Dean Of Students

Who Are We?

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School is a highly successful urban PK-12 public school located in Somerville and Cambridge. We enroll over 1,100 students from cities and towns throughout the greater Boston metro area. Our inclusive and restorative school celebrates and serves a diverse community - with 87% BIPOC, 27% ELL, and 16% of our students qualifying for special education services. Our mission is to prepare all students for success in college, foster responsible citizenship, and inspire a lifelong love of learning - as we believe academic achievement opens doors and creates opportunities for our students.

We center the values of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work. Our approach to instruction is founded on culturally sustaining, inquiry-based, and student-centered practices. To invest in the growth of our educators, we offer comprehensive professional development, instructional coaching, and mentorship. Our campuses foster a collaborative team environment with extraordinary educators who are committed to ongoing learning, reflection, and professional growth.

What does a Dean of Students at Prospect Hill do?

The Dean of Students is responsible for the active management of student discipline systems and will be a primary contact with families and students regarding persistent and serious student discipline issues. The Dean helps develop and support a safe and responsive school culture; assists in creating a unified student community that engages in routines and rituals; works with school leaders and staff to preserve the safety and integrity of the learning climate while maximizing students' opportunity to learn; and models holding both students and professionals accountable for positive behavior within a restorative school community.

Essential Functions:

• Encourages and enforces behavior expectations with and for students

• Documents behavior incidents, conducts investigations, and drafts parent correspondence regarding disciplinary situations

• Compiles data on out-of-classroom behavioral interventions and monitors trends/patterns of student discipline broadly

• Plan and lead school culture focused Professional Development

• Run Student Council for one grade level (possibly)

• Plan and run community meetings for one grade level

• Support/share planning of logistics for schoolwide events such as field trips, end of year events, etc.

• Works with teachers and school leaders to review and triangulate student disciplinary data to identify individual trends and systemic patterns

• Confers with the Campus Principal to determine appropriate disciplinary responses and behavioral interventions for students

• Monitors and oversees execution of disciplinary responses and behavioral interventions

• Partners with Instructional Leadership Team and Student Support Team to develop comprehensive student behavior plans

• Manages systems of accountability and communication regarding student discipline

• Tracks, analyzes, and presents student discipline and school culture data

• Promotes positive school culture through planning campus events and celebrations

NOTE: This list of essential and additional functions is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be supplemented at the request of one's supervisor and/or senior management.

Additional Functions:

• Collaborates with Advisory Coordinators to develop advisory curriculum that meets the social emotional learning needs of students

• Additional responsibilities or task requested or assigned by supervisor

What Knowledge, Skills, and Experiences are needed for this role?

• At least 5 years of experience in a school or youth-focused environment in a teacher, student support staff person, or comparable role

• Bachelor's Degree; Master's Degree preferred

• Training, education, and/or experience implementing restorative practices in a school or community context with students, families and other stakeholders

• Training, education, and/or experience in crisis prevention

• Experience working with students with special needs or students who have experienced trauma

• Commitment to Prospect Hill Academy's educational mission, vision, and values

• Commitment to working with students and families from diverse backgrounds with diverse profiles

• Well-developed and demonstrated cultural proficiency

• Strong organizational and communication skills

• Strong belief that all students deserve excellent educational experiences that attend to their cultural, social and emotional identity development and are able to succeed

• Strong competencies in conflict resolution and ability to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders in a school environment

• Strong ability to develop and sustain relationships with various school community members, including students, faculty, and family members

Physical Requirements:

• Frequent sitting, standing, walking, reaching with hands and arms to stoop, kneel, or crouch

• Regularly required to operate a computer and other office equipment with hands and arms, and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

• Frequent lifting and/or moving up to 10 pounds and occasionally lifting and/or moving up to 25 pounds.

• Occasional use of hands to handle or feel

• Occasional climbing or balancing

• Regular speaking and hearing; specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception

The above information outlines the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this position. It is not designed as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job; nor is it a contract for employment. The school will make reasonable accommodations as they relate to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Employment at the School is on an "Employment-At-Will" basis. In other words, you or the School may terminate employment for any reason and at any time, with or without notice. Similarly, the terms of employment outlined in this description are subject to change at any time.

Our students and families are diverse, and we are committed to hiring educators who reflect the wonderful diversity of our students. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply to work at Prospect Hill.