Principal, Independence High School

General Definition of Work

A principal for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a strong instructional leader who is committed to driving student achievement for all students while closing the achievement gap.  A successful principal must be an instructional leader who guides and inspires students, teachers, other staff members, parents and the community.  He/she must hold his/her team accountable for results while providing the supports needed to position the school for academic success.

Essential Functions

• Develops the vision, mission, values, beliefs and goals of the school, the processes used to establish these attributes, and the ways they are embodied in the life of the school community
• Articulates the school’s vision and implements strategies for improvements and changes that will result in improved achievement for all students
• Creates a school improvement plan that provides the structure for the vision, values, goals and changes necessary for improved achievement for all students
• Creates and utilizes processes to distribute leadership and decision making throughout the school
• Acts to create a team-oriented, cooperative, engaged culture by identifying and leveraging the skills within the school, district and community
• Develops three to four future scenarios around school improvement and identifies steps to reach these scenarios
• Engages staff and community in the effective change process in a manner that ensures their support of the change and its successful implementation
• Supports importing cutting edge practices and effectively communicates challenging the status quo
• Uses a strategic planning process to identify resources required to meet school needs, and executes effective change management processes to successfully leverage resources across the school and within the district
• Leads the strategic discussion about standards of curriculum, instruction and assessment based on research and best practices in order to establish and achieve high expectations for students
• Creates processes and schedules which protect teachers from disruption of instructional or preparation time
• Involves the appropriate people in discussions when making decisions including teachers and other school/district staff along with parents and members of the community
• Measures school outcomes against standards of excellence; takes pride in delivering results beyond expectations
• Establishes standards for performance across the school beginning with the school leadership team and communicates specific measures for the school and individuals
• Recognizes and acts on the importance of the positive role that a collaborative work environment can play in the school’s culture
• Develops and uses shared vision, values and goals to define the identity and culture of the school
• Acknowledges failures and celebrates accomplishments of the school in order to define the identity, culture and performance of the school
• Develops a sense of efficacy and empowerment among staff which influences the school’s identity, culture and performance
• Works at setting the expectations in the school that creative ideas and innovative solutions are valued
• Ensures that the school is a professional learning community
• Establishes processes and systems in order to ensure a high-quality, high-performing staff
• Evaluates teachers and staff with fairness with focus on improving performance and, thus, student achievement
• Motivates others to grow and provides them with both the tools and on-going coaching to enable them to move forward in their careers and contribute to the school and/or the district
• Implements a long-term strategic plan for the development of core skills that are required to meet the school’s mission/vision and to meet future goals
• Establishes budget processes and systems which are focused on, and result in, improved student achievement
• Designs and utilizes various forms of formal and informal communication so that the focus of the school can be improved student achievement
• Develops and enforces expectations, structures, rules and procedures for students and staff
• Designs structures and processes which result in parent and community engagement, support and ownership for the school
• Designs protocols and processes in order to comply with federal, state, and district mandates
• Develops systems and relationships to leverage staff expertise and influence in order to influence the school’s identity, culture and performance
• Identifies potential areas of conflict and develops strategic problem solving solutions involving the affected individuals
• Effectively listens to others; acquires, organizes, analyzes, interprets and maintains information needed to achieve school or Teach 21^st Century objectives
• Performs related duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Knowledge of teaching and learning processes
• Knowledge of pertinent federal, state, and local laws, policies, rules and regulations regarding school administration
• Knowledge of organization and management theory and practice

• Knowledge of educational theories, research, trends, developments and techniques that aid in the development and improvement of programs and practices

• Knowledge of the unique needs and characteristics of a school system
• Thorough knowledge of curriculum, instruction, organizational patterns, school operations and pupil services

• Knowledge of sound fiscal practices, including budget preparation and control and management of school resources

• Knowledge of principles and practices of supervision, evaluation and training

• Possesses knowledge of and demonstrates respect for all students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community leaders using tact, patience and courtesy
• Knowledge of public speaking techniques
• Possesses leadership skills required to respond to the challenges presented by the school community
• Possesses high level of cognitive skills, analysis and decisiveness, organization and high internal work standards
• Ability to acknowledge and respect different perspectives
• Ability to inspire trust.  Possesses high levels of self-confidence and optimism. Models high standards of integrity and ethical behavior
• Ability to model and support self-discipline and responsibility
• Ability to demonstrate a willingness to take the risks necessary to build and implement the system’s vision and achieve the system’s goals
• Ability to demonstrate effective communications skills, including speaking, listening and writing
• Ability to enhance student performance, especially in identifying and closing or narrowing the gaps in student achievement
• Ability to use collaborative skills to lead groups within the school community to realize the vision and accomplish goals
• Ability to build consensus and commitment among individuals and groups with emphasis on parental involvement
• Ability to commit to a “student first” philosophy in all decisions
• Ability to recognize, honor and celebrate successes
• Ability to meet schedules and timelines
• Ability to respond effectively and promptly to issues, and communicate resolutions in a timely manner
• Ability to work confidentially with discretion
• Ability to delegate authority and responsibility and hold subordinates accountable
• Ability to establish and accomplish goals 
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others
• Ability to empower personnel to optimize effective operations
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action