2025-26 Principal In Residence - KIPP Nashville Public Schools

Location: will depend on the desired leadership needs of the KIPP Nashville community

About KIPP Nashville Public Schools 

KIPP Nashville Public Schools is a network of high-performing, free, open enrollment K-12 schools that has been committed to positively affecting student outcomes in Nashville since 2005. KIPP Nashville is part of the acclaimed KIPP Network, which educates 100,000+ students nationwide and supports students from Pre-Kindergarten through college, career and beyond. Through the KIPP Forward program, our team helps students identify their career of highest aspiration and develop the skills and confidence to chase their dreams. KIPP Nashville currently operates 3 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools and we are excited to open our doors to one additional school in 2025 in response to strong community demand.

The mission of KIPP Nashville is together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence they need to pursue the paths they choose - college, career and beyond - so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. Our core values are GROWTH, TEAM, and SHINE. If you share in this belief and values, if you have a proven willingness to do what it takes for students to be their best, if you thrive in an environment that is both collaborative and entrepreneurial, then you are already a KIPPster.

Position Overview

We believe a strong Principal is integral to a school’s success. As we grow to educate more students in Nashville, KIPP Nashville is dedicated to developing our future Principals while providing them with the development and exposure to excel. A member of the KIPP Nashville Principal In Residence program is someone who is interested in becoming a successor principal within the next 1-3 years.

This person  will serve on the Leadership Team within an existing KIPP Nashville school and receive personalized development while they advance towards a Principal position.

Key Responsibilities & Supports

KIPP Nashville’s Principals In Residence will uphold the following responsibilities at their school:

• Model and support implementation of the school’s vision and goals

• Contribute to school-wide planning and prioritizes time to accomplish goals

• Develop emerging leaders with Principal’s guidance

• Model strong staff and student culture and manage school-wide character development and behavior management systems

• Collaborate with Principal on retaining diverse, highly-effective teachers and school staff

• Build own and direct reports’ instructional knowledge of standards, content and instructional methods

• Develop and manage teachers to provide rigorous and high quality instruction

• Prioritize Principal In Residence’s own success and sustainability by engaging lifelines and renewing to get stronger

KIPP Nashville Principals in Residence can expect the following supports:

• Receive personalized development from KIPP Nashville’s Director of Leadership Development, as well as access to national development opportunities through the KIPP Foundation and excellent school visits.

• KIPP Nashville believes that the best development and training happens through the 70-20-10 model of leadership development – 70% on-the-job learning, 20% coaching, mentoring and social learning and 10% formal learning. The PIR program is designed with this model in mind.

• Robust development roadmap to readiness with regular checkpoints and opportunities to reflect, give and receive feedback and plan for development next steps.

• Eligibility for forthcoming Principal opportunities, identified each Winter.

• Strong support from KIPP Nashville’s School Support Team for relevant school start-up activities, including but not limited to: student recruitment, staff recruitment, curriculum & assessment planning and marketing.

• Evidence of ability to drive student academic results directly and through others

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred

• 3+ year(s) of experience as a core content classroom teacher AND

• 2+ year(s) experience leading and/or coaching teachers in a full-time capacity, including but limited to roles such as Assistant Principal, Principal, Dean of Instruction, Dean of Academics, Instructional Coach etc.

Desired Competencies

• Student Focus: Belief that all students, regardless of background, have the ability to go to and through college; demonstrated commitment to the school’s unique community

• Direction Setting: Ability to set direction for a team and motivate others to action

• Achievement Orientation and Performance Management: Demonstrated student achievement results in own classroom and from teachers that he/she manages

• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated ability to create inclusive environments that honors and supports a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives

• Instructional Leadership: Adept at data analysis; ability to extract meaningful insights across school-wide data

• Instructional Leadership: Expertise in what the  school-wide academic standards and state assessments require of students’ knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery; able to translate student mastery requirements into instructional plans and strategies

• Instructional Leadership: Deep understanding of appropriate application and differentiation of high-leverage instructional strategies (e.g. make kids sweat, pacing, stretch it, etc.) based on comprehension of child development and pedagogy

• Relationship Building: Expertise in cultivating relationships and managing a diverse group of stakeholders

• Achievement Orientation: Demonstrated resilience and focus on student outcomes

Desired Characteristics

• Unwavering commitment to KIPP Nashville’s mission, students, families, and community

• Demonstrates excitement in growing students into their highest selves and believes that providing students with an excellent education is our largest lever as educators for racial equity

• Passionate about data-driven instruction

• Excellent communication skills with diverse constituents; clear writer, facilitator and speaker and eager to collaborate

• Eager to receive, implement and offer feedback

• Ability to tackle multiple projects and initiatives at once with a strong sense of organization, prioritization, follow through and results 

• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to go above and beyond

• Possesses an excellence reflex, including both a desire and ability to lead others toward a high bar for excellence

• Salary is competitive, commensurate with experience, and includes benefits. This position is exempt and will work and be compensated according to a 12 month administrative schedule. Principal in Residence participants  receive a 3% stipend.

• Robust benefits package including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance policy options. Application for these benefits may be made immediately upon employment. The policy is effective upon the first of the month following the first day of work.

• Certificated staff have access to the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System pension plan(TCRS). Eligible employees contribute 5% and KIPP matches up to 6.81%. Employees may also be eligible for 401k in which KIPP will contribute 5%.

• The vacation package for salaried employees includes 29 paid days throughout the 10 month work schedule(including holidays, fall break, thanksgiving break, winter break) as well as summer break. In addition employees in this role are allotted 6 PTO days as well as 10 additional days to take during the summer break.  Employees are allotted an additional 2 days after every 2 consecutive years of employment. Eligible staff members receive payment for unused PTO days at the end of the fiscal year.

• Adoption/Parental Caregiver Leave- up to 10 weeks parental leave for the primary caregiver and 2 weeks parental leave for the secondary caregiver paid at 100%.

• Leaders are provided with laptop computers with access to the internet and or email to assist them in performing their job responsibilities.

Apply online at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/KIPP/nashville. Please contact recruiting@kippnashville.org with any questions.

KIPP Nashville is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual preference, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, pregnancy, or veteran status