Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

You can see all our job opportunities at https://kipptexas.org/join-our-team/.

Job Description

As the Managing Director of Instructional Excellence, you will play a pivotal role in driving transformative change and academic growth within KIPP Texas schools. Leading a team of up to eight directors, you will ensure that our statewide academic strategy is implemented every day in KIPP Texas classrooms. Working with your directors, you will develop plans for implementing rigorous curricular products and monitor research-based instructional strategies across multiple campuses state-wide. Your expertise in instructional coaching will support your directors in their coaching of academic content and allow you to drive exceptional student outcomes through your directors’ coaching. Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Instructional Excellence, you will play a pivotal role in supporting KIPP Texas classrooms, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in teaching and learning.

You know you are successful if all members of your team support their portfolio schools to attain their KIPP Texas STAAR targets each year, leading to: 

• Significant student growth and achievement across all student sub-populations  

• 100% of schools in your portfolio achieve an A or B rating

• 100% of schools in your portfolio achieve 90/75/40 on the Reading STAAR

• 100% of schools in your portfolio achieve 90/75/40 on the Math STAAR

Key Responsibilities

• Focus on Transformation: You demonstrate a deep desire and record of results in supporting schools with significant instructional transformation. You understand the research underpinning transforming school communities and can translate that research into action. You hold high expectations for yourself, your team, and the leaders and teachers at transformation campuses.

• Strategic Visioning: You can translate the statewide academic strategy for curriculum implementation into action by coaching a team of content experts as they coach in classrooms. You hold our vision for excellent instruction at the forefront of your decisions. 

• Effective Team Leader: You lead and develop a high-performing team of instructional coaches to drive transformational educational outcomes through side-by-side coaching and progress monitoring. Effectively support your directors in leading instructional improvement efforts by planning and facilitating professional learning communities (PLCs), observing classroom instruction, and providing actionable feedback to teachers and school leaders.

• Instructional Expert: You have demonstrated instructional expertise and an understanding of curricular frameworks, pedagogy, and instructional materials in math and literacy. You have experience effectively implementing KIPP Texas’s chosen curricular products.

Lead a high-performing team that delivers transformational outcomes for students

• Manage, lead, and develop a high-performing team of 6 - 8 director-level instructional coaches who are driving transformational student achievement in KIPP schools across Texas

• Drive results across the Instructional Excellence team, including progress tracking, monitoring, and reporting. Hold the team accountable for short- and long-term outcomes

• Exhibit outstanding critical thinking skills, including the ability to analyze data, identify trends, pinpoint root causes, ask probing questions, and develop innovative solutions

• Exhibit a strong focus on goals, accountability, and results; set clear metrics for success

• Lead effectively even in times of ambiguity and adapt and respond to unexpected challenges

Coach others to implement our academic strategy

• Possess a deep understanding of curricular frameworks, pedagogy, and high-quality instructional materials; experience implementing high-quality instructional materials for a wide variety of grade levels and subjects

• Demonstrate strong knowledge of research-based instructional strategies and the ability to lead others to implement these strategies consistently across classrooms and school sites

• Lead and manage instructional coaches in their implementation of the statewide academic strategy by building the team’s day-to-day workflow and coaching teammates to execute that strategy

Engage in continuous data analysis and action planning

• Support instructional coaches in progress monitoring actions that drive improvement in the areas of data-driven culture, curriculum implementation, and high-quality instruction that lead to teacher impact

• Craft and support the execution of school, regional, and organization-wide improvement plans in response to curriculum implementation data

• Engage in side-by-side coaching with instructional coaches as they coach leaders and teachers on effective daily data practices, such as strategic monitoring, daily data dives, exit ticket trackers, etc.

• Analyze school-specific data to identify trends and support the development of response plans

• Confidently speaking to formative student outcome data across campuses to support leaders in ongoing coaching and response plans

Qualifications

Required Education and/or Experience: 

Successful candidates must demonstrate a deep belief in the capacity of all students to achieve at high levels, demonstrate strong instructional expertise, and have the ability to work collaboratively with a diverse set of leaders and teachers to improve student achievement. Additionally, 

• Bachelor’s degree, relevant Master’s degree in Education preferred

• Minimum of 3 years experience as a successful School Leader/Principal, or School Leader Manager

• Preference will be given to candidates with experience leading organizational turnaround work 

• Preference will be given to candidates who have experience implementing the following high-quality instructional materials: 

  • Math: Eureka Texas and Carnegie Learning

• Exceptional ability to translate instructional expertise into effective coaching of others

• Exceptional strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands and solve complex problems

• Exceptional leadership judgment with the ability to navigate ambiguity and complex situations

• High self-awareness, humility, and integrity

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Physical Requirements:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer/laptop

• Attending conferences or training session

Work Environment:

• This role will spend significant time in KIPP Texas schools with hybrid work options when not in classrooms

Travel Requirements:

• Ability to travel to various locations: travel time will range between 20% - 60% depending on the time of year.

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• Typical office environment with frequent interruptions

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance, and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.