The Managing Director of High Schools (MDHS) leads the improvement of KIPP Team & Family’s existing high schools and builds the long-term design for what a KIPP TEAM & Family (KTAF) high school should be. The role starts with the schools we have — driving four-year college matriculation, SAT and GPA outcomes, and student and staff culture — and grows into the org-wide strategy work that determines what our high schools become.The MDHS reports to the CAO and is also a member of the Newark regional leadership team, working in close partnership with the Managing Director of Schools in Newark. Over time, the person in this role may also join the Camden, Paterson, and Miami regional leadership teams to support high school-specific outcomes and workstreams. Scope of ResponsibilityNewark: Direct management of high school School Leaders.Camden, Miami, Paterson: Dotted-line management of the high school Principal Manager in each region; accountable for partnering with those managers to produce strong high school outcomes. Our Paterson high school will be founded in the near future, and the person in this role will help to inform and shape the school design.Org-wide: Owns the KTAF high school strategic plan and leads a cross-functional team of high school specialists.PrioritiesPriority 1: Improve our current high schools: This is the first job and the one that matters most in year one. Raise four-year college matriculation by moving our topline SAT and GPA goals, and improve student and staff culture.Serve as the Principal Manager for Newark high school School Leaders — set goals, coach, observe, and hold the bar.Set annual academic and culture goals with School Leaders, aligned to org-wide strategy and approved by the CAO/CEO.Drive SAT and GPA topline goals and four-year college matriculation across the high school band.Improve student culture and staff culture, measured by survey results, attrition, attendance, and walkthroughs.Monitor school health indicators and intervene where schools are off track.Priority 2: Lead and rally the high school specialists: Build one high-performing team out of the people whose work touches high schools across Teaching & Learning, Special Education, Student Experience, and KIPP Forward.Direct management: high school Teaching & Learning and Special Education.Dotted-line management: high school Student Experience and KIPP Forward.Set a shared vision, agenda, goals, and standards across this group so high schools get coherent support rather than four separate workstreams.Collaborate with the Director of Special Education on strategy and programming for students with disabilities.Partner with KIPP Forward on college match strategy and post-secondary outcomes.Priority 3: Coach and develop each region’s high school principal manager: Camden and Miami high schools improve through the MD of High School’s influence and partnership, not direct management.Hold a standing, structured partnership with each region’s high school Principal Manager through a dotted-line reporting relationship.Agree on outcome targets with each Principal Manager and their regional leader; review progress on a set cadence.Build a cohesive high school culture across the band — shared norms, common data protocols, and real best-practice sharing between cities.Present high school perspective and best practices in regional leadership team spaces when appropriate. Priority 4: Build the KTAF high school strategic plan: Research, design, build, and implement a plan that answers the question “what makes a KIPP Team & Family high school?” in each of our regions.Assess the changing high school and post-secondary landscape in Newark, Camden, and Miami — each city is different, and the plan should say how.Address the need for alternative and therapeutic programming for students our current model does not serve well.Maintain an in-depth knowledge of research-based, trends, and innovation in the high school space. Expand CTE and industry certification options in response to what our communities are asking for, while holding our identity as college-preparatory schools.Evaluate innovative models, dual enrollment, and magnet designs.Define what is standardized across KTAF high schools and what is decided regionally.Own 8th-to-9th grade transition outcomes and ensure that our top-performing middle school students seek to enroll in our high schools.Priority 5: Align regional leaders around high schools: Make sure high schools are well-resourced and sit at the center of each region’s talent and resource allocation strategy.Collaborate with regional leaders in every region on staffing, budget, and facilities decisions that affect high schools.Develop emerging leaders and School Leader succession pipelines for high schools, in partnership with the Talent Team.Serve as a partner to the Talent Team on high school talent acquisition, leadership development, retention, and REI strategy.Ensure on-time school openings and grade foundings, and successful starts for new high school leaders.Key OutcomesSchool performanceFour-year college matriculation and enrollment outcomesPercentage of students hitting SAT and GPA benchmarksStudent achievement on standardized tests, internal assessments, and the state report cardStudent and staff culture: survey results, attrition, attendance, and walkthrough dataTalent developmentCultivating, developing, and retaining strong Teachers, Assistant Principals, Principals in Residence, and School Leaders to increase the size of our leadership bench and to drive talented teacher retention On-time school openings and grade foundings, leader succession readiness, and successful outcomes for new leadersStrategyA completed, adopted high school strategic plan with a funded implementation path
