Director/Head of School, See Forever Foundation: The Maya Angelou Academy – Washington, DC

The See Forever Foundation, located in Washington, D.C. is recruiting a Director for the school we operate at the District’s long-term secure detention facility for youth who have been adjudicated delinquent. The school is the Maya Angelou Academy, and it is located within the New Beginnings Youth Center (formerly known as Oak Hill), in Laurel, MD. The Academy is an all male high school, serving all of the students detained at New Beginnings. Daily enrollment averages between 60 and 70 students.

In partnership with the District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), we have made the Maya Angelou Academy a national model for educating incarcerated youth.

We are looking for a Director who has excellent leadership skills, has demonstrated the capacity to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders in pursuit of a common goal, is creative and entrepreneurial, possesses an unrelenting belief that all students can achieve, and has achieved positive academic and social-emotional results working with students in alternative settings.

Background on See Forever and the Maya Angelou Academy

See Forever opened in 1997 to provide a small, nurturing education program for students who had not succeeded in traditional schools. In addition to the Maya Angelou Academy, See Forever currently operates three campuses in Washington, DC under the Maya Angelou Public Charter School name. One high school is located in the historic Shaw district at 9th and T Streets NW, and the second high school is in the former Evans Middle School at 57th and East Capitol Streets NE. The third campus, a middle school, is also located in the Evans building.

During the summer of 2007, See Forever was awarded a contract by the DC Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to operate the Maya Angelou Academy (formerly the Oak Hill Academy) in Laurel, MD, and an affiliated Transition Center in Washington, DC. Nearly all of the students are years behind grade level academically, many have special needs, and most have experienced significant trauma at some point in their lives. At the Maya Angelou Academy, we aim to provide our students with the best education they have ever had.

Early results at the Maya Angelou Academy are promising. Students are improving their English and math scores at an annualized rate nearing 1.5 grade levels per year. In addition, student retention post release has doubled during our tenure. The Academy has been called “one of the best” programs in a correctional setting by a national expert working for the court monitor. The same expert termed the turnaround at the school under See Forever’s tenure ‘remarkable.” The Academy recently was recommended for accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, as well.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The Director will assume the role of school-wide leader at the Maya Angelou Academy, replacing the school’s founding principal after four years. The Director will report to See Forever’s Executive Director, in coordination with a subcommittee of See Forever’s Board of Directors.

The Director will directly supervise a leadership team which includes a Dean of Academics, a Director of Special Education, a Director of Finance and Administration, and a Dean of Students.

The Director’s responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

  • Providing clarity of mission and purpose to Maya Angelou Academy staff both day-to-day and on a long-term basis.
  • Managing the Maya Angelou Academy-DYRS relationship. This entails serving as the school’s primary liaison with DYRS leadership at the New Beginnings Youth Center and overall.
  • Ensuring that the academic, operational and administrative aspects of the school function at high levels, enabling students to grow and learn at unprecedented levels during their time at the Academy.
  • Managing school’s budget and finances within DYRS contract terms.
  • Reporting to and working with See Forever Executive Director and Board of Directors, including providing accurate and up to date performance data on ongoing basis.
  • Fostering a collegial and collaborative environment that supports and sustains school staff.
  • Coordinating the day-to-day logistics of the school (class schedules, teacher coverage, etc.).
  • Leading an ongoing review of long-term strategy, program design, and implementation in light of student outcomes vis-à-vis school mission and goals.

    Qualifications

    Ideal candidates for the position of the Director will:

  • Have significant leadership experience in supporting high academic achievement for adolescents who have not succeeded in traditional settings and are functioning significantly below grade level and/or have special needs.
  • Have demonstrated success working in a leadership role in settings with multiple stakeholders, preferably in a secure or alternative setting.
  • Have experience managing and leading staff in pursuit of excellence, in the face of institutional constraints.
  • Have youth development experience, including setting student learning and behavior goals, and supporting engagement and relationship-building with traditionally disconnected youth/young adults.
  • Embrace a school culture that requires all staff to work beyond the traditional school hours and the traditional school year in order to create an environment filled with hope and high expectations, where students will radically improve their academic, employment, and social skills.
  • Have a master’s degree in educational administration/leadership, teaching or another area of education. (Exceptional candidates without a master’s degree or with master’s degrees in other areas of administration may be considered.)

    Position, Salary and Benefits

    This is a full-time position. The ideal candidate will be able to start between May and July, 2011.

    The salary for this position will be negotiable, based on the training and experience of the successful candidate. In addition, See Forever offers a robust benefits plan, including health care coverage, a 403(b) savings plan, and a computer purchase assistance plan.

    To Apply
    If you are interested in applying for this position, send your resume, a cover letter which includes your salary history, and contact information for three references by e-mail to: mayaacademycareers [at] seeforever [dot] org. The subject line of the e-mail should indicate the position for which you are applying. Resumes, cover letters and references should be in MS Word, and sent as e-mail attachments.

    See Forever is an equal opportunity employer. We believe a diverse staff is a better, more effective staff. Persons of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

    Category: Jobs
    This entry was posted Friday, 4 March, 2011 at 5:29 pm You can follow any responses to this entry via RSS. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
    CORE is the national nonprofit organization promoting and strengthening residential education programs for economically and socially disadvantaged youth.