About New Roads

New Roads is a K-12 college-preparatory, independent school in Santa Monica, California. At the heart of New Roads’ philosophy is the belief that all children deserve access to education that places traditional academic pursuits in contemporary context, engaging students’ hearts and minds to prepare for the challenges of our ever-evolving world. Unique among private schools, New Roads strives to have a student body and faculty that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles by prioritizing socio-economic, racial and cultural diversity. Weaving together the kaleidoscope of communities that makes up Los Angeles, we inspire our students to become creative thinkers, committed citizens, and compassionate human beings.

Born of a felt responsibility to prepare young people for the world that awaits them, New Roads School seeks to spark enduring curiosity, to promote personal, social, political, cultural and moral understanding, to instill respect for the life and ecology of the earth, and to foster the sensitivity to embrace life’s deep joys and mysteries.

JOB SUMMARY:

In consultation with the Middle School Director,  the Middle School Academic Dean, working collaboratively with the Department Coordinators, is charged with aligning the school's unique educational program with the vision of our Statement of Philosophy and coordinating and implementing strategic partnerships with for-profit, nonprofits, and universities to promote innovation in pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment. In this role, the Academic Dean will have primary responsibility for developing the capacity of Department Coordinators and Faculty to deliver New Roads’ incomparable approach to teaching and learning. To achieve this objective, the Academic Dean will chair the Department Coordinator meeting and guide the development of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. The Academic Dean will engage colleagues in substantive conversation about teaching and learning and will spearhead curriculum review and development, oversee academic planning, and coordinate professional development. The Academic Dean will partner with Administrators and Faculty at the Elementary and High School to articulate and implement a coherent K-12 approach to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, professional development, and Faculty professional growth process. The Academic Dean reports to the Middle School Director and serves as a member of the Middle School Leadership Team. The Middle School Academic Dean will teach one or two classes in his or her area of expertise.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Curriculum

• Maintains congruency between the School's board-approved philosophy and academic program, particularly the school's commitment to social justice, diversity, and environmental stewardship
• Educates faculty about state, national, and international educational standards and brain-targeted teaching
• Ensures that curriculum meets the needs of diverse learners
• Supports the work of individual departments in balancing its curricular traditions and priorities with significant trends and developments in its field and the school’s educational vision
• Facilitates efforts to improve curriculum coordination and innovation within and across grades
• Articulates skills and habits across disciplines
• Stimulates curricular innovation across and within traditional disciplines
• Ensures a curricular continuum throughout the K-12 program
• Serves as liaison to departmental coordinators in establishing and reviewing annual course offerings and developing new programs
• Networks with Academic Deans at other independent schools, public schools, and universities, both within and outside of the United States
• Publicizes within the school community the scholarship and endeavors of departments and gives recognition to exceptional achievements within departments
• Reviews all proposed changes to the curriculum and provides updates on a yearly basis to the administrative leadership team
• Develops instruments to evaluate the academic program
• Works closely with the Middle School Dean of Students to align the curricular and co-curricular program within the framework of New Roads' educational vision

Faculty

• Provide support, supervision, and instructional leadership to the entire Middle School faculty
• Create and implement professional embedded professional development plan to increase capacity of the teachers to deliver the mission
• Develops orientation/transition program and evaluation system for new teachers, including leading New Teacher meetings
• Manage, with Middle School Director, the evaluation of teachers
• Model engaging, effective teaching and give teachers opportunities to observe this kind of teaching
• Serves as a resource to teachers in matters of classroom management, teaching methods, and general school procedures
• Coordinates professional development activities (individual and collective) for the middle school faculty (including workshops, speakers, school observations, in-service training programs, and the like)
• Serves as an advisor to teachers in all matters pertaining to curriculum development, effective pedagogy, and assessment
• Observes, supervises, and helps evaluate the faculty in the development and implementation of curriculum
• Develops and coordinates the evaluation process for faculty
• Assists teachers in matching appropriate assessment instruments to the school’s
• Educates the faculty on an ongoing basis about constructivist approaches to pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment
• Works with the Middle School Director and Department Coordinators in the recruitment, hiring, and retention of new faculty
• Educates the faculty in the effective use of technology to support teaching and learning
• Oversees and evaluates the Department Coordinators; Chairs meetings of Department Coordinators, deals with routine matters and opportunities for program, pedagogical, assessment, and curricular growth
• Makes recommendations to Middle School Director on the hiring and retention of faculty
• Coordinates the recruitment and hiring process and articulates procedures
• Articulates with Department Coordinators the program section of WASC
• Guides the use of data in improving curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment
• Creates embedded opportunities to drive continuous professional growth by linking theory and practice and by modeling constructive practice

Students

• Seeks to understand, and to foster conversation about, the quality of students’ academic experience. Towards this end, the Academic Dean is specifically concerned with such issues as homework load, reading level appropriateness, effectiveness of course projects, coordination among grade-level teachers, portfolio assessment, and so forth
• Works with students to articulate surveys to provide student feedback to teachers that informs instruction
• Oversees standardized assessment programs at the Middle School
• Gathers student feedback to assess how well the Middle School is achieving the goals stated in its mission
• Ensures that standards, rubrics, narratives, and assessments empower students to drive their own improvement in learning; focusing on process and progress

Parents

• Educates parents about the roles of students, parents, and teachers in the teaching and learning process within the framework of New Roads' educational vision
• Gathers feedback from parents on the academic experience of their children
• Guides teachers in using the resources of parents to enhance the educational experience of students
• Educates parents about new educational initiatives

Administration

• Maintains congruence between the school’s mission statement and all academic activities to ensure the implementation of the school’s educational values and policies
• Works with the Assistant Middle School Director to ensure that the schedule reflects the educational priorities of the mission
• Collaborates with strategic partners to coordinate and implement new educational initiatives
• Serves as a spokesperson, in all relevant venues, for the Middle school’s academic program