This position is a co-guardian of the intellectual and moral cultivation of the school.
DEAN OF STUDENTS
Position Overview
Lafayette Classical Academy seeks a senior-level Dean of Students to serve as the guardian of classical integrity, the builder of academic excellence, and the steward of student character and conduct across grades K–12.
The Dean of Students is responsible for preserving and strengthening the school’s classical vision while ensuring measurable academic rigor, faculty development, operational clarity, and a well-ordered school culture in which virtue is taught, practiced, and expected. This role oversees all K–12 faculty, department chairs, instructional coaches, and literacy specialists; leads the school’s character education and student discipline; and partners closely with the Head of School as she leads the intellectual, moral, and cultural life of the Academy.
The Dean will teach one to two courses annually (schedule pending), modeling instructional excellence and remaining directly engaged in the life of the classroom.
This is a long-term leadership role designed to strengthen Lafayette Classical Academy’s academic and cultural foundation during a period of strategic growth.
Position Details
Reports to: Head of School
Leadership: Member of the school’s leadership (L10) team
Supervises: K–12 faculty, department chairs, instructional coaches, literacy specialists, and recess/lunch/duty supervisors
Status: Full-time, 12-month, salaried (exempt) position
Mission of the Role
The Dean of Students will:
- Guard the integrity of the classical model
Ensure fidelity to the Hillsdale College K–12 Program Guide
- Build systems that sustain academic excellence
Form students in virtue, so that they learn self-government and ordered liberty
- Maintain a safe, orderly, and joyful school culture in which learning can flourish
Cultivate a faculty culture rooted in truth, goodness, and beauty
- Strengthen structures that support long-term institutional growth
Primary Responsibilities
1. Academic Vision & Classical Integrity
Ensure full alignment with the Hillsdale K–12 Program Guide
- Protect and advance the classical liberal arts framework
Strengthen the integration of grammar, logic, and rhetoric across grades
- Strengthen the language of instruction and execution of mathematics across grade levels
Support the cultivation of intellectual virtue and ordered freedom
- Help nurture Lafayette’s house structure and academic culture
2. Faculty Leadership & Development
Supervise all K–12 faculty
- Oversee department chairs, instructional coaches, and literacy specialists
In concert with the Head of School, help conduct evaluations and classroom observations, with timely, actionable feedback
- Mentor and develop faculty
Lead a structured induction program for new teachers
- Coach teachers in classroom management and train all faculty and staff in the schoolwide discipline plan
Participate in teacher recruitment, demo lessons, and hiring processes
- Assist in leading faculty meetings
Support professional development planning and implementation
- Build and refine department chair structures
Long-term: Develop a classical faculty training institute
3. Curriculum & Assessment Oversight
- Oversee academic scope and sequence K–12
Ensure assessment integrity through:
o NWEA
o CLT
o Internal diagnostics
- Serve as testing coordinator and maintain the school-wide assessment calendar
Monitor academic interventions and support systems
- Oversee academic probation monitoring
Support and strengthen the Senior Thesis program
- Provide transcript oversight and academic record accuracy
4. Academic Operations & Systems
Own the academic calendar
- Manage academic communication to parents
Schedule parent-teacher conferences
- Oversee grading timelines
Ensure report card accuracy and distribution
- Maintain academic handbook
Oversee gradebook systems and policies
- Create and refine the academic school schedule (master schedule) for both teachers and students
5. Student Academic Oversight
Support academic probation structures
- Oversee academic standards and performance monitoring
Collaborate with faculty on student progress
- Coordinate individual learning, intervention, and accommodation plans with teachers and parents
Maintain and uphold the Academic Honor Code; meet with students who commit academic violations (such as cheating or plagiarism) to determine consequences and remediation
6. Character Education & Virtue Formation
- In conjunction with the Head of School, support the school-wide character education program, grounded in Lafayette Classical Academy’s four cardinal virtues: fortitude, prudence, justice, and temperance
Ensure virtue is integrated at all levels and in all activities (in classrooms, House Time, assemblies, and daily routines, etc.)
- Steward the house system as a source of belonging, student leadership, service, and friendly competition
Oversee the merit and demerit system so that virtue and achievement are recognized and expectations are clear
- Help lead assemblies, recitations, and school traditions that reinforce character
Develop opportunities for student leadership and service
- Personally model the virtues the school seeks to form in its students
7. Student Conduct & Discipline
Develop, maintain, and consistently apply a school-wide discipline plan rooted in virtue and aimed at formation, not punishment
- Maintain the Student Code of Conduct, dress code, and behavioral sections of the Family Handbook
In conjunction with the Head of School, coordinate procedures for discipline referrals, documentation, and parent notification, and maintain confidential disciplinary records
- Meet with students referred for discipline to determine consequences and steps toward restoration
Serve as the primary liaison to families on conduct matters, communicating promptly, clearly, and respectfully
- Help teachers resolve conduct and communication concerns with students and parents
Develop behavior support plans with teachers and parents for students with recurring concerns
- Coordinate suspensions and make recommendations on expulsion to the Head of School in accordance with policy
Oversee attendance and tardiness policies, monitoring, and family follow-up
- Report discipline and attendance trends to the Head of School
8. School Culture, Safety & Student Life
The Dean serves as next in line whenever the Head of School is unavailable
o Serve as administrator on duty at after-school and evening events if needed
- Create supervision and duty schedules for arrival, carline, lunch, recess, assemblies, and events
Participate in dismissal (carline) procedures
- Plan and run all safety and emergency drills (fire, severe weather, and lockdown) and be present for each drill
Coordinate field trips in keeping with the school’s mission
o Oversee Club Coordinator
9. Teaching Responsibilities
- Teach one to two courses annually (schedule pending)
Model excellence in classical pedagogy
- Demonstrate strong classroom culture and instructional clarity
Contribute to the intellectual life of the school
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
Minimum 10 years experience in classical education
- Demonstrated alignment with classical liberal arts philosophy
Experience supervising faculty
- Experience in curriculum oversight
Demonstrated success in classroom management and student discipline
- High moral character and evident personal virtue
Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Deep understanding of grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages
Preferred
Master’s degree or higher
- Experience with Hillsdale K–12 Program Guide
Experience building academic systems in a growing school
- Experience mentoring faculty
Experience leading character education, a house system, or school-wide discipline
- Experience with student support plans and standardized testing coordination
Personal Characteristics
The ideal candidate is:
A guardian of classical integrity
- A builder of academic excellence
A steward of virtue who forms hearts as well as minds
- A cultivator of beauty and order
A systems thinker
- Calm, steady, and principled
Firm and fair, holding high standards with patience and love
- Courageous and clear in difficult conversations
A joyful presence with students, parents, and faculty
- Able to combine rigor with warmth
Deeply aligned with Lafayette Classical Academy’s mission
Leadership Context
Lafayette Classical Academy is entering a period of intentional growth, with projected enrollment increases and expanded academic programming. The Dean of Students will help build durable academic and cultural structures capable of sustaining growth while preserving institutional integrity.
Why This Role Matters
The Dean of Students safeguards both the intellectual architecture and the moral culture of Lafayette Classical Academy. As the school grows, this role ensures that excellence and virtue do not erode under expansion but instead deepen in clarity, coherence, and beauty.