DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) is recruiting visionary and action-oriented leaders to be Turnaround Principals for SY 17-18.  We believe that schools are the unit of change, and the principal is vital to a school's success.  Principals will have a high degree of autonomy and trust, as well as significant opportunities for development and growth.

Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) serves 5,400 students in 11 schools and employs nearly 1500 people.  The District was placed into receivership by the State of Massachusetts in Spring 2015, due to struggling performance well below the state average. Dr. Stephen Zrike Jr., a seasoned Massachusetts educator, was selected as Receiver to lead this exciting turnaround effort, which includes significant autonomy and flexibility from the traditional school system.  Since being in receivership, the District has experienced many promising successes.  In school year 2015-16, the District saw a 7-percentage point increase in proficiency in English Language Arts and a 4-point gain in Math, and attendance rates are up across the District.  HPS has also extended the school day for students in preschool to 8th grade, expanded choice programs such as dual language and personalized learning, and offering new opportunities to students, such as computer science and many other enrichment programs. For more information about the HPS Turnaround Plan, please visit: https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/turnaround/.

HPS has engaged in a high school redesign process for the past 18 months.  Developed collaboratively by nearly 100 teachers, students, community members, civic and business leaders, school leaders, district leaders and national experts, the strategic plan calls for creating a series of thematic academies that will provide opportunities for students to develop a personalized learning path toward college, career or both. Built upon choice, and access to advanced educational opportunities, the plan deepens student engagement and provides families and business and civic leaders explicit opportunities to partner with educators to help guide students’ career and college plans, as well as strengthen our local economy.

The May 17th press release can be found: https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/5-17-17-Press-release-Holyoke-Public-Schools-Ready-to-Transform-High-School.pdf, and the full redesign plan can be found: https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/High-School-Redesign-Strategic-Plan.pdf.

ROLE OVERVIEW / KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Receiver believes that schools are the units of change and that Principals are vital to school success. The Principal will have the opportunity to build a team to establish and implement a highly effective school.  The Principal will have a high degree of autonomy and trust, as well as significant opportunities for development and growth. The district is seeking a principal of Holyoke High School who will effectively lead, manage, and oversee all functions of the school, which includes (but is not limited to) the responsibility to:

• Provide instructional leadership:
• Establish and implement a vision for school improvement that is focused on outcomes, maintains high expectations for teaching and learning, and is aligned to the district’s strategy for turnaround and high school strategic plan
• Enhance the consistency and rigor of classroom instruction through implementing the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, which include Common Core Standards
• Support and inspire educators to continuously improve planning and instruction through coaching, feedback, resources, training, and evaluation
• Build a culture that utilizes performance and other data at the school-, grade-, classroom-, and student-levels to understand student needs, help teachers improve instruction, and monitor teacher/student progress
• Partner with school and district leaders at the secondary level in the shared goal of strengthening the quality of instruction and offering a  more personalized and rigorous learning experience for high school students

• Build and cultivate a high-performing and collaborative school culture:

• Establish a culture where the Holyoke High faculty exhausts all possibilities for student success
• Maintain high expectations for the achievement of all students, particularly the traditionally underserved student populations (i.e., students with disabilities, limited language proficiency, and low socio-economic status)
• Build and develop a school instructional leadership team that effectively cultivates a high-performing and student-centered school culture
• Effectively plan and lead meetings and PD sessions that prioritize high-quality instruction
• Lead the development and implementation of a multi-tiered system of social-emotional and instructional supports for all students
• Support the development of a culture that builds many opportunities for student voice and decision making

• Manage and operate a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment:
• Develop and execute systems and procedures (e.g., student behavior management systems, schedules, interventions, PD, food services, transportation) that promote teaching and learning
• Manage a human capital system (e.g., hiring, induction, evaluation, coaching, development) that ensures high-quality teaching in every classroom
• Build and manage a budget that prioritizes teaching and learning while controlling costs
• Adhere to district policies and state/federal regulations (e.g., special education, ELL services)

• Partner with families and community members:
• Build relationships and engage frequently with parents and community members as critical partners in school improvement and the high school redesign process
• Collaborate with senior leaders and high school teams on the implementation of a redesigned  secondary experience, which includes multiple pathways and increased options for certifications and credentials beyond a traditional high school diploma upon graduation
• Collaborate with the higher education community, in particular Holyoke Community College, to develop dual enrollment and career pathway opportunities
• Oversee the implementation of strategies to keep students on track to graduate
• Seek to thoroughly understand the diverse culture and backgrounds of students and families

• Additional information:
• Report to the Superintendent/Receiver and Executive Director of Secondary Education and Pathways of Holyoke Public Schools
• Have a high level of support from central office, including 2-3x per week coaching sessions with the ED of Secondary Education and at least biweekly coaching sessions with district leaders and monthly leadership training sessions
• Have a high degree of trust and autonomy, with accountability to outcomes

SKILLS / COMPETENCIES

We are seeking a passionate and committed instructional leader who demonstrates:

• Student-first mentality: holds high expectations for student achievement; makes decisions that prioritize the needs of students above all other competing priorities; measures success by student outcomes and student academic and social emotional success; believes families are an integral component to student and school achievement
• Visionary leadership: An ability to be a bold, innovative, and engaging change agent and culture-creator; a visionary leader with a track record of inspiring and motivating those around them
• Commitment to urban education: has a strong commitment to equity and social justice; maintains a high level of commitment to traditionally underrepresented student populations (i.e., students with disabilities, limited language, and low socio-economic status); maintains a commitment to high performance standards and unwavering belief that all students can excel
• Instructional leadership: has a demonstrated history of raising student achievement; identifies and cultivates high-quality instruction and effective instructional programming; has a strong understanding of the Common Core State Standards and pedagogy; has a proven track record of using individual student and school-wide assessment data to drive student achievement gains in an urban setting;
• Organizational leadership: builds high-performing and collaborative classroom/school culture; inspires and leads others in driving towards improved student outcomes and a strong school culture; builds strong relationships and is able to have difficult conversations when necessary; believes in a shared leadership approach to school improvement
• Problem-solving and persistence: responds to challenges or uncertainties with resourcefulness, creativity, hard work, and resiliency; proactively develops solutions to problems, with a focus on improving student results
• Growth mindset: possesses the belief that oneself, students and adults can learn and achieve more when working hard and persevering, which creates a love of learning and desire for continuous improvement; desires feedback
• People and team-orientation: collaborates effectively with school staff and other district leaders; embraces and empowers families as an integral component of our collective job of educating all children; contributes to and is aligned with the district-wide vision for turnaround; demonstrates professionalism, humility and respect
• Strong communication: Possesses strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to guide and inspire teachers, school staff, school leaders and central office staff toward a common goal
• Alignment with the HPS Core Values and High School Redesign Plan

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree, and Master’s degree in Education or related field
• Certified (or in the process of obtaining certification) in Massachusetts as a school principal
• Minimum 3 years of experience as a school instructional leader
• Demonstrated history of raising student achievement, particularly that of underserved populations (i.e. students with disabilities, ELLs)
• Experience effectively leading, supervising, coaching, and developing educators
• Experience working in an urban setting and/or in a turnaround context strongly preferred