DEAN OF STUDENTS SY2027

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 4,800 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools' strategic plan, "Moving Forward Together," builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students' well-being.

Many successes contributed to Holyoke's return to local governance after 10 years in state receivership. These include:

• The highest graduation rate on record of 77.1 percent, an increase of more than 15-points over 10 years
• Meaningful, applied learning opportunities for high school students, including theme-based academies, career vocational technical education programming, work-based learning, and advanced coursework
• A comprehensive approach to early literacy that includes strong core instruction and one-on-one tutoring, contributing to more students reading at grade level
• A thriving dual language English/Spanish program, where nearly 900 students are on their path to becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural
• More than one-third of Holyoke teachers identify as people of color, a 19-point increase over 10 years. Many partnership programs support staff to earn licensure or additional certification.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us, our recent accomplishments, and our commitment to equity.

• PERSPECTIVA GENERAL DEL DISTRITO

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público que cuenta con 11 escuelas de prekínder a 12.° grado y acoge a casi 4 800 estudiantes, de los cuales el 80 % se identifica como latino o latina. Empleamos a casi 1 300 personas que, en conjunto, educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes altamente diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que creen firmemente que todos los niños pueden aprender y aprenderán, y que se esfuerzan diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento, apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke , "Avanzando Juntos", se basa en nuestras fortalezas previas y, al mismo tiempo, sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje estudiantil a través de una nueva perspectiva sobre cómo enseñamos, cómo trabajamos en colaboración y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Existen numerosos logros que permitieron a Holyoke recuperar el control local después de 10 años de administración judicial. Entre estos logros se encuentran:

• La tasa de graduación más alta registrada, del 77.1 %, lo que representa un aumento de más de 15 puntos porcentuales en 10 años
• Oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje práctico para estudiantes de secundaria, que incluyen academias temáticas, programas de educación técnica y vocacional, aprendizaje basado en el trabajo y cursos avanzados
• Un enfoque integral de la alfabetización temprana que combina una sólida instrucción básica con tutorías individuales, lo cual ha contribuido a que más estudiantes lean a nivel de grado
• Un próspero programa bilingüe de inglés/español, en el que casi 900 estudiantes avanzan hacia el bilingüismo, la biliteracidad, y la biculturalidad.
• Más de un tercio de los maestros de Holyoke se identifican como personas de etnicidad diversa, lo que representa un aumento de 19 puntos porcentuales en 10 años. Diversas colaboraciones con programas que han contribuido a que miembros del personal obtengan sus certificaciones o credenciales adicionales.

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para obtener más información sobre nuestra comunidad, nuestros logros recientes y nuestro compromiso con la equidad.

DEAN OF STUDENTS ROLE OVERVIEW / KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The district believes that schools are the units of change and that school leaders are vital to school success. The Peck Middle School Dean(s) of Students will support the Principal to effectively lead, manage, and oversee all functions of the school. Under the direction of the Principal, s/he will have the responsibility to:

• Build and cultivate a high-performing, positive and collaborative school culture in support of students:

• Maintain high expectations for the achievement of all students, particularly the traditionally underserved student populations (i.e., students with disabilities, limited language proficiency, and low socio-economic status), in collaboration with the school leadership team

• Support teachers to hold all students to high and consistent behavioral expectations

• Serve as a resource to teachers in terms of issues of discipline, relationships with students, classroom management, and school culture

• Serving as the point person for discipline/culture issues

• Supervise breakfast, lunch, in-between class transitions, activity period/office hour, and dismissal, making sure that students are always where they are supposed to be and ensuring a professional school culture at these times.

• Manage before and after school detention

• Foster positive student culture and climate and build positive relationships with individual students

• Develop relationships and behavior plans with those students who need help by coaching, supporting, and compelling these students towards increasingly positive behavior.

• Organize student activities including clubs, pep rallies, prom, community service projects, etc. and Coordinate student leadership opportunities (e.g. student council) and organize student activities and incentives

• Support school implementation on Restorative Justice, in collaboration with the Director of Student Support and Student Support Team.

• Serve as the primary formation and discipline authority for students, support teachers with students who are being disruptive in class, remove students (as necessary) and assign appropriate consequences.

• Manage and operate a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment:

• Lead the development and implementation of a multi-tiered system of social-emotional and instructional supports for all students.

• Develop and execute systems and procedures (e.g., student behavior management systems, schedules, interventions, PD, food services, transportation) that promote teaching and learning.

• Monitor students' attendance rates and employ strategies and incentives to increase attendance, in collaboration with clerks and members of the Family and Community Engagement team

• Track behavior statistics, discipline interventions, and outcomes on an individual student level and on a school-wide level and maintain up-to-date digital data and be able to communicate information both orally and in written format.

• Analyze school-wide trends behavior and class transitions and develop and lead initiatives to address challenges.

• Work collaboratively with the guidance department, related service provider, family and community engagement staff, partners and other individuals to ensure that students and families receive appropriate level of support services.

• Partner with families and community members:

• Build relationships and engage frequently with parents and community members as critical partners in school improvement.

• Demonstrate an appreciation of cultural and language differences and the resulting needs of students.

• Participate in formal and informal meetings and conferences with principal, parents, students, and members of the community.

• Facilitate outreach to community leaders and organizations for the purpose of developing resources, community service projects, and building partnerships with community members.

• Specifics:

• Report to the Peck Middle School Principal.

• Have a high degree of trust and autonomy, with accountability to outcomes.

• Maintain up-to-date digital data and be able to communicate information both orally and in written format.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:

Experience, skills, traits, and beliefs:

• Excellent managerial skills, with proven success managing and coaching a team of professionals to ambitious goals
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to guide and inspire teachers, school staff, school leaders and central office staff toward a common goal
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with a track record of motivating and support students and working collaboratively with staff, families and partners to build consensus and deliver exceptional results
• Outstanding problem solving skills
• A commitment to high expectations for all students, particularly the traditionally underserved student populations (i.e., students with disabilities, limited language proficiency, and low socio-economic status) and unwavering belief that all students can excel
• Ability to be a bold, innovative, and engaging change agent and culture-creator; a leader with a track record of inspiring and motivating those around them
• Bachelor's degree, and Master's degree in Education or related field
• Certified (or in the process of obtaining certification) in Massachusetts as a teacher, counselor, director or principal
• Experience as an educator and teacher leader in an urban setting
• Experience leading, supervising, and/or directing other professionals
• Preferred: bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Preferred: strong cultural competence in working with students and families of Puerto Rican descent

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Salary and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with experience. This will be a 205/208 day position dependent on location (reference HEA MOA).