“Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.”
-Tom Peters
Our growing network of charter schools in New York City will need more than 100 new leaders over the next five years, including Principals, Deans, Directors of Operations, Grade Level Chairs and Content Chairs. That’s a terrific challenge for us – and an opportunity for talented, committed educators seeking leadership opportunities.
We take the development of our future leaders very seriously, and we have a thoughtful, methodical process for selecting and training them. You’ll receive coaching, mentoring and ongoing professional development along with the tools and support you need to be successful at KIPP NYC and over the course of your career.
The Leadership Path at KIPP NYC
1. We start with the KIPP Leadership Development Framework – our perspective on the competencies shared by the very best school leaders we’ve seen. By the time you’re assigned a significant leadership role at KIPP NYC, you will have developed and demonstrated deep instructional leadership skills, an unwavering student focus, and the ability to drive results, build effective relationships and manage people.
2. How do emerging leaders at all levels hone these skills and competencies?
- On-the-Job Coaching. Just like our students, we all learn by doing, and receiving feedback. Your manager (for example, your dean, grade level chair or principal) is your most important coach, and his/her responsibility is to help you look at your work thoughtfully and accurately, elicit feedback from others, identify key areas for growth and create opportunities for you to climb the learning curve in your current role.
- Mentoring. We think it takes more than a single manager, however capable, to help someone grow as a leader. We assign emerging leaders an additional, experienced mentor, often outside their school, to provide them with ongoing feedback, guidance and perspective.
- 360 Degree Feedback. In addition to receiving feedback from managers and mentors, emerging leaders receive feedback from colleagues and team members twice each year to round out the picture of their leadership growth and development.
- Leadership Projects. Working with their managers and mentors, emerging leaders identify specific “leadership projects” – crucible experiences – that push them to build leadership competencies within their roles while helping to drive school outcomes. These projects become the object of focused coaching and feedback.
- Professional Development Workshops.We provide two complimentary paths for honing your leadership competencies and skills:
- Through KIPP NYC—Throughout the year, our leadership cohorts – groups of similarly situated staff across KIPP NYC schools – participate in monthly skill-building workshops featuring both internal presenters and external experts. Emerging instructional leaders, for example, focus on developing instructional coaching skills and strategies, having difficult conversations, and using assessment data to adjust instruction.
- Through the KIPP Foundation—The KIPP Foundation runs the nationally-recognized KIPP School Leadership Programs over the summer and during the school year to support the development of teacher leaders, deans and individuals selected to lead KIPP schools. These programs include classroom learning, collaborative projects and residencies in KIPP schools around the country.
Are you interested?
If you’d like to make a difference as a leader, and if you share our rigor, high expectations and commitment to personal growth, there are plenty of opportunities to explore at KIPP NYC in the coming years. Contact us to learn more.
