Stevens Cooperative School, which was founded in 1949, is the only nonsectarian independent elementary school with campuses in Hoboken and Jersey City. Stevens is the oldest parent cooperative school in New Jersey, and an excellent model of progressive education in action. Originally an informal playgroup for children of the faculty at Stevens Institute of Technology, the School has grown into a full progressive nursery, elementary and middle school, with campuses in Hoboken and Jersey City.  

Historically, Stevens has been located in Hoboken since its inception. In 2005, the Board of Trustees approved and opened a parallel campus in the fast-growing Newport area of Jersey City. Today we operate four buildings in total with three of them located in Hoboken and one in Newport. Stevens serves over 435 students from 2-years-old through the 8th grade, of which 46% are ethnic minorities. Unique to Stevens, the cross-campus academic team collaborates to provide parallel educational experiences for students to help maintain our long-term and board-approved goal of being two campuses and one school.

Each of our buildings hosts an academic site director who is charged with knowing all of the respective students and families well and fostering a tight-knit community, which is a hallmark and strength of our school. This commitment extends to the Hoboken faculty and staff, who value professionalism, support, and an excitement for teaching and learning in a progressive setting. As there are a number of cross-campus collaborations including activities, committees, and curricular planning meetings, it is important to form successful and positive relationships with the Newport faculty and staff.

FIVE-PERSON ACADEMIC TEAM AT-A-GLANCE

Newport Campus Principal: Shehla Ghouse                                                             Years at Stevens: 6 

Interim Early Childhood Director: Meg Roosa                                                           Years at Stevens: 1 

Director of Curriculum and Innovation: Rhiannon McElwee                                      Years at Stevens: 10 

Director of Equity and Student Services: Rachell Arteaga                                           Years at Stevens: 1

Hoboken Campus Principal: Currently being sought

HOBOKEN PRINCIPAL JOB DESCRIPTION

The Hoboken Principal reports directly to the Head of School and keeps him informed of general programs, activities, and issues. The Hoboken principal is considered an instructional leader and is responsible for managing the policies, regulations, and procedures to ensure that all building-specific students are supervised in a safe and efficient manner. This senior academic administrator oversees a building of 160 students in 1st-8th grades.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Serves as a member of the Leadership Team and the five person Academic Admin Team 
• Assures that the school is meeting its mission and its long-term goal of being one school with two campuses
• Demonstrates a commitment to the school’s four strategic pillars of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Progressive Teaching and Learning; Community; and Continuous Improvement and Innovation 
• Works to maintain congruence between the school’s mission statement, diversity statement and philosophy with all of the activities of the school 
• Builds on the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion work to create an inclusive culture and climate, curricular program, and support students’ success as learners, leaders and community members 
• Supervises and works with the faculty in the development, articulation and implementation of curriculum, pedagogy, materials and assessment, which are consistent with the ability and developmental stages of the students 
• Develops opportunities to get to know students well 
• Communicates effectively with parents/guardians and the community at large
• Creates different opportunities for parents/guardians to provide feedback such as family coffees, 1:1 meetings during helping parent/guardians days, and other opportunities to proactively get to know families 
• Contributes to the creation of a coherent overall school program including the educational program, schedule and calendar, testing, extracurricular activities and safety drills 
• Assists with the coordination of the accreditation activities 
• Keeps current with educational research and conducts regular faculty meetings which deal with school matters and the exchange of ideas of educational interest and concern, as well as potential dangers and liability issues
• Participates in meetings of the Child Study Team, the Academic Team and the Leadership Team 
• Collaborates with Director of Curriculum and Innovation to maintain parity in curriculum and program offerings between Newport and Hoboken campuses 
• Acts as a liaison between the Hoboken Board of Education and the school and assists in coordinating services and completing necessary paperwork for students receiving services 
• Monitors and tracks student performance, conduct, and discipline; keeps consistent and reliable records and reports
• Makes recommendations to the Head of School regarding the hiring, dismissal, retention, and general assignment of the faculty 
• Participates in peer evaluation of Head Teachers, writes final evaluations, and reports results to Head of School in preparation of contracts 
• Actively engages, mentors and supports teachers and helps to grow them 
• Mentors Associate Teachers through monthly meetings 
• Revises and edits progress reports 
• Assists in all aspects of the admissions process: interviews, open houses, tours, and student application review 
• Participates in the high school guidance process for 8th grade students, including writing recommendations, guiding families, communicating with schools, and working with other members of the high school guidance team 
• Helps to plan and oversee the Academic Budget 
• Works with the advancement team to forward development efforts by attending cultivation receptions and participating in the school’s development strategies
• Coordinates logistics in a shared building with 3 different schools and works with the Landlord (HOPES management) on security and supervision of safety drills