Inaugural Principal for New Elementary School in Northern Region

Inaugural Principal for New Elementary School
in Northern Region of Stapleton - Opening Fall 2016
Denver Public Schools is seeking exceptional school leaders who live by our Shared Core Values (Students
First, Integrity, Equity, Collaboration, Accountability, and Fun) and exhibit key leadership expectations in
the following areas: Culture and Equity, Instructional, Strategic, Human Resource, Organizational, and
Community. Effective school leaders in every school are critical to successfully meet our mission to
provide all students the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become
contributing citizens in our diverse society.
Our District
Denver Public Schools is an innovative, forward-thinking, dynamic urban education district, frequently
acknowledged for pursuing innovative ways to drive student performance and close the achievement
gap. We have been recognized as one of the top cities in the country for cultivating a healthy
environment for school reform to flourish. We are the fastest growing large urban school district in the
country and our state assessment scores have grown by double-digits during the last several years. To
continue making such strides, we are committed to ensuring that we have the right leaders in the right
schools to drive student performance and our vision that Every Child Succeeds.
New Elementary School
The Founding School Leader will design and launch a new elementary school that will open serving
nd
th
kindergarten through 2 grade students. The school will grow in subsequent years until it reaches 5
grade. This new elementary school will be in addition to the three elementary schools opened in Stapleton
in the last 5 years. The new leader will begin work with the community to design and open the new
elementary school in August 2016.
1.
Lead a collaborative and inclusive school design process with community input, culminating in a
new school plan leveraging deep expertise in instruction, school leadership, and vision.
2.
Lead transition from design process to implementation and launch. Launch school by August
2016, executing upon vision, operations, staffing, instructional strategy, community engagement,
and systems.
3.
Codify, document, and share the design process to inform future school design in DPS and across
the nation. Participate in ongoing learning and professional development with a network of
national partners.
4.
Collaborate with district leaders and external partners to identify policies and practices that can
support and sustain schools that embody design principles.
Essential Functions
School Design and Launch

Plan and lead a collaborative community process to gather input and ideas.

Lead “Year 0” planning and implementation to bring the design vision to life. Execute upon
operations, staffing, instructional strategy, community engagement, and systems building.

Plan and lead visits to successful elementary schools around Denver, Colorado, and the nation.

Submit a comprehensive plan to the Denver School Board.
School Leadership

Transition from design leadership to school leadership, assuming the role of School Leader.

Demonstrate the attributes DPS identifies as essential for effective school leadership, including:
culture and equity, human resources, instruction, strategy, operations, and community. School
leadership expectations are found at www.leadindenver.com.

Ensure all students enrolled in the school achieve academic success and develop competencies
for college and career success.

Ensure that students’ diverse assets and needs are recognized and accommodated.

Achieve recuperation and acceleration to achieve growth that outpaces schools across the state.

Work collaboratively with district and school leaders of strategic school design, innovation,
personalized learning.

Partner with stakeholders, including communities, families, board members, grantors, and
consultants. Manage the internal and external politics of new school launch and innovation.
Our School Leadership Framework
At DPS, we've developed a School Leadership Framework that details the expectations required for all of
our school leaders. The framework and the behaviors associated with each indicator are available on the
Lead in Denver website.
 Leads for equity toward college and career readiness
 Leads for culture of empowerment, continuous improvement and celebration
 Leads for high-quality, data driven instruction by building the capacity of teachers to lead and
perfect their craft
 Leads for the academic and social-emotional success of diverse student populations. Diversity
includes race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, language,
mental/physical abilities (students with disabilities, gifted and talented), religion, age, and political
beliefs. DPS places particular emphasis on the needs of students of color and students with
disabilities in order to close achievement gaps for these groups of students.
 Leads for effective English Language Acquisition programming (ELA Program School Leaders)
 Applies teacher and staff performance management systems in a way that ensures a culture of
continuous improvement, support, and accountability
 Implements strong systems for identifying, recognizing, and distributing talent
 Leads the school's vision, mission and strategic goals to support college readiness for all students
 Distributes leadership to inspire change in support of an empowered school culture
 Strategically aligns people, time and money to drive student achievement
 Actively advocates for members of the school community and effectively engages family and
community
Successful applicants will demonstrate the key leadership traits embedded within our framework:
 Evidence of the DPS Shared Values in interactions in the school, district, and community
 Strategic problem-solving and project management
 Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to connect and communicate
with parents and the community



Capability to build solid relationships
Self-reflection and continuous professional growth
Solid ethical commitment to this work
Education/Licensure & Experience
Master's Degree and previous leadership experience preferred. A current, valid State of Colorado
Principal License (professional or provisional) in place by the time the position starts. Alternative licensure
is an option for candidates with demonstrated school leadership experience who require licensure and
additional coursework.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

6+ years of school-based instructional experience and instructional leadership.

3+ years of school leadership experience (principal or assistant principal).

Experience in innovative and/or alternative educational environments, especially those that
operate personalized and blended learning; competency-based progression; multiple pathways;
proficiency -based assessment and grading; and/or differentiated, team-based teaching models.

Experience collaborating with extended school communities, including parents, school partners,
support providers, boards of education, and unions.

Project management and team management skills and experience.

Operations, systems, and budget management skills and experience.
Knowledge and Other Qualifications
The ideal candidate will:
1.
Embody DPS core values: students first; integrity; equity; collaboration; accountability; and fun.
2.
Understand, embrace, and demonstrate experience with competency-based design principles,
especially: personalized learning; competency-based progression; multiple pathways; proficiencybased assessment and grading; community partnerships; and differentiated, collaborative
teaching.
3.
Demonstrate skills and mindsets for innovation and entrepreneurship: risk-taking; creative
confidence; challenging the status quo; and growth mindset.
4.
Work collaboratively across stakeholder groups, including: DPS staff and leadership; external
partners and consultants; educators and school leaders; families; school and community partners;
board of education members; and union leaders.
5.
Operate and strategize in an organizational context characterized by ambiguity.
The ideal candidate will preferably demonstrate:
1.
Demonstrated experience with design methodology, either inside of and/or outside of education.
2.
Experience with new school design and launch.
3.
Experience at multiple levels in the education system, i.e. school, district/network office, state
office, and/or support provider.
4.
Change management skills and experience.
5.
Spanish bilingual skills.
Position Details
Salary Range: Commensurate with education and experience, with the ability to earn additional
compensation based on working in a Hard to Serve School, Top Performing School, a High Growth
School, or meeting the Unified Improvement Plan.
Work Year Contract Days: In general, these are 207-Elementary, 223-Middle, 223-High
Application Due Date: Rolling. Successful applicants who are entered into the process at an earlier time
are able to consider more positions
Position Start Date: Dependent upon school-specific openings
Other Information
Denver Public Schools is committed to meeting the educational needs of every student with great schools
in every neighborhood. Our goal is to provide every child in Denver with rigorous, enriching educational
opportunities from preschool through high school graduation. DPS is comprised of 185 schools,
including traditional, magnet, charter and pathways schools, with an enrollment of 88,000 students. Of
those, 58% of the school district's enrollment is Hispanic, 20% is Caucasian, and 15% is African
American. Seventy-two percent of the district's students qualify for free and reduced lunch.
Under the leadership of Superintendent Tom Boasberg and guided by the tenets of The Denver Plan, DPS
has become the fastest-growing school district in the country in terms of enrollment and the fastestgrowing large school district in terms of student academic growth. DPS is committed to establishing
Denver as a national leader in student achievement, high school graduation and college career readiness.
Denver Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other status protected by law or
regulation. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection
decisions be based on job-related factors.
To apply for this position, please visit www.leadindenver.com
Contact Lead in Denver:
LeadInDenver@Dpsk12.org || 720.423.3378