing data that reflect on current practice and inform improvement.
• Assists in ensuring teachers receive regular, direct, actionable feedback regarding their classroom practice to grow professionally and to increase instructional consistency across all classrooms.

Recruits, hires, assigns, and retains effective staff.

• Utilizes knowledge of effective instruction and other attributes of successful instructional staff to assist in the development of activities and processes that result in the selection of highly qualified instructional staff.
• Assists in assigning staff to specific positions in a manner that maximizes the application of their knowledge and experience to desired student outcomes.
• Deals with employee discipline in a manner that protects an individual's due process rights while confronting and responding to unacceptable behavior.
• Utilizes performance appraisal systems for all staff to recognize outstanding performance and identify and address substandard performance.
• Evaluates designated certificated staff using the Danielson Framework for improved instructional practices and to address substandard performance.

Culture and Equity Leadership

Develops cultural competence and a commitment to equity in adults and students.

• Leads for equity toward college and career readiness.
• Nurtures a school environment that celebrates, respects, and values diversity, where teaching and learning are made relevant and meaningful to students of various cultures.
• Publicly draws attention to all equity gaps that exist for various groups of students with plans to address their elimination.
• Initiates activities and discussions that lead to increased cultural competence of staff, informing and expanding teaching practices within classrooms.

Community Leadership

• Actively identifies communication strategies that articulate the successes of the school to the broader community, resulting in creation of partnerships to bring additional people and resources into the school.
• Actively advocates for members of the school community and effectively engages families and community.

The preceding list of responsibilities is not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience Master's degree in education Three years of teaching/counseling experience

Additional Requirements

Washington State Principal Certification Washington State Teaching Certificate

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in Educational Administration Experience with master scheduling, student discipline, and facilitation of professional development Experience with supervising and evaluating staff Bilingual in Spanish

Condition of Employment

Valid Washington State Driver's License Criminal background clearance

Knowledge of:

Working within urban settings and with parents and students of diverse cultures and backgrounds How to analyze, disaggregate, and use data on student achievement and other school and system measures Conflict management and problem resolution Computer technology and related application programs Student behavior management and discipline Current educational research and application School board policies and procedures

Ability to:

Assist in creating a college going culture for all students through experiences and opportunities Grow as an instructional leader Supervise, train, motivate, monitor and evaluate classified and certificated staff Provide leadership and guidance to staff and to educational programs Establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, parents, staff, and the public and outside agencies in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environment Keep accurate budget, supply, attendance and other student and administrative records Effective oral and written communication Plan, organize, prioritize, schedule and evaluate programs Make appropriate decisions and exercise sound judgment Set and meet goals and objectives Develop and implement a school's improvement plan Keep accurate budget, supply, attendance and other student and administrative records Assess educational/instructional/curricular effectiveness and recommend improvements Lead a staff in the area of curriculum and instruction Assist in moving a staff toward a shared vision Comply with school board policies and follow administrative procedures Organize and perform job responsibilities efficiently and independently without close supervision and able to pay strict attention to detail Speak, read and follow written or verbal communications Practice effective safety and security within individual work routines Develop and maintain positive customer relations with staff and service providers Work collaboratively with District staff and promote teamwork with co-workers Practice ethical and professional standards of conduct including the requirements of confidentiality Relate effectively with parents, staff, students and the public in a multicultural and multiracial community Perform job responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodations

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Related to Cultural Competence and Equity:

Knowledge/awareness of own cultural identity and how this influences behavior, and desire to learn about the cultural identity of others. Ability to establish and nurture an environment that promotes cultural competence and equitable treatment of staff, students, and patrons of the District. Ability to understand and hold self and others accountable for promoting the Federal Way Public Schools' commitment to "Each Scholar: A Voice. A Dream. A Bright Future." Ability to recognize that each person is a unique individual even as we celebrate their group cultural heritage.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable