Organization Overview

Excel Academy was founded in 2003 with the mission to provide a high-quality, free, and public education to students in East Boston and Chelsea Massachusetts, communities that are predominantly low-income and Latinx and historically have faced significant social and educational barriers. Our success in Massachusetts is proof that the opportunity gap can be closed and we opened a new school in Rhode Island in 2022. At Excel Academy Charter Schools, we believe that when a student has the support and tools to pursue a productive post-secondary pathway aligned to their personal identity and values, it can fundamentally change their life trajectory.

At Excel Academy we learn from our students, families, and staff and make improvements. We have increasingly adapted to provide a holistic education that values our community as collaborators in the learning process, social-emotional support, equity for diverse learners, and fosters identity development. We prioritize an approach that is both rigorous and inclusive. Our team of passionate, intelligent, driven, and loving staff are at the core of the work we do. 

Growth Happens Here.

About the Role

The Dean of Culture will lead initiatives related to student culture and ensure that students are supported to achieve academically while developing as young people. The DOC also serves as the leader of the school’s core behavior and character education systems and programs.

Your Impact

Proactively plan and execute systems to drive positive student behavior and create an academics-focused culture of achievement:

• Proactively train key constituents in Excel’s approach to culture and behavior systems
• Develop and teach New Staff Orientation lessons
• Lead workshops during All-Staff Summit
• Support grade level leaders in their work planning and executing student orientation
• With the school admin team, develop and deliver parent orientation sessions, and conduct follow-up meetings 
• Empower teachers to drive positive student outcomes
• Provide feedback to staff members in their classroom management during break, lunch, Focus, and instructional time
• Build strong relationships with staff members; seek feedback and provide feedback
• Ensure a cycle of communication with teachers following referrals
• Maintain a public presence throughout the school day
• Plan, oversee, and execute designated programming:
• Oversee school-wide intervention and incentive programs
• Plan and execute student groups as determined by the Dean Team

Respond to issues relating to behavior or discipline:

• Serve as a parent contact for student disciplinary issues and concerns, conferring with Head of School and teachers as needed.
• Manage daily attendance and uniform referrals
• Manage “Dean’s office traffic” from 7:30 – 8:20 am, including processing uniform referrals and late students
• Communicate updates on students to staff in a timely manner
• Monitor attendance of frequently-absent students; provide regular updates to administrators
• Communicate with families and/or create attendance contracts, as needed

Support effective execution of student interventions and supports:

• Serve as a member of the Student Support team
• With student advisors, develop, execute and/or oversee individualized interventions and supports for particular students as needed

Serve as a productive member of the Administrative team:

• Provide morning and afternoon coverage as specified by the team
• Drive school improvement through participation in quarterly strategic planning cycles and data analysis
• Write, revise and finalize school manuals annually
• Meaningfully participate in weekly administrative meetings and weigh in on school wide decision making

Serve as a productive member of the Excel Community:

• Participate in generating and upholding Excel Staff norms
• Provide coverage when needed
• Follow the appropriate protocol when absent to request coverage
• Serve as a member of a GLT and homeroom team:
• Meaningfully participate in Friday meetings, school PD and family conferences
• Do whatever it takes to ensure the mission of the school is fulfilled

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

• Understand how your identity markers (including race, class, and gender) impact your leadership.
• Demonstrates understanding and respect for the cultures and languages of our communities. 
• Solicit and welcome collaboration and feedback from colleagues, students, families and the surrounding community.
• Understand the impact of historical and structural racism and use this lens in your decision-making. 
• Take action to demonstrate personal reflections and growth/ be responsive to feedback and lessons learned. 

Qualifications

Preference will be given to applicants who share points of intersection with our students, such as speaking Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, or a language commonly spoken by our students and families at an advanced level, being first generation college graduates, or having grown up low-income. 

Mission Alignment 

• You share a commitment to and belief in all students and the mission of Excel Academy Charter Schools, including Excel’s values and educational model;
• You are committed to addressing racial and economic inequity in education;
• You work effectively in a team environment and have a willingness and desire to support others in doing their best work; and
• You are open to change, are willing to problem-solve, and seek feedback for your own professional growth and improvement.