West Charlotte High School School and Principal Profile 2219 Senior Drive Charlotte, North Carolina 28216 (980) 343-6060 http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/westcharlottehs Community The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District serves the educational needs of the West Charlotte Corridor. Located in one of the state's fastest growing areas, the district enjoys a diversified economic base. Currently, the district consists of 159 schools throughout the cities and towns of Mecklenburg County utilizing a PreK-8, K-5, 6-8, 9-12 grade-level configuration. As the 18 th largest district in the country, CMS national reputation for academic excellence comes from its outstanding education in recognition that the Charlotte community supports all students in the schools. CMS is privileged to have many businesses and community partners to provide resources and volunteer support to schools with more than 1,000 business partners providing more than $17 million in school-business partnerships. Many organizations support CMS efforts to maintain high excellence in education. Booming with educational, economic, and commercial activity, Charlotte has all the advantages of one of the most rapidly growing metropolitan areas in the nation. Project L.I.F.T. West Charlotte High School is the flagship school of the Project L.I.F.T. Zone. Project L.I.F.T. is a groundbreaking initiative designed to lift up and accelerate the educational outcomes for our children living in the West Charlotte Corridor. Project L.I.F.T., is a locally developed philanthropic effort partnering with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to commit $55 million over a five-year period to transform nine of challenged schools in the West Charlotte Corridor. This bold philanthropic effort believes that our successful students and our struggling students belong to all of us and that a collaborative effort will have an impact powerful enough to break the cycle of school failure and ensure that every child is college or career ready. The strategic plan of Project L.I.F.T. focuses on the West Charlotte Corridor student feeder zone, which consists of nine schools. Project L.I.F.T will become the lead turnaround agent and will serve as a national proof point for school reform by 2017 with a single mindset of improving and boosting student learning. Within the five year commitment Project L.I.F.T. is committed to an outcome of 90% graduation cohort rate at West Charlotte High School, 90% of the students will achieve more than year s worth of academic growth in a year s time, 90% composite proficiency rates, 90% of students will be on track to graduate through 90% promotion rate on all grade levels, and 90% of teachers and leaders will meet standards by 2017. Community organizations will be collaborating with the schools, parents, teachers, and students to ensure that these kids get exposed to the same opportunities. 1
School West Charlotte High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school enrolling 1,651 students in grades 9-12. The school opened in the fall of 1938 and is one of Charlotte s oldest public schools. West Charlotte has a rich history of producing widely noted public officials, athletes, and business leaders. It features many opportunities for student achievement and involvement. The school enjoys strong community support, and the scholastic program accommodates a wide range of curricular and co-curricular activities. The student body at West Charlotte High School currently consists of a population that is 86.3% African American, 5.9% Asian, 3.3% American Indian, 2.6% Multi-Racial, 1.9% White, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Team-taught courses demonstrate staff members commitment to helping students make interdisciplinary connections. Staff members make use of web-based communication tools and other instructional technologies. West Charlotte operates on a block schedule and offers a wide variety of courses. Faculty members have focused on helping students to succeed academically and socially. West Charlotte offers an IB Diploma program and a wide variety of elective classes including philosophy, architectural engineering, video production, desktop publishing, accounting, and multiple foreign languages. Classes and programs are tailored to meet the specific educational needs and interests of all students. West Charlotte had a graduation cohort rate of 54.3% in 2011 and 51.1% the previous year in 2010 while a high school only a few miles away graduates 93% of its students. The detail on West Charlotte s academic achievement is listed in the table below. West Charlotte s Academic Achievement Report 2
Principal Profile In addition to the basic requirements listed in the job description below, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Project L.I.F.T. are seeking a dynamic high school turnaround leader who is driven by a belief that all students have the ability to learn. The principal at West Charlotte high school must communicate effectively to galvanize stakeholders to pursue dramatic increases in student achievement and create an achievement oriented culture for students, faculty and staff. The principal of West Charlotte must be a cutting edge leader and an effective change agent who is able to demonstrate both leadership capacity within the school and can also extend that leadership to the other eight principals in the Project L.I.F.T. Zone. Other characteristics of the desired candidate include: A strong managerial leader that can operationalize processes and procedures to minimize distractions and ensure efficiency. A charismatic spokesperson for the school that can renew the pride and tradition of West Charlotte High School. A spokesperson for Project L.I.F.T. that can captivate the interest of the community. A leader that can positively leverage SIG, Title I and LIFT funding to ensure a high return on investment in student achievement. A commitment to celebrating successes. For consideration please submit resumes via email with the subject line West Charlotte Principal Vacancy to Dr. Christian A. Friend, Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Evaluation christian.friend@cms.k12.nc.us 3
JOB DESCRIPTION: Principal Job Code: Various Department: Zone Superintendents Location: Various Approved By: Chief Academic Officer, Ann B. Clark FLSA Status: Exempt Last Revised: June 2012 Version: FINAL Summary: A principal for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a strong instructional leader who is committed to driving student achievement for all students while closing the achievement gap. A successful principal must be an instructional leader who guides and inspires students, teachers, other staff members, parents and the community. He/she must hold his/her team accountable for results while providing the supports needed to position the school for academic success. Essential Duties: (These duties represent a sample and may vary by position.) Develops the vision, mission, values, beliefs and goals of the school, the processes used to establish these attributes, and the ways they are embodied in the life of the school community. Articulates the school s vision and implements strategies for improvements and changes that will result in improved achievement for all students. Creates a school improvement plan that provides the structure for the vision, values, goals and changes necessary for improved achievement for all students. Creates and utilizes processes to distribute leadership and decision making throughout the school. Acts to create a team-oriented, cooperative, engaged culture by identifying and leveraging the skills within the school, district and community. Develops three to four future scenarios around school improvement and identifies steps to reach these scenarios. Engages staff and community in the effective change process in a manner that ensures their support of the change and its successful implementation. Supports importing cutting edge practices and effectively communicates challenging the status quo. Uses a strategic planning process to identify resources required to meet school needs, and executes effective change management processes to successfully leverage resources across the school and within the district. Leads the strategic discussion about standards of curriculum, instruction and assessment based on research and best practices in order to establish and achieve high expectations for students. Creates processes and schedules which protect teachers from disruption of instructional or preparation time. Involves the appropriate people in discussions when making decisions including teachers and 4
other school/district staff along with parents and members of the community. Measures school outcomes against standards of excellence; takes pride in delivering results beyond expectations. Establishes standards for performance across the school beginning with the school leadership team and communicates specific measures for the school and individuals. Recognizes and acts on the importance of the positive role that a collaborative work environment can play in the school s culture. Develops and uses shared vision, values and goals to define the identity and culture of the school. Acknowledges failures and celebrates accomplishments of the school in order to define the identity, culture and performance of the school. Develops a sense of efficacy and empowerment among staff which influences the school s identity, culture and performance. Works at setting the expectations in the school that creative ideas and innovative solutions are valued. Ensures that the school is a professional learning community. Establishes processes and systems in order to ensure a high-quality, high-performing staff. Evaluates teachers and staff in a fair and equitable manner with the focus on improving performance and, thus, student achievement. Motivates others to grow and provides them with both the tools and on-going coaching to enable them to move forward in their careers and contribute to the school and/or the district. Implements a long-term strategic plan for the development of core skills that are required to meet the school s mission/vision and to meet future goals. Establishes budget processes and systems which are focused on, and result in, improved student achievement. Designs and utilizes various forms of formal and informal communication so that the focus of the school can be improved student achievement. Develops and enforces expectations, structures, rules and procedures for students and staff. Designs structures and processes which result in parent and community engagement, support and ownership for the school. Designs protocols and processes in order to comply with federal, state, and district mandates. Develops systems and relationships to leverage staff expertise and influence in order to influence the school s identity, culture and performance. Identifies potential areas of conflict and develops strategic problem solving solutions involving the affected individuals. Effectively listens to others; acquires, organizes, analyzes, interprets and maintains information needed to achieve school or Teach 21 st Century objectives. Performs related duties as assigned. 5
Education and Experience: Minimum Bachelor s Degree (Based on the completion of an approved NC Alternative Licensing Program that leads to a license for K-12 School Administrator-Principal licensure in NC) or Desirable Advanced Degree in Educational Leadership that leads to a license for K-12 School Administrator-Principal licensure in NC Five years of experience in teaching Master s Degree in Educational Leadership, or other relevant field of study that leads to a license for K-12 School Administrator-Principal licensure in NC Three years of experience in teaching Licensing / Certification Requirements: Teacher certification and current principal licensure in NC (or another state, with ability to obtain NC licensure). 6
Knowledge / Skills / Abilities: Knowledge of teaching and learning processes. Knowledge of pertinent federal, state, and local laws, policies, rules and regulations regarding school administration. Knowledge of organization and management theory and practice. Knowledge of educational theories, research, trends, developments and techniques that aid in the development and improvement of programs and practices. Knowledge of the unique needs and characteristics of a school system. Thorough knowledge of curriculum, instruction, organizational patterns, school operations and pupil services. Knowledge of sound fiscal practices, including budget preparation and control and management of school resources. Knowledge of principles and practices of supervision, evaluation and training. Possesses knowledge of and demonstrates respect for all students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community leaders using tact, patience and courtesy. Knowledge of public speaking techniques. Ability to acknowledge and respect diverse perspectives. Ability to inspire trust. Possesses high levels of self-confidence and optimism. Models high standards of integrity and ethical behavior. Ability to model and support self-discipline and responsibility. Possesses leadership skills required to respond to the challenges presented by an ethnically and culturally diverse school community. Ability to demonstrate a willingness to take the risks necessary to build and implement the system s vision and achieve the system s goals. Ability to demonstrate effective communications skills, including speaking, listening and writing. Ability to enhance student performance, especially in identifying and closing or narrowing the gaps in student achievement. Ability to use collaborative skills to lead diverse groups within the school community to realize the vision and accomplish goals. Ability to build consensus and commitment among individuals and groups with emphasis on parental involvement. Possesses high level of cognitive skills, analysis and decisiveness, organization and high internal work standards. Ability to commit to a student first philosophy in all decisions. Ability to recognize, honor and celebrate successes. Ability to meet schedules and time lines. Ability to respond effectively and promptly to issues, and communicate resolutions in a timely manner. Ability to work confidentially with discretion. Ability to delegate authority and responsibility and hold subordinates accountable. Ability to establish and accomplish goals. Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others. Ability to empower personnel to optimize effective operations. Ability to analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action. 7
Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. It requires the ability to communicate effectively using speech, vision and hearing. The work requires the use of hands for simple grasping and fine manipulations. The work at times requires bending, squatting, reaching, with the ability to lift, carry, push or pull light weights. The work occasionally requires the handling/work with biohazards or other risks for potential job-related injury. There are occasional unpleasant work elements, but the work environment is generally comfortable. The work requires activities frequently involving driving automotive equipment. In compliance with Federal Law, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administers all education programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability. 8