High School Administrator for Intellectual Virtues based High School

Mission and Vision

Our mission is to develop the intellectual virtues – such dispositions as open-mindedness, curiosity, tenacity, and humility – in a thoughtful, challenging and supportive academic environment. We equip our students for the opportunities and challenges of college, career, and beyond, through these intellectual virtues, which are woven throughout all we do.  Because of this focus, we were the only K-12 school featured in Jonathan Haidt's N.Y. Time's Top 10 Bestseller Coddling of the American Mind as devleoping "smarter, wiser" students.  

For more detailed information, please see our website: www.ivahigh.org.

Our Staff and Community

Our staff is a critical part of providing a supportive and challenging education. Our teachers are highly qualified, come from diverse backgrounds, and approach learning with enthusiasm. We value relationships as an important component to school culture and collaboration, and see teachers as partners in all aspects of our community. We provide an energetic, entrepreneurial, and thoughtful organization dedicated to the growth of each of its students, and its staff. We work collaboratively with one another and provide a cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning.

IVA High is an inviting, joyful community where every student is cared about, known well, and appreciated for their unique attributes. We are committed to instilling in our students a love for learning.  IVA High has partnered with intellectual character experts from such places as Boston University, Harvard University, and Loyola Marymount University, which have provided research for professional development, and training on progressive instructional tools, such as utilizing thinking routines and project-based learning. Our talented faculty provides an outstanding educational experience that equips students with a strong academic foundation and valuable life skills. We employ a constructivist philosophy to allow students to continually reflect on their own learning, pose their own questions, and pursue answers in a structured, but highly personalized environment.

Description of Position

The Director of Student Services (DSS) organizes, administers, supervises and evaluates all aspects of the student services: counseling, special education, family engagement and communications, and marketing and enrollment outreach. This position is held accountable for the continuous development of the related school staff and responsive duties. Organizationally, this position is part of the leadership team along with the principal and Founding Director.

Student Services & Culture: oversee student services and culture

• Maintain a positive, supportive, inviting, and joyful learning environment

• Select and envision an Advisory Program including the recruiting, supporting, and professional development opportunities to implement Advisory Curriculum with the Counselor 

• Guide and monitor the alignment of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional practice including interventions

• Work with the Counselor, paraprofessionals, and office staff to consistently monitor, review and respond to attendance, disciplinary, and other relevant data to improve school climate and student engagement and ensure that management practices are free from bias and equitably applied to all students. 

• Manage student schedules and schedule changes, grades, report cards, progress reports, academic letters, SPED progress reports

• Ensure Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports – socio-economic, behavioral, attendance, social-emotional, academic – are actively in place for all students 

• Oversee Tier 3 intervention and support to students and families

• Assist in coordinating all non-classroom programs, including but not limited to after school programs, extra-curricular, social/emotional interventions, and special events such as field trips, recruitment events, and in-school fundraising.

• Meet weekly with the Intervention team to support a holistic approach to student support services

• Lead the implementation of school’s student discipline through restorative practices and problem solving policies

• Calendar internal events prior to the start of the year with Founding Director and team

• Oversee school events including field trips, graduation, prom, dances, etc.

Special Education: oversee special education

• Manage the Special Education process at the school, collaborating with LACOE Selpa, providers, and other student support services

• Meet with the Special Education vendors weekly/biweekly to monitor the services provided to students and ensure the school is in compliance with timelines, student and service needs

• Attend and participate in Individual Education Plan meetings as the LEA participant.

• Oversee the Special Education team to check for compliance, review student outcomes, and monitor service minutes

Outreach and Marketing

• Support the development and implementation of community outreach, student recruitment, and enculturating events to interested and incoming families including but not limited to Information Nights, Welcome Events, Exhibitions of Learning, Open House, and other school related events.

• Oversee the development of a student leadership program where students are trained to welcome new students

• Support and coordinate the goals and implementation of Family Alliance with the Outreach team, leading opportunities for parent and community involvement in the LCAP and Stakeholder Engagement Council throughout the year with the Founding Director 

• Identify faculty, staff,  students, board members, parents, and other volunteers who have the capacity and skill to move marketing forward (e.g. Create a Marketing Plan, toolkit, flyers, marketing materials, and documents such as IVA High school profile or IVA High at a glance)

• Oversee social media and website management to ensure communication with families and the broader community

• Continue to engage with feeder schools and parent communities that do not know about IVA High

• Host regular in-person classroom tours for interested families with outreach team

• Work in collaboration with the Founding Director and team to develop effective marketing and communications, including student  recruitment and oversight of the social media strategy 

• Encourage and support stakeholder attendance at authorizer board meetings to share celebrations, student achievement, and anecdotes at least three times each year.

Communications

• Serve as public face of the school; serve as the school's chief spokesperson and develop and maintain effective relationships with all stakeholders, government

• Represent the school’s distinctive educational model in a thoughtful, articulate, and convincing manner to parents, other stakeholders, and community members 

• Work closely, in collaboration with the Founding Director with IVA High’s Board of Directors to maintain effective communication with LACOE, community organizations, and the media  

• Implement annual surveys for students, families, and staff 

• Facilitate a reciprocal relationship with families that encourages them to assist the school and to participate in opportunities that extends our capacity to support students

• Develop healthy relationships, engagement, and invitation to decision-making with parents, leveraging existing connection opportunities

• Support teachers and staff in building relationships with all families that are empathetic and assume positive intent 

• Manage ParentSquare, review and often create newsletters and other blogs with support from outreach team

• Facilitate communication among the Board of Directors, Family Alliance, teachers, students and staff

Intellectual Virtues Responsibilities

• Develop a firm understanding of intellectual virtues in general (including their nature, structure, and value, educational and otherwise) and of IVA’s nine “master virtues” in particular. 

• Develop a firm understanding of the “core principles, practices, and postures” involved with an intellectual virtues educational model. 
• Take primary responsibility for and oversee a systematic and comprehensive implementation of IVA’s mission, including monitoring and supporting the role of other IVA stakeholders (teachers, advisors, parents, etc.) in this process. 
• Model IVA’s nine “master virtues” in his/her leadership of and interactions with other IVA stakeholders, especially teachers.  
• Engage in ongoing self-reflection and self-assessment aimed at his/her growth in intellectual virtues. 
• Take primary responsibility for creating a school climate and culture deeply rooted in and aligned with IVA’s mission.  
• Instruct and train IVA stakeholders—especially teachers and school leaders—in the core principles, practices, and postures of an intellectual virtues educational model, including the design and oversight of a corresponding professional development program.
• Continue to expand his/her understanding of the “best practices” involved with educating for intellectual virtues. 
• Share the uniqueness and advantages of an intellectual virtues approach to education with community members. 

IVA High Values 

• Sense of purpose: we deliberately align all of our thinking and decision-making with the mission, vision, and values of the school.
• Culture of thinking: we ask questions, seek understanding, and practice the habits of good thinking.
• Self-knowledge: believing in the importance of self-knowledge, we practice ongoing self-reflection and self-awareness.
• Openness and respect: we strive for a strong sense of community marked by collaboration, empowerment, and intentional openness and respect for the thinking of others 
• Growth mindset: being optimistic about the potential for personal growth, we embrace challenges and regard failure as an opportunity to learn and improve.