Middle School Leader (Queens)

Mission Statement: The Growing Up Green Charter School (GUGCS) supports children to be conscious, contributing members of their community through a rigorous, anti-racist, anti-bias, curriculum and an engaging green culture. Graduates of GUGCS will be prepared to attend high-performing schools where their interdisciplinary academic foundation, knowledge of sustainability, and strong sense of self sets them apart as leaders and social justice advocates of the future.

School Culture: GUGCS teaches students our school culture through our core values: Social Justice, Collaboration, Courage, and Kindness. Students are taught the core values through assemblies, class meetings, and various lessons.

Summary:  

The School Leader is responsible for creating an inclusive and diverse school community — for adults and students alike — that powerfully centers students in authentic, relevant, and rigorous learning experiences grounded in inquiry. This leader ensures equity across race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender, and ability is reflected not only in culture, but in systems and outcomes.

The School Leader partners with faculty and staff to cultivate students who are innately curious learners, open-minded thinkers, compassionate critics, productive problem-solvers, and passionate challengers of the status quo who embrace differences and take action to promote a more environmentally sustainable future. Through effective leadership of people, systems, and instruction, the School Leader develops educators, strengthens instructional coherence, and drives year-over-year gains in student achievement while advancing Growing Up Green’s mission. The School Leader reports directly to the Chief Academic Officer.

School Mission and Governance: 

• Guide, communicate and support the Growing Up Green school community in fulfilling its mission, values, and charter goals
• Collaborate with the school leadership team in long term strategic planning and goal setting
• Establish and maintain ongoing positive relationships and constructive interactions with students, families,  colleagues, and administration across all Growing Up Green schools
• Demonstrate commitment to working with diverse populations of families and students and model behavior that depicts respect, empathy, and a feeling of dignity and worth for all stakeholders

Curricular Program and Instructional Leadership:

• Ensure high-fidelity implementation of network-adopted curricula across all content areas, resulting in consistent grade-level instruction in every classroom.
• Develop instructional leaders and teachers so that unit internalization, lesson preparation, and task delivery consistently reflect grade-level standards and cognitive demand.
• Supervise and coach members of the leadership team to ensure coaching cycles produce observable improvements in instructional practice within 2–4 weeks.
• Establish clear expectations for lesson quality, intellectual preparation, and classroom execution, resulting in reduced instructional variability across classrooms.
• Ensure classrooms reflect developmentally responsive practices that support both strong academic outcomes and positive student culture.
• Monitor instructional quality through walkthroughs, data reviews, and coaching artifacts to ensure alignment between planned curriculum and enacted instruction.

Assessment and Student Achievement: 

• Implement network-aligned assessment systems and ensure data cycles result in timely reteach plans and measurable gains in student mastery.
• Set and reinforce ambitious goals for achievement, behavior, and attendance, resulting in year-over-year improvement across key performance indicators.
• Drive student performance outcomes towards State Test results that meet or exceed district, city, and state averages each year.
• Maintain the school’s “good standing” status through proactive monitoring of compliance, academic performance, and operational metrics.
• Ensure teachers consistently use interim  data to adjust instruction, group students strategically, and provide targeted support.
• Oversee report cards and progress reports to ensure grades accurately reflect standards mastery and are aligned to network expectations.
• Ensure retention decisions are data-driven, equitable, and supported by documented intervention efforts.

School Community and Culture: 

• Foster a school climate that supports community success and promotes respect and appreciation for all students, staff, and families in alignment with the mission and values of Growing Up Green
• Communicate the vision and model the practices that support Growing Up Green’s mission and core values
• Support, model, and consistently promote the Responsive Classroom/Developmental Designs approach
• Work closely with the school-based leadership team to provide academic, emotional, and behavioral support for students that is grounded in data-driven, culturally responsible, and equitable practices
• Work closely with the School Deans and School Counselors to support students and develop a safe and healthy school culture
• Work closely with the school-based leadership team to develop a weekly newsletter for all faculty, staff and families

Family Engagement and Community Outreach: 

• Ensure effective and positive communication with families regarding student academic progress and attendance concerns
• Supervise the Assistant School Leader in managing the scheduling and organization of Family Conferences
• Develop and lead Family Meetings or Workshops to keep families abreast of GUG’s mission and core values, strategies to support teaching and learning, updates on school culture and programs, and student learning
• Seek family and community partnerships within the District to support the growth and development of GUGCS

Operations, Personnel, and Enrollment: 

• Collaborate in the recruitment, development, and retainment of staff
• Collaborate in the processes and practices related to student recruitment, retention, enrollment and class placement
• Collaborate with other School Leaders in purchasing and budgeting throughout the year

Professional Responsibilities: 

• Foster a mutually supportive relationship with the Executive Director, other School Leaders, and Network Leadership Team
• Work with the Executive Director and leadership team to ensure compliance with all DOE and NYSED reporting and documentation requirements
• Plan Summer PD workshops with the Cross-Site Leadership Team. Lead the school community through August
• Opening Meetings, weekly staff meetings, PD opportunities, school committees, school events, etc.
• Attend GUGCS Board Meetings and Board Committee Meetings as needed
• Attend workshops and conferences to support the growth of GUGCS and remain current about issues related to educational leadership, school environment, family engagement, and student performance and growth
• Assume any other duties from time to time as delegated by the Executive Director and Chief Academic Officer

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Minimum of five years of teaching experience
• Minimum of five years of leadership experience in a middle school setting
• Demonstrated leadership ability, including experience coaching and managing and developing people
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and foster a learning mindset among staff
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative teams and foster a culture of growth, learning, and accountability
• Proven success in using data to inform instruction, systems, and operations within a school environment
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Strong belief in and knowledge of Responsive Classroom and Developmental Designs
• Strong commitment to Growing Up Green Charter School's mission and green mission
• Strong commitment to our values of kindness, collaboration and social justice
• Masters degree required, SBL/SDL preferred
• Starting Salary is $140,000 (salary scale commensurate with years of experience in the role and education level achieved)

Education

• Master’s Degree Required
• School Building Leadership (SBL) certificate preferred
• Ed.M, J.D., M.A. preferred

Required Certificate & Licenses:

• NYC DOE/Fingerprinting & Background Clearance