Assistant Principal (UCAN Academy South)

Position Objective and Summary:

Under the supervision of the Principal, the Assistant Principal is responsible for Academic incentives and effective teaching strategies and supervises employee day-to-day work activities, employing leadership skills designed to facilitate, motivate and empower both staff and students.  The Assistant Principal facilitates healing through Trauma Informed services and by utilizing UCAN’s Clinical Philosophy and Positive Youth Development.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Monitoring Service Delivery

• Facilitates, coordinates services/actions between social workers, teachers and other staff on student issues (discipline, family issues, behavior management plans, IEP’s, etc).
• Facilitates daily ad-hoc meetings with program staff
• Facilitates weekly team meetings with teaching assistants and joint teacher/teacher assistant meetings as needed
• Resolves staff issues and concerns.
• Maintains communication flow throughout the program.
• Responsible for teacher assistants’ observations/evaluations; plan and supervise personnel remediation programs.
• Acts as standing member of all treatment plan teams.
• Updates School Improvement Plan and assists in preparing for in-service trainings, etc.
• Develops and monitors attendance strategies and incentives for school program. Assists with behavior incentives
• Prepares and monitors TAs progress on the Danielson Framework
• Researches and implements academic and behavioral interventions and works closely with principal to create an effective learning environment
• Acts as site supervisor when principal is absent.
• Fully participates in Advanc-Ed accreditation

Identifying and Addressing Client Needs

• Guides Teacher assistants to make decisions based on clinically appropriate, best practice, and ethical considerations.
• Provides guidance on specific interventions
• Uses population specific knowledge and expertise in developing intervention strategies.
• Understands the Mental Health diagnoses of clients and assists Teacher assistants to consider those needs.
• Considers any cultural factors that may be impacting the client or the appropriateness of services, and proficiently addresses them to provide needed services.

Developing and Leading Employees

• Orients and trains new employees according to program and department guidelines to ensure all new employees are ready and able to perform as necessary.
• Sets and evaluates clear and collaborative individual performance goals for employees.
• Encourages employee development by supporting training, assigning challenging work, and delegating tasks when appropriate.
• Coaches and mentors employees around employee interests and career goals.
• Recognizes and rewards employee performance, initiative, and decision-making.
• Completes meaningful Annual Performance Reviews for all employees and submits on time.

Program Administration and Planning

• Provides documentation of students’ social emotional goal data and attendance
• Provides staff in-services on incentive plans: academic, behavioral and attendance
• Explains UCAN and DCFS procedures to employees in order to assist them in the utilizing all available resources for clients.
• Accurately completes all reports and documentation required by DCFS and other contracting and regulatory bodies.
• Manages team expenses by following Finance Dept. procedures in approving petty cash, payments, check requests, mileage and expense reimbursements and other unit expenses.
• Manages employee job performance by following HR procedures and documentation requirements for: hiring; job scheduling and assignment; disciplinary actions; recommendations for salaries, raises, promotions, demotions and terminations.

Quality and Accountability

• Follows all applicable regulatory standards, including but not limited to: COA standards, IDCFS licensing regulations, IDCFS policy and procedure, CPS regulations, and Medicaid procedures.
• Gives input on program evaluation and methods for CQI measures regarding file quality, client outcomes, staff development, supervision, client services and other issues related to program quality.
• Leads team in accountability, quality and compliance through example and modeling behavior.
• Complies with UCAN Continuous Quality Improvement initiatives and corrective plans. Fully participates in AAA, Dashboard and Program Annual goal processes
• Recommends policy, practice, and procedural changes to better serve clients and to comply with regulations.

Team Building and Agency Networking

• Builds strong interpersonal relationships with team and among the team members
• Participates in staffings, team meetings, supervisory sessions and other related program meetings, on a regular basis and attends all routine staff meetings
• Defines each employee’s role and responsibilities within the team
• Delegates in an effective manner while considering individual skills and workloads
• Accepts feedback and ideas from team and is constructive when giving feedback
• Discusses alternative problem solving and is open to new ideas and ways of doing things
• Shares specialized knowledge and resources with team and other UCAN departments
• Coordinates services with multiple UCAN programs to ensure appropriate services for clients and teamwork between programs
• Plans for client transitions to other UCAN programs to provide seamless transition for clients and a cooperative team process.

Professionalism and Work Conduct

• Behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, and displays a positive image of UCAN.
• Acts in a professional manner at all times and maintains appropriate boundaries with clients.
• Demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitments to others
• Reports to work, meetings, training, and job related activities prepared and as scheduled
• Demonstrates openness and respect for cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of clients and coworkers
• Understands and supports UCAN’s standard of cultural proficiency and strives to meet it
• Responds to clients and their families, UCAN staff, DCFS, service providers and other stakeholders in a timely manner and ensures follow up to adequately address their needs.

Performs other related tasks as required or assigned.