Principal, Elementary School

Principal - Elementary Required Qualifications: Education/Training/Experience: Master's degree in administration or a related field. Minimum of six (6) years of successful school experience, including at least two (2) years of experience as an administrator. * Demonstrated success in leadership positions. Demonstrated ability with communication and interpersonal skills with students, parents, colleagues, and community members.

• Other combinations of applicable education and leadership experience that provide the necessary knowledge, abilities, and skills to perform effectively in the position may be considered if there is a minimum of six (6) total years of teaching/administrative experience with at least two (2) years of administrative leadership. Certification/License: MSDE Administrator II endorsement Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Capable of performing the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations. Preferred Qualifications: Education/Training/Experience: Teaching and/or administrative experience at the level in which candidate is applying. Minimum of two (2) years successful elementary school-based administrative experience. Prior experience as an assistant principal at the elementary level. Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Ability to learn and apply district aspirational goals, policies and state laws that govern public schools. Familiarity with FCPS system initiatives and programs. Essential Functions: FCPS seeks highly motivated and talented leaders to join our team. We seek individuals who are passionate about helping all students achieve at the highest levels and eliminating existing achievement gaps. We are looking for leaders who are dedicated to implementing rigorous educational opportunities and programs that: Reach our students with exceptional teaching and caring support, Challenge our students to achieve their potential, and Prepare our students for success in a global society. FCPS is looking for school administrators who demonstrate the following competencies: Excellent leadership and human relations skills that result in energized students, staff and families focused on helping each student achieve academic success and well-being. Commitment to equity and cultural proficiency in order to eliminate existing achievement gaps. Dedication to student learning ensuring that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, receives an excellent education. Commitment to professional learning for all staff and the use of an accelerated learning process designed to support teachers in monitoring student learning, administering data-driven decisions that promote differentiated instruction, sharing instructional best practices and examining student work. Ability to analyze and conceptualize data to address opportunities and challenges and lead the school improvement process. Commitment to teamwork and staff empowerment Commitment to family engagement and developing an inclusive, caring, and supportive school culture Model servant leadership by coaching, mentoring, and supporting staff while holding them accountable for ensuring student success. Experience with observing and evaluating teachers utilizing the Danielson Framework for Teaching Knowledge of fiscal management and budgeting Ability to learn and apply district aspirational goals, policies and state laws that govern public schools. Ability to attract and retain highly qualified staff. Reporting directly to the instructional director, the principal performs the following duties to promote each student's academic success and well-being and to achieve systemic goals: Develop, advocate, and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-quality education. Develop an education mission for the school to promote the academic success and well-being of each student. In collaboration with members of the school and community and using relevant data, develop and promote a vision for the school on the successful learning and development of each child and on instructional and organizational practices that promote such success. Articulate, advocate, and cultivate core values that define the school's culture and stress the imperative of child-centered education; high expectations and student support; equity, inclusiveness, and social justice; openness, caring and trust; and continuous improvement. Strategically develop, implement, and evaluate actions to achieve the vision for the school. Review the school's mission and vision and adjust them to changing expectations and opportunities for the school and changing needs and situations of students. A shared understanding of and commitment to mission, vision, and core values within the school and the community. Act ethically and professionally. Act ethically, professionally, and personally in personal conduct, relationships with others, decision- making, stewardship of the school's resources, and all aspects of school leadership. Act according to and promote the professional norms of integrity, fairness, transparency, trust, collaboration, perseverance, learning and continuous improvement. Place children at the center of education and accept responsibility for each student's academic success and well-being. Safeguard and promote the values of democracy, individual freedom and responsibility, equity, social justice, community, and diversity. Lead with interpersonal and communication skills, social-emotional insight, and understanding of all students' and staff members' backgrounds and cultures. Provide moral direction for the school and promote ethical and professional behavior among faculty and staff. Strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices. Ensure that each student is treated fairly, respectfully, and with an understanding of each student's culture and context. Recognize, respect, and employ each student's strengths, diversity, and culture as assets for teaching and learning. Ensure that each student has equitable access to effective teachers, learning opportunities, academic and social support, and other resources necessary for success. Develop student policies and address student misconduct in a positive, fair, and unbiased manner. Confront and alter institutional biases of student marginalization, deficit-based schooling, and low expectations associated with race, class, culture and language, gender and sexual orientation, and disability or special status. Promote the preparation of students to live productively in and contribute to the diverse cultural contexts of a global society. Act with cultural competence and responsiveness in their interactions, decision making, and practice. Address matters of equity and cultural responsiveness in all aspects of leadership. Develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment that promote the mission, vision, and core values of the school, embody high expectations for student learning, align with academic standards, and are culturally responsive. Align and focus systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment within and across grade levels to promote student academic success, love of learning, the identities and habits of learners, and a healthy sense of self. Promote instructional practice that is consistent with knowledge of child learning and development, effective pedagogy, and the needs of each student. Ensure instructional practice that is intellectually challenging, authentic to student experiences, recognizes student strengths, and is differentiated and personalized. Promote the effective use of technology in the service of teaching and learning. Employ valid assessments that are consistent with knowledge of child learning and development and technical standards of measurement. Use assessment data appropriately and within technical limitations to monitor student progress and improve instruction. Cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community. Build and maintain a safe, caring, and healthy school environment that meets the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student. Create and sustain a school environment in which each student is known, accepted, and valued, trusted, and respected, cared for, and encouraged to be an active and responsible member of the school community. Provide coherent systems of academic and social supports, services, extracurricular activities, and accommodations to meet the range of learning needs of each student. Promote adult-student, student-peer, and school-community relationships that value and support academic learning and positive social and emotional development. Cultivate and reinforce student engagement in school and positive student conduct. Infuse the school's learning environment with the cultures and languages of the school's community. Develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel. Recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain effective and caring teachers and other professional staff, and form them into an educationally effective faculty. Plan for and manage staff turnover and succession, providing opportunities for effective induction and mentoring of new personnel. Develop teachers' and staff members' professional knowledge, skills, and practice through differentiated opportunities for learning and growth, guided by understanding of professional and adult learning and development. Foster continuous improvement of individual and collective instructional capacity to achieve outcomes envisioned for each student. Deliver actionable feedback about instruction and other professional practice through valid, research- anchored systems of supervision and evaluation to support the development of teachers' and staff members' knowledge, skills, and practice. Empower and motivate teachers and staff to the highest levels of professional practice and to continuous learning and improvement. Develop the capacity, opportunities, and support for teacher leadership and leadership from other members of the school community. Promote the personal and professional health, well-being, and work-life balance of faculty and staff. Tend to their own learning and effectiveness through reflection, study, and improvement, maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Foster a professional community of teachers and other professional staff. Develop workplace conditions for teachers and other professional staff that promote effective professional development, practice, and student learning. Empower and entrust teachers and staff with collective responsibility for meeting the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each student, pursuant to the mission, vision, and core values of the school. Establish and sustain a professional culture of engagement and commitment to shared vision, goals, and objectives pertaining to the education of the whole child; high expectations for professional work; ethical and equitable practice; trust and open communication; collaboration, collective efficacy, and continuous individual and organizational learning and improvement. Promote mutual accountability among teachers and other professional staff for each student's success and the effectiveness of the school as a whole. Develop and support open, productive, caring, and trusting working relationships among leaders, faculty, and staff to promote professional capacity and the improvement of practice. Design and implement job-embedded and other opportunities for professional learning collaboratively with faculty and staff. Provide opportunities for collaborative examination of practice, collegial feedback, and collective learning. Encourage faculty-initiated improvement of programs and practices. Engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal. and mutually beneficial ways. Are approachable, accessible, and welcoming to families and members of the community. Create and sustain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with families and the community for the benefit of students. Engage in regular and open two-way communication with families and the community about the school, students, needs, problems, and accomplishments. Maintain a presence in the community to understand its strengths and needs, develop productive relationships, and engage its resources for the school. Create means for the school community to partner with families to support student learning in and out of school. Understand, value, and employ the community's cultural, social, intellectual, and political resources to promote student learning and school improvement. Develop and provide the school as a resource for families and the community. Advocate for the school and district, and for the importance of education and student needs and priorities to families and the community. March 2025 FREDERICK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER THIS JOB DESCRIPTION HAS BEEN WRITTEN TO INDICATE THE GENERAL NATURE AND LEVEL OF WORK PERFORMED BY AN EMPLOYEE HOLDING THIS POSITION. IT IS NOT WRITTEN TO INCLUDE OR BE INTERPRETED TO INCLUDE A COMPREHENSIVE INVENTORY OF ALL DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED OF THE EMPLOYEE. NOTHING IN THIS DESCRIPTION RESTRICTS MANAGEMENT'S RIGHT TO ASSIGN OR REASSIGN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OR ADD REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AT ANY TIME.