About Edison High School

Edison High School is a small, private high school in Portland, Oregon, serving 130+ students with learning differences.  Our mission is to empower students with learning differences to achieve academic success and personal growth, preparing them for a productive future.

A full description of our mission, student profile, and academic offerings can be found at www.edisonhs.org.

Position Description

The Principal, serving as the academic leader of Edison High School and a member of the School’s leadership team led by the President, is responsible for effectively developing, communicating, and promoting an environment of academic excellence to students, staff, parents, other stakeholders, and the community at large in collaboration with the President of Edison. The Principal provides leadership and supervision in managing Edison’s policies, procedures, and regulations to ensure that all students meet the approved curricula and mission of the School. In addition, the Principal supervises all faculty and student-facing staff, to support needs that arise in the student body.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

• Develop and implement goals and objectives for the academic program and standards of conduct consistent with the vision, mission, and values of the School.
• Maintain active involvement in the School’s improvement planning process by providing resources for decision-making and priority setting.
• Oversee all academic programs, services, and activities to ensure that program objectives are met.
• Create a culture of excellence, teamwork, and collaboration amongst the staff, teachers, students, and families.
• Foster a school climate that supports both student, faculty, staff success. Promote respect, appreciation, and inclusion for all students, faculty and staff, and parents.
• Present school performance data and updates at Board meetings.
• In collaboration with the President, organize and lead two annual all-staff retreats.
• Other duties as assigned by the President in support of the school’s mission.

Instructional Leadership

• Recruits, supervises and evaluates and coaches teachers, counselors and support staff employees in accordance with the school’s guidelines, and makes recommendations regarding goals, areas needing improvement and continued employment.
• Keep current of effective, data-driven instructional methodologies and practices.
• Ensure the learning environment and classroom instruction maximizes student learning and achievement results.
• Provide high quality curricular best practices, training, and resources to faculty.
• Ensure appropriate standards of student behavior, performance, and attendance.
• Other duties as assigned by the President in support of the school’s mission.

Operational Leadership

• Lead faculty and staff in the development of the annual academic budget.
• In collaboration with the Dean of Student Services, oversee the management of school records and resources.
• In collaboration with the Dean of Students, ensure an orderly learning environment.
• Other duties as assigned by the President in support of the school’s mission.

Community Engagement

• Clearly communicate the vision that supports Edison’s goals and values.
• Serve as liaison between teachers, parents, and other key stakeholders.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of a strong partnership with Jesuit High School.
• Proactively cultivate relationships with principals at other private high schools in the local area and schools that specialize in Learning Differences (LD) across the country.
• Build a network of support to share best practices, including participation in the Association of LD Schools (ALDS) network.
• Create and develop positive school and community relations to promote the school, its priorities, and perceived value to the community served and the public at large.
• As the academic leader, attend community fundraising, marketing, and networking events to promote Edison.
• Communicate Edison’s mission, goals, student learning, and behavior expectations to all students, faculty, staff, parents, and stakeholders.
• Serve as an important voice and presence in all steps of the admissions process.
• Develop and execute enrollment retention strategies to maintain targeted enrollment.
• Other duties as assigned by the President in support of the school’s mission.

Requirements & Competencies

Minimum Requirements

• Hold an MA, or equivalent, in education, leadership, or a related field
• Five years of teaching experience
• Demonstrated expertise in curriculum and instruction with recognition of the importance of teacher mentoring and professional development
• Knowledge and skill in fiscal management
• Demonstrated leadership skills through prior leadership experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Five years of demonstrated success in an administrative role in a secondary school environment preferred
• Administrative license preferred
• Experience in working with students with learning differences preferred
• Fluency in Spanish a plus

Core Competencies

• Ability to build a shared vision and inspire commitment to a mission
• Ability to build relationships with a diverse faculty and staff as well as parent community
• Ability to plan in a manner that anticipates barriers and recognizes needs school-wide
• Strong collaboration skills and openness to solicit input prior to developing strategies and solutions
• Ability to motivate and influence others to achieve excellence in the workplace
• Openness to feedback
• Strong critical thinking and prioritization skills
• Openness to growth and a commitment to continuous learning
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to assist in development and execution of an effective academic program budget

To Apply