Vice Principal

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT

The Syracuse City School District is On the Rise! We are undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and she is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of educators to partner with her in moving the district toward its goals.

The Syracuse City School District represents 35 schools and programs, including 6 high schools, 6 middle schools, 6 K-8 schools, 13 elementary schools, and 4 alternative education programs, serving approximately 19,000 students Pre-K–12. Of these students, 82.3% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 20.1% are served by the Office of Special Education, and 83% are students of color.

The district is committed to ensuring that there is an effective school leadership at the helm of every school and a high quality teacher in every classroom. Syracuse Vice Principals provide transformational leadership to planning and managing one of the district’s schools. This includes: assisting in implementing a school instructional model which focuses on high student achievement; building a positive school climate that supports the whole student;

leveraging research and data to drive instructional practice; and building a high-performing staff to achieve the school’s vision and goals. The Vice Principal will collaborate with parents, community members, the SCSD central office, consultants, as well as other internal/external resources and stakeholders to implement new educational programs, school culture, systems reform, tools and other resources to accelerate student achievement.

REPORTS TO: Principal

The Vice Principal will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Results Orientation
  • Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that all team members must be advocates for students
  • Set high performance goals for self and others despite instability and obstacles to success
  • Establish and enforce high standards for excellence with students, teachers, and staff
  • Relentlessly focus school activities on student achievement
  • Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that it is their responsibility to help ensure this practice
  • Assist in creating a sense of urgency and in taking immediate action to ensure early successes
• Action Orientation
  • Effectively plan and take action to achieve goals and objectives under the direction of the principal
  • Consistently identify potential issues and obstacles and proactively take action to create and implement solutions
  • Formulate and execute on action plans despite ambiguity, obstacles or resistance
• Impact and Influence
  • Identify and engage teachers to drive consensus, build trust and facilitate change
  • Establish a culture of learning and achievement
  • Act consistently to influence others’ thinking and behavior to achieve results
  • Assist in anticipating and responding to stakeholder concerns and identify and engage key influencers and community resources necessary for success
• Lead High Performing Teams and Develop and Execute Rigorous, Standards-Aligned Instruction
  • Know and execute teaching and learning best practices, including involving different modalities and engaging a variety of students
  • Coach teachers on recognizing cause and effect between instructional activities and results
  • Effectively organize adult teams to mirror vision and produce maximum results
  • Understand strengths and areas of growth for both team and individuals
  • Effectively engage team in shared decision-making when appropriate
  • Encourage learning and consistently provide instruction, expectations, feedback and other developmental activities to encourage leadership and build capacity
  • Consistently inspire excellence and promote high morale and a positive school culture
• Strategic Planning and Problem Solving
  • Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to school…