Dean of Engagement and Student Support

Position Type: Administration and Professionals Date Posted: 2025-01-14 Location:Administration or As Assigned INTRODUCTION: CONTEXT AND MISSION The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) serves approximately 37,000 students in 100+ schools. Over the past several years, the Greater Cleveland community has united behind the collective goal of ensuring every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. The Cleveland Plan defines CMSD's approach to the reinvention of public education and holds our community accountable for the success of Cleveland's schoolchildren. The Cleveland Plan is supported by Ohio House Bill 525, which provides much-needed flexibility and autonomy for the district and its schools. Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for accountability for performance. The principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing his or her school as a high-quality, high-expectations academic center with a focus on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has developed standards of excellence that the district applies to all parts of the organization inclusive of schools, principals, school leadership teams, networks, and central office. Alignment between Standards of Excellence (SoE) and the district's Theory of Action helps ensure that principals are able to focus on scholar achievement and that central office supports are timely and effective. Our Vision for Learning in a Post-Pandemic World: In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we want each of our learners, both each of our scholars and each of their educators, to be individually and collectively presented with academically / intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their productive struggle and allow them authentic opportunities to demonstrate their work and their learning of academic content and transferable skills in a joyful and adventurous environment. THE OPPORTUNITY: INTRODUCTION: CONTEXT AND MISSION: The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) serves approximately 39,000 students in 103 schools. Over the past several years, the Greater Cleveland community has united behind the collective goal of ensuring every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. The Cleveland Plan defines CMSD's approach to the reinvention of public education and holds our community accountable for the success of Cleveland's school children. The Cleveland Plan is supported by Ohio House Bill 525, which provides much-needed flexibility and autonomy for the district and its schools, as well as a school tax levy originally approved by voters in November 2012 that generates up to $63 million annually. The Cleveland Plan is based on a portfolio schools strategy - an emerging national model with demonstrated results that profoundly changes the way central office and schools have traditionally been organized. Our schools have autonomy over human and financial resources in exchange for high quality and accountability for performance. The Principal has primary responsibility and accountability for establishing his or her school as a high-quality, high-expectations academic center with a focus on personalized instruction, professional support for teachers, and school-wide practices that lead to measurable results. OUR VISION FOR LEARNING IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD: In our pursuit of a more fair, just, and good system of education, we want each of our learners, both each of our scholars and each of their educators, to be individually and collectively presented with academically / intellectually complex tasks that are worthy of their productive struggle and allow them authentic opportunities to demonstrate their work and their learning of academic content and transferable skills in a joyful and adventurous environment. THE OPPORTUNITY: The Dean of Engagement and Student Supports leads and supports school-wide efforts to build and maintain a warm, positive, achievement-oriented school culture. In addition to students, the Dean of Engagement and Student Supports works in collaboration with school leaders, staff members, students and parents to establish a pleasant and supportive school environment designed to support student growth. The individual helps teachers develop strong, mutually respectful relationships with students and families. The Dean of Engagement and Student Support promotes student attendance, behavior and academic success through incentives and other celebrations. School leaders may ask the individual to focus on a particular group of students or a portfolio of staff members. Responsibilities: Focusing on school culture and values The commitment to play a key team role to transform schools into active learning centers, with a focus on student engagement, dramatic academic progress, and results Plan and facilitate staff meetings/ training, including sessions focused on classroom management, parent involvement, and school culture Supports strong, collaborative student and teacher behaviors and actions as necessary Ensure that students and staff understand and internalize the school's mission and goals Organize and lead school-wide culture-building activities Passionate belief in the capacity of all children to learn and succeed and a sense of urgency about making that real for CMSD students Instructional and intervention coaching Instructional leadership, including knowledge of concrete methods for successfully raising student achievement Collaborates with teachers who need support with student engagement in the classroom Collaborates with staff members to successfully establish and reinforce expectations/routines Lead the relentless pursuit of student achievement Partner with teachers to investigate and test interventions for struggling students (ex. individual goal-setting meetings, daily or weekly check-ins, daily or weekly parent phone calls/meetings, special incentive systems, etc.) Work with the PCIA to review the data of students who are in the Planning Center and support to transition them back to class effectively Organizing parent engagement activities Experience working effectively with urban schools, students and families, and outside partners Support teachers to ensure that they make regular contact with parents Attend all school family events including weeknights and weekends as part of the regular job responsibilities Hold "family chats" with families of students new to the school Working to ensure smooth day-to-day operations and data management Assist with ensuring that school entry, breakfast, lunch, dismissal, and transitions are orderly, positive and consistent with school rules and routines Support Attendance Liaisons by monitoring the daily attendance and follow-up with students who are absent Serve as an active member of the school leadership team Qualifications Bachelor's degree - preferred At least three years of teaching experience or other work in an environment with urban youth A personal sense of accountability around student academic progress, as measured by national and state benchmarks Strong behavior management and discipline skills Excellent communication skills, especially with students and parents Extremely high standards for student achievement Relentless dedication to doing "whatever it takes" Resilience and the ability to manage the details, deadlines and rigorous project evaluation required to meet transformational goals Collaborative, team player Humility and sense of humor Educational background and work experience Experience with project-based learning, or other 21st century skills-based academic programs Firm grasp of state and district learning standards Open positions for the 2025-2026 School Year: TBD - Check back for a list of open positions Education High School or GED To Apply Please submit your resume and application using Workday, our online human capital management system. Please note that an offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of an FBI/BCI background check and drug screen. EEO Statement We believe that equity and inclusion at CMSD is an essential call to action, a catalyst to ensure value and appreciation among all our employees, so we may be fair and welcoming now and in the future. CMSD provides equal opportunities for employment, retention and advancement of all personnel by administering all terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex, disability or genetic information, age, citizenship status, military status, sexual orientation or expression, socio-economic status, title, other dimensions of identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. The District's Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Discriminatory Harassment, and Sexual Harassment and the District's Title IX grievance procedures, including information on how to report or file a complaint of discrimination, how to report or file a formal complaint of sexual harassment, and how the District will respond, may be accessed on the District's Civil Rights Notices webpage, available at ClevelandMetroSchools.org/domain/105. The District's Title IX Coordinator / Director of Equal Employment Opportunity may be reached at: 1111 Superior Avenue East, Suite 1800 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 (216)-838-0070

Created: 2025-03-10