(2024-2025) Assistant Principal - Middle School - KIPP Capital Region

KIPP Capital Region is a part of a national network of high-performing public Charter Schools committed to creating joyful, academically excellent, and prepared students with the skills, ability, and confidence to pursue their paths to college, career, and beyond. 

Located in both Albany and Troy, NY, KIPP Capital Region serves 2,500+ students in grades K-12 across seven schools.  We believe every individual walks through the doors of schools bearing gifts. Talent. Perspective. Drive. Inspiration. So at KIPP Capital Region, we support every student and educator to see those gifts, then build the skills and confidence they need to thrive. 

We are committed to furthering anti-racism, equity, and racial justice in all our efforts, and expect all of our stakeholders to participate in this work so that we can create a future without limits for our students, together.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Assistant Principal supports the school in driving academic outcomes for students as a key member of the school’s leadership team. The Assistant Principal leads instruction and helps develop leadership among the school’s emerging leaders. At KIPP, we believe that the Assistant Principal is the School Leader's successor and is actively developed for school leadership. The AP should consider themselves apprentices to the School Leader, and the AP should gradually build the capacity to lead a KIPP school.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

KIPP Capital Region Assistant Principals report to the Principal and are responsible for helping to create a positive, structured, disciplined school culture and for ensuring that students’ learning experiences are exciting and rigorous. The APs coordinate curricula and instructional content, coach teachers, assess student and teacher performance, and lead professional development. Our APs are also masters of content, experts in building relationships with families, and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to holding high expectations. The core responsibilities of this position include:

• Supports the development of the School Leader’s school-wide vision and takes an active role in investing and mobilizing teachers to achieve the collective goals of the school; owns the implementation of select school priorities in support of the school-wide vision.
• With guidance from the School Leader, the AP leads the planning and goal setting for the grades/departments they coach and ensures alignment with school-wide goals.
• Provides input into the school-based strategic planning, including identifying what the school’s strategic plan means for their leadership and the people they manage.
• Supports the School Leader in identifying and developing emerging and teacher leaders (Department Heads and Grade Level Chairs) through goal setting, coaching, and providing feedback.
• Supports teachers in understanding processes and roles in student support and intervention and develops systems and structures to ensure that limited time is spent on reactive student discipline.
• Manages parts of the daily school operations (e.g., arrival/dismissal, lunch/recess, school trips).
• Builds owns and directs reports’ instructional knowledge of standards, content, and instructional methods.

Content (Standards, Curriculum, and Assessment):

• Develops deep mastery over the academic standards in the subjects/grades they coach and a strong understanding of academic standards for all subjects/grades.  Understanding the implications of standards on what a student should know and be able to do, connects teachers with relevant resources to improve their content knowledge. Therefore, a teacher needs to know and be able to facilitate student mastery.
• Studies curriculum and assessment content and further understands how assessments map to content mastery and what is required of students and teachers to accomplish mastery on the evaluations.
• Teaches teachers how to assess student mastery and growth toward college readiness and insists that assessments are used to inform teacher instruction.

Research-based Instructional Practices (Methods and Time):

• Develops standardized best practices in instructional methods and teaches teachers how to match strategies to gaps in student mastery.
• Develops teachers to provide rigorous and high-quality instruction and support School Leaders in planning and implementing enabling systems of the Academic Strategies Pyramid.

Data Analysis (Data-driven Instruction and Progress Monitoring):

• Leads data-driven instruction. Assists teachers in determining how data aligns with end-of-year goals (what is being assessed and how it maps to standards); break-out data to analyze how different student groups are performing; determines what data is saying about areas of student mastery and growth and identifies specific instructional actions and adjustments to fill students’ knowledge and skill gaps and a timeline to do so.

Teacher Instructional Development (Instructional Coaching, Content Teams, Workshops):

• Provides high-quality instructional coaching with frequent and scheduled teacher observations, actionable and bite-sized feedback, and accountability for adjustment in practice.
• Coaches emerging leaders in their instructional coaching practice.  
• May lead or coach others who lead department/content/grade-level meetings that focus on planning for and norming instruction, practicing instructional strategies, and monitoring the department/content/grade level progress.
• Recommend to the School Leader what school-wide professional development will be the highest leverage in improving student results; lead engaging, actionable, adult-learning workshops; and hold staff accountable for implementing the workshop practices.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Strongly committed to the mission of KIPP and investment in our vision of being an equitable and anti-racist organization
• Strong DEI lens with exceptional creative power in leading anti-racist practices
• Passionate commitment to improve the minds, characters, and lives of students both in and out of school
• Team player with strong interpersonal skills. Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams in a rapidly changing environment.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and a desire to continually improve through feedback
• Strong work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit, and flexibility to accommodate the high level of responsibility, multiple priorities, and rapidly changing environment. Thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented, mission-driven culture
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule outside of regular business hours.
• Ability to create and work within an inclusive environment that honors and supports a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.
• Pass a Criminal Background Check

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited College or University is required.
• At least three (3) years of experience teaching in grades K - 12.
• At least two (2) years of experience managing and/or coaching K - 12 teachers.
• An active New York teaching certification or ability to seek reciprocity from another state. 
• Previous experience of having worked directly with students.
• Prior experience working in schools (charter, private, or public school environment) and urban communities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.

Additional Information

WORK PERKS
When you join KIPP Capital Region, you are joining in on our promise to families that their children will enter college and the professional world able to thrive academically due to their literacy, numeracy, and core knowledge in science and social studies. We also promise that our students will develop a passion for learning and the drive necessary to persevere as they climb the mountain to and through college and career. Our graduates will be prepared to return to their community as teachers, leaders, and architects of continued growth in the Capital Region. And while the biggest perk to working at KIPP Capital Region is doing work that makes a lifelong difference in the lives of our students, you'll find that's not the only benefit we offer:

• Generous time-off 
• Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Aggressive employer 403(b) contribution match
• Childcare benefits
• Unparalleled work/life integration
• Casual dress code
• Relocation stipend (conditions apply)
• And so much more! For more information on the benefits of joining KIPP Capital Region, please view our Employee Benefits Summary.

Learn More:
KIPP Capital Region offers a competitive salary ranging from $85,500 - $94,500.  

Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience relevant to the role and longevity within the KIPP network. KIPP Capital Region will evaluate and determine the step/level a new hire will be placed within our teacher salary scale at point of hire.

All staff and educators at KIPP Capital Region are committed to anti-racism and inclusion, are part of a close-knit diverse community, and are encouraged to show up authentically, inspiring our children to do the same. Learn more about what it’s like to work at KIPP Capital Region: kippcapital.org/join-our-team/

This role is located at KIPP Capital Region schools in Albany & Troy, NY.