Details
Posted: 26-Apr-23
Location: Wilmington, Delaware
Type: Full Time
Categories:
Other
The Charter School of Wilmington
Vice President
Wilmington, DE
Introduction
The Charter School of Wilmington is a nationally and internationally recognized college-preparatory high school that serves students with an interest in math and science; academic excellence is promoted by fostering overall student performance to produce leaders for the future. The mission of The Charter School of Wilmington (CSW) is to prepare students to thrive through world-class mathematics, science, and technology education.
CSW’s latest strategic plan features positive change and a culture of care toward all community members. Their updated schedule includes wellness days for staff and students, teacher grading days, a longer winter and spring break, virtual days, and 11 funded classroom design projects. CSW prides itself on being the school of choice for students and employees. Despite the nationwide teacher shortage, CSW still attracts high-quality applicants as folks want to be around the curious, motivated CSW students and part of the spirit of experimentation and autonomy among the faculty. Most importantly, the school cultivates joy every bit as much as their rigorous academic pursuits.
HISTORY: The Charter School of Wilmington opened its doors in September 1996 as one of the most significant initiatives for improving public education in Delaware. A consortium of six local companies, together with teachers, parents, and community leaders, organized Delaware’s first independently operated public school with an emphasis on the study of math, science, and computer science.
RECOGNIZING DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION: CSW is committed to creating a welcoming culture, inclusive environment, and equitable practices. CSW wishes to reflect the diversity of the surrounding community and supports a school environment free from discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, or disability.
ACADEMICS & CURRICULUM: The program offers a challenging, college preparatory curriculum. To graduate from The Charter School of Wilmington, students earn a minimum of 24.5 credits, which includes an experimentally designed research project. At least 10.5 of the required 24.5 graduating credits must be earned in the STEM fields. View the 2023-2024 course offerings and descriptions here.
Additional Fast Facts
Founded: 1996
2022-23 School-wide Enrollment (9-12): 968
Students self-identifying as BIPOC: 54%
Employees: 69
Average tenure of Faculty: 18 years
Location: shares building with Cab Calloway School of the Arts in western Wilmington
Indebtedness: None
Operating Budget: $11 million
Accreditation: National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology; Middle States Association of College and Schools
On the Web: https://charterschool.org/
The Charter School of Wilmington believes in ….
INNOVATION: Critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and collaboration promote innovation.
ETHICS: An ethical learning environment develops good decision-making, habits, and virtues.
CULTURAL AWARENESS: Cultural awareness and respect for others’ cultures is important within an interconnected and multicultural world community.
MOTIVATION: Motivation can be fostered by setting high expectations, inspiring each other, and celebrating success.
RESPECT: Respect for each other’s challenges, beliefs, rights, and property builds honor and self-esteem.
MASTERY: Perpetual learning is essential for mastery and success in a changing, highly technological world.
SERVICE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Diverse experiences, community service and community outreach promote a sense of social responsibility.
PARTNERSHIPS: Schools excel through partnerships among faculty, students, administration, parents, business leaders and the broader community.
Position
The Vice President will serve as a key collaborator and strategic thought partner for the President and with other senior administrators at the school. This will include working collaboratively across the school community to effectively communicate and bring to fruition the strategic plan and future vision for the school. The Vice President will lead implementation of best practices in faculty and student well-being, data analysis, research, and teaching and learning. They will support CSW’s mission and strategic initiatives to ensure an optimal school experience for everyone in the community. This is an important role that manages, analyzes, and reports on institutional data to internal and external stakeholders. The Vice President is a key player in operationalizing the strategic plan and as part of the Administrative Team. Further, CSW is seeking a Vice President to execute a teaching and learning plan that inspires a love of learning and the foundation for excellence at CSW. The Vice President will help to support CSW in exploring and expanding opportunities to extend the classroom beyond the four walls of the school.
Reporting to and partnering with the President, the Vice President will be a collaborative leader who empowers students, faculty, and staff toward realizing common goals in a community-centered environment. Operating as an entrepreneurial thought partner, the Vice President will engage in strategic decisions that will enhance the student experience at CSW. The role will further efforts prioritized in our newly developed strategic plan (Summer 2022): developing curious, healthy and engaged learners, affirming innovation amongst faculty and staff, enriching the CSW community, and cultivating a culture driven by results. The Vice President will be an accomplished leader that is eager to inspire and support a high-performing team of committed educators and a community of driven and joyful hearts. They will also champion a promising future built on CSW’s legacy of excellence.
Responsibilities
Leadership
- In partnership with the President, oversee the direction for the school’s educational philosophy, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) opportunities, curricular design, signature programming, and partnerships with families and students
- Advance in close conjunction with other leaders, and in partnership with all members of the community, the school’s deep commitment to community, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
- Oversee the recruitment and hiring of new faculty and establish a comprehensive program for their orientation to ensure they understand the school’s mission, vision, best practices, and policies
- Further develop, institute, and model practices of effective distributed leadership across the school
- Make recommendations to the President for appropriate revisions of school policies in the areas of faculty evaluation and supervision and in conjunction design and implement a professional development program to provide faculty with resources and support for their professional growth
- Be actively visible within the school during the school day, at school events, and within the community
Data Management
- Provide institutional data and analyses that support CSW’s academic programs and inform operational excellence
- Work closely with administrators and their teams to identify research needs, develop and maintain appropriate interface with data management systems to support ongoing evaluation and trend analysis, and conduct benchmarking and peer group analysis
- Manage a data repository and examine its usability and integrity
- Oversee strategy for data collection, analysis, and reporting
Teaching and Learning
- Support a stimulating and engaging environment that encourages students to explore a vast set of interests, develop talents, and pursue passions within and outside the classroom and ensure that students receive the instructional resources, support, and challenge needed across all academic teams and departments
- Serve as the lead strategist in assessing, identifying, formulating, and implementing curriculum and assessment goals and objectives
- Strategically guide and implement high-impact strategies leading to optimal education and instructional results
- Ensure that pedagogy evolves based on current research
- Advise the President on all aspects of curriculum, teaching, and learning
- Monitor and update all policy and handbook information with the support of the Director of Faculty and Student Life
Must-Have Qualifications
- A highly strategic and analytical thinker with demonstrated success collecting, analyzing and using data to convey a story
- Experience with change management and a skillful implementer taking a systems approach to improvement and change
- High level of emotional intelligence, excellent listening skills, and the ability to navigate the complexities and ambiguities of leading and inspiring others in a complex, deeply invested community
- Excellent communication skills; the ability to translate and communicate complex research findings to a wide array of constituencies
- Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to ongoing learning and professional development, and the capacity to grow in the job
- A strong work ethic, yet also the ability to establish, uphold and model appropriate boundaries and standards of work for others
- Warm character, a strong ethical compass, values consistent with the mission and culture of CSW
Nice to Have Qualifications
- Masters or higher degree in related field of study from an accredited institution
- Leadership experience directly related to the described duties and responsibilities within a high-performing school or university environment
- Excellent critical thinking skills; the ability to objectively analyze and evaluate possible solutions to a problem
- People management experience as it relates to hiring, development, and retention– the ability to contribute to the long-term success of the school by attracting, developing, and retaining the right talent.
- Demonstrated commitment to working collaboratively with all constituent groups
Key Competencies
- Strategic Mindset – Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
- Communicates Effectively – Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
- Cultivates Innovation – Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
- Big Picture Thinking – Taking a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens.
- Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
- Manages Complexity – Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
Benefits and Compensation
This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly motivated leader to join a well-respected school and a warm, welcoming community. The Charter School of Wilmington is prepared to offer an attractive compensation package, including a salary range of $120,000 – 130,000. In addition, CSW will offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, prescription, disability, life, and accident & critical illness insurance, 12-week parental leave, employee assistance program, condition prevention & management resources, state pension, and deferred compensation retirement plans. For more detailed information, review the Delaware Statewide Benefits website.
Application Requirements and Search Process
DRG is conducting this search on behalf of The Charter School of Wilmington. Interested candidates should submit, as soon as possible, materials including the following:
- A cover letter indicating why they are particularly interested in and qualified for the position
- A current resume
- A writing sample of your choice (newsletter, article, talk, etc.)
- A list of references (references will not be contacted until the finalist stage of the search)
Application Deadline: May 22, 2023
Start date: July 1, 2023
This position description is based upon material provided by The Charter School of Wilmington, an equal-opportunity employer.
To apply for this position, please click HERE.
Jennifer Fleischer, Senior Talent Consultant, jfleischer@drgtalent.com
Yasmine Coccoli, Talent Consultant, ycoccoli@drgtalent.com