A Bit About Us

Hawken School is a preschool-12 co-ed independent day school with four campuses spanning the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. Founded by James A. Hawken, a John Dewey-inspired progressive educator, more than 100 years ago, we’ve returned to our progressive roots in the last decade and  established ourselves as an industry leader in progressive education, including founding the Mastery Transcript Consortium, a national organization aimed at reinventing how students prepare for college, careers, and life. 

The Challenge

In August 2020, building on a decade of iteration and innovation, we launched a new high school in the University Circle neighborhood in the city of Cleveland. We opened with 9th & 10th graders and will add one grade a year until we’re full.  We’re designing the The Mastery School of Hawken around three core principles:

• Learning experiences are organized around real-world problem-solving, where students learn while working on challenges with community partners.
• We use new methods of teaching designed around individual growth, allowing for more project-based and personalized learning.
• Our mastery assessment model emphasizes feedback for growth and credits enduring, deep, and transferable learning using mastery credits.

Committed to strengthening our relationship to our city, we are building this school for greater socioeconomic access by offering a significant number of seats to full-need students from the city of Cleveland. Read more about us here: http://masteryschool.hawken.edu.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a dynamic, curious, collaborative, entrepreneurial individual to join the Mastery School of Hawken team as the Community Partnerships and Extension Programs Lead. You’ll develop and carry out a strategy and plan for extension programs at the Mastery School, such as summer and gap year programs.  Building on existing partnerships and the ways they intersect with our teaching model, you’ll take our relationships in the city to the next level. As you learn our model, you’ll also bring your unique set of strengths to all aspects of school life, in the classroom, in our wayfinding program, and in co-curriculars.

The Team

You’ll join a highly collaborative team that has been working together to design, build, and implement every aspect of a new school with structures and systems designed to support individual growth for each student. Building on the vision and the work we’ve done so far, you’ll have the chance to extend our rich network of partnerships to not only enhance the Mastery School’s existing programs, but create new ones to reach more young people throughout Northeast Ohio.

The Skillset

About You:

• Connector and relationship-builder who thrives on representing the Mastery School in the community
• Exceptionally skilled at connecting with people from the broadest range of backgrounds
• Wildly enthusiastic about mentoring young people (high school/college age)
• Experienced in creative problem-solving and building things in the real world
• Entrepreneurial, with business, media and/or sales experience
• Skilled communicator and listener who thrives in a collaborative and fast-paced environment
• Philosophically aligned with the mission of the Mastery School of Hawken
• Willing to roll up your sleeves and jump in to do what the team needs

The Journey

Within one month, you’ll:      

            Learn how our model of teaching & learning works by participating in a workshop through the Korda Institute for Teaching

Participate in our New Faculty & Staff onboarding designed to give you introduce you to Hawken, Cleveland, and the cohort of faculty across Hawken’s four campuses

            Meet with key local partners like our Community Advisory Board members

            Assess and help determine the feasibility of piloting a gap year/gap semester

Within three months, you’ll:

Experience our methods in the classroom by co-teaching in an existing macro course and wayfinding group

Build connections with our Community Advisory Board and other key community partners  

            Refine the vision and pilot plan for extension programs at the Mastery School, in collaboration with the Head of School and Director of the Mastery School

Support colleagues in building academic and co-curricular partnerships for the 2021-22 school year

            Teach us what models for authentic engagement in the community can look like 

Represent the Mastery School at events in the community

Within six months, you’ll:

Launch and promote the plans for extension programs in 2022

Take the lead in developing new partnerships for our micro and co-curricular programs

Determine the priorities for how we deepen our work with local partners and implement a plan to do so

Manage the relationships with key local partners in conjunction with our faculty

Engage and reflect with colleagues on an ongoing basis about your learning, growth, and development 

By the end of the 2021-2022 school year, you’ll:

            Recruit students for extension programs in summer/fall 2022

Refine systems and processes for tracking work with community partners 

This is a 12-month position beginning July 1.  

INTERESTED?

Please send a resume, references, and a cover letter to: mshemployment@hawken.edu .

Hawken School is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to promoting all forms of diversity in the workplace and in our student body. We strongly urge all qualified individuals to apply.