Head of School

The Bridge Way School is the first high school in the Philadelphia region designed for students who are working a recovery program for substance use disorder. A program governed by the Greater Philadelphia Association of Recovery Education, Bridge Way is a private school licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Bridge Way serves students who wish to develop and nurture the tools for maintaining sobriety, while at the same time, holding themselves and their classmates accountable as members of a learning community that expects, supports, and honors recovery.

The successful candidate for this position will have:

• a superior grasp of effective instructional methods;
• proven ability to train, supervise, and coach professional staff;
• 3 – 5 years of classroom experience;
• 2 years of demonstrated success supervising or leading educators;
• A valid 7-12 teaching certification in the state of Pennsylvania;
• Principal certification or former private licensed academic school Education Director designation preferred.

The Bridge Way Head of School is a year-round position and supervises Bridge Way instructional staff other than special programs. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Head of School administers the school’s mission and operational policies. Specifically, the Head of School is responsible for:

Admissions and Enrollment/Marketing

• Recommends enrollment objectives, pertaining to both student numbers and the student qualities that suggest school success.
• Under supervision of the Executive Director, engages in the admissions and enrollment process for prospective and returning students, including managing student transcripts prior to enrollment and when transitioning to post-secondary schools.
• Participates in outreach efforts to make certain schools, treatment providers, juvenile justice programs, and other community stake-holders are aware of the School and the recovery support services provided.

Programs and Services

• Under supervision of the Executive Director, administers student programs suited to the participants’ needs and consistent with the school’s mission and philosophy; and develops schedules to accommodate these programs.
• Under supervision of Executive Director, sets and models standards for achievement in the following areas:

Academics:

• Assures that the curricular scope and sequence, as well as instructional strategies, reflect the school’s commitment to student engagement, inquiry-based learning, and student affinities
• Provides assistance to staff in the process of curriculum development.
• Serves as School Assessment Coordinator for Keystone Exams
• Supervises Special Education Coordinator and participates in IEP meetings as administrator

Co-Curricular:

• Organizes activities, electives, cultural exposures, and athletics to augment the school’s academic program, and to cultivate student interest.

Character Development:

• Implements programs that relate to high moral and ethical conduct and provide assistance to students on their journeys to sobriety.
• Establishes counseling and advisory programs, positive discipline that promotes kindness and courtesy, and coordinated psychological assistance to address student need.

Staffing and Supervision

• Promotes harmonious and constructive relationships among all staff and adheres to a collegial rather than authoritarian managerial style.
• Promotes communication from the top down and from the bottom up.
• Under supervision of Executive Director, defines the school’s teaching positions and aids in recruitment efforts for highly-qualified certified educators, collecting all clearances and teaching certifications with the assistance of the Administrative Assistant
• Establishes productive working conditions, equitable discipline, and the professional development of all staff.
• Assures that staff understand and share the school’s vision, mission, philosophy, and goals.
• Sets performance standards and monitors performance and growth among staff; supervises instructional methods, evaluates lesson plans, and coaches teachers to ensure effective pedagogical strategies; provides performance reviews and dismisses staff who fail to meet these standards.
• Trains his/her subordinates so they will be prepared to lead the school should the Head of School become incapacitated or otherwise inactive.

School Culture and Operations

• Works with the staff to identify needs in terms of teaching materials and program support.
• Is responsible for the safety and well-being of all staff and students including crisis management.
• Recommends, approves, and administers rules and procedures governing the student body.
• Promotes harmonious relationships between students and staff while recognizing the importance of each individual.
• Under supervision of Executive Director, holds students holistically accountable to their commitments for nonviolence and recovery, implementing intentional interventions and disciplinary measures to ensure safety, love, and learning on campus.
• Reports to Executive Director when students warrant close review or potential expulsion.
• With instructional lead, schedules and facilitates quarterly team meetings with families to review academic performance, recovery progress, attendance, and other indicators of progress.
• Completes referrals to Department of Human Services and Department of Education in any case of suspected abuse, neglect, or misconduct.
• Clearly communicates with the Executive Director regarding academic programming and other special programs in Bridge Way’s program including garden learning, recovery arts, and peer support.
• Supervises and manages building needs, communicating real-time issues to landlord or maintenance personnel, and maintaining an aesthetically pleasing environment.
• With lead instructor and administrative assistant, ensure that grades are submitted by all faculty for progress reports, report cards, and transcript requests.
• In collaboration with Executive Director, Development Associate, and lead faculty, plan key school events including prom, outdoors retreat, and graduation.

Planning and Analysis

• As requested by Board and Executive Director, develops short-term and long-term plans and directions for the school including strategic planning when necessary.
• Utilizes data immediate to the field of recovery education to inform decision making and proposed programming, including perspectives from fellow recovery high school administrators and recent research on alternative high schools, independent school operations, education leadership, and recovery education.
• With the staff, oversees, develops, and implements procedures to track student status and progress.
• Regularly meets with staff to discuss student progress and assures as-needed follow-up with families.
• Under supervision of Executive Director, provide required documentation for annual audit, school license renewal, and grant reports.

Finances

• As requested by Board of Directors and Executive Director, recommend line items for annual budget.
• Once the annual budget is approved, ensure that the financial resources are carefully managed within the budgetary guidelines including the submission of receipts and invoices to Executive Director and accounting contractor.
• With the Executive Director and accounting contractor, prepare monthly financial statements for the Board regarding the school’s financial health, including enrollment, outstanding accounts, income, expenditures, and cash flow.

Fundraising

• Actively participates in the school’s fundraising efforts, including the annual appeal and the fall breakfast.
• Collaborates with the development team to gather sponsors for special events such as prom, Friendsgiving, block parties, and more.
• Recommends new programming and requests needed supports for school community, providing narratives, data, or anecdotes to development team as needed for fundraising efforts.

Governance and Communication

• Promptly alerts the Executive Director to matters pertaining to the needs and operation of the School.
• Keeps the Executive Director and full Board informed of crises.
• Creates monthly academic reports and submits these prior to Board meetings.
• Maintains clear communication with the Executive Director so that information is promptly shared and delivered to the Board of Directors and/or faculty.

Public and Constituent Relations

• Serves as a spokesperson for the school, and promotes the school and its programs to the public.
• Refers special interest groups and the press to the Executive Director, and provides direction while emphasizing the needs of all students.
• Encourages current parents, past parents, and student alumni to participate in events that support the school.
• Under supervision of Executive Director, develops postsecondary support program to monitor recovery outcomes and create a longstanding continuum of support for alumni.

Interested parties should submit a resume, cover letter, three references, teaching certification, and a writing sample to Erin Bernard-Harris, Executive Director at erin.bernard@thebridgewayschool.org.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Education:

• Master's (Required)

License/Certification:

• 7-12 teaching certification in the state of Pennsylvania? (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Philadelphia, PA 19136 (Required)