New School Acting Principal Assigned / Project Director New School
New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) seeks experienced educators who can demonstrate sustained success in driving student achievement growth, who will submit New School Proposals and serve as New School Acting Principal Assigned / Project Director for the 2025-26 school year.
One of Chancellor David Banks’ four pillars for improving and building trust with New York City Public Schools families is to reimagine the student experience. A key part of the strategy to transform the student experience is to create new, high-performing, and innovative schools. To achieve this goal, we are seeking highly qualified leaders with a clear vision for a robust student experience and a track record of strong leadership and management to build school culture, realize an instructional vision and develop models for innovative and successful educational practices for the next generation. Qualified individuals will create the vision and mission of the new school and have the tenacity and commitment required to build a team and school from the ground up.
Overview: NYCPS aims to create an equitable and effective range of school and program options for students and families in New York City. The office works to identify and develop high quality new innovative district schools, dual and bilingual language programs, career and technical education programs, and other specialized programs to meet community needs. The core of the work is to create many paths to the same outcome for students: a good education, preparation for college and productive citizenship, and a path to economic security.
New School Acting Principal Assigned/Project Director will oversee the creation of a new school that will open in September 2025. In collaboration with the superintendent and community stakeholders, the Acting Principal Assigned/Project Director will design and develop the new school, including in the following targeted areas: mission and vision, student and staff recruitment, curriculum development and data-driven instruction, school culture, serving special populations, budget, and finance. Central to the school design is student voice, students as co-creators, students as the drivers of their own learning (self discovery), and social construction–teamwork and collaboration.
Please submit your application to newschoolsjobs@schools.nyc.gov by July 31, 2024.
Applications must include:
- Resume
- A New School Proposal that articulates a clear vision for student academic and non-academic experiences. Please be specific about how you will achieve this vision for students.
- In your proposal, please also address the following questions in no more than 1,000 words total:
- What is the envisioned educational framework and mission of the prospective new school?
- What core knowledge, skills, and competencies will graduates of the new school possess upon completion of their studies?
- What strategies will you implement to ensure the school’s continued success and sustained effectiveness in the ensuing years?
- What tangible evidence or data supports the projected demand for this school and its ability to maintain sustainable enrollment figures?
- What systematic challenge does this school address?
- What grade span or special population will the proposed new school serve?
- Why are you the person to lead this new school?
- What are 3 characteristics that will enable you to be successful in leading this school?
- How will you engage the community (students/families/community stakeholders) in the design, development, and ongoing operation of this new school?
Applicants must possess a valid New York State certificate in School Administration/Supervision (SAS), School District Administrator (SDA) or in School Building Leadership (SBL) and must be in the Principals’ Pool.
NYCPS will review the application and will notify you if you are selected to move forward in the selection process. In addition to reviewing the quality of your application, we are looking for leaders with the following qualifications:
- Track record of success at increasing student achievement outcomes in a school
- Experience in data-based decision making and strategic planning around instructional implementation to increase student achievement
- Attentive to detail, well organized, able to work under pressure, and meet frequent and changing deadlines
- Sound judgment; skilled with group problem-solving and working with complex concepts in a dynamic setting
- Ability to organize facts and present information and figures in a clear, concise, and logical manner, both orally and in writing
- Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and reconcile incongruent data
- In-depth knowledge of the NYC public school system
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to receive constructive feedback and engage in a collaborative and rigorous development of school design
- Prior success in leading adult team building—being a team leader and teaching others how to lead teams
Selected new leaders will receive support from the Office of New School Development & Design throughout the planning and design process. Among other topics, leaders will receive support in developing rigorous and engaging curriculum, creating and executing student recruitment and family engagement strategies, deepening understanding of school budget management, and identifying potential opportunities for additional funding.
Appointment to the principal position is subsequently subject to selection through the Chancellor’s C30 Process.
