Assistant Principal - Primary

breakthroughmontessori; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid personal time off

Paid family leave

Health, dental, vision

Job summary

Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School in Washington, DC seeks a full-time Assistant Principal to lead Montessori primary teams, promote equity, and support a culturally responsive program.

Under the Principal, the Assistant Principal will coach seven primary classroom teams, implement curriculum, manage scheduling, and contribute to family engagement and professional development.

This 12-month role requires collaboration, strong leadership, and commitment to Montessori philosophy.

Qualifications

• Montessori Primary certification required.
• Master’s in Education preferred.
• Five years Montessori classroom experience.
• Three to five years coaching experience.
• ABAR training or background is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead Montessori Primary teams and promote an equitable, inclusive school culture.
• Coordinate daily substitute coverage and collaborate on staff performance assessments.
• Conduct bi‑weekly observations and professional development for staff.
• Support family engagement and school communications.
• Help plan and implement Montessori curriculum and school routines.

Skills

Montessori leadership

Staff coaching

Equity & anti-bias

Curriculum development

Collaboration with families

Education

Montessori certification – Primary

Master's in Education

ABAR training

Job description

Job Opportunity: Assistant Principal

Location: Washington, DC

Department: Academics

Application Deadline: Until filled

Employment Type: Full-time

Expected Start Date of Position: July 2026

Reports to: Principal

Compensation: Salary starts at $90,000 - $120,000 and will be commensurate with degree and years of experience

FLSA Status: Exempt

About Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School

Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School's mission is to provide diverse families of Washington DC a public Montessori education designed to enable children to develop within themselves the power to shape their lives and the world around them.

Our vision is for students to have the competence and courage to individually excel, and collectively build a just society.

Breakthrough Montessori Public Charter School was founded in early 2016 in Washington, DC and currently serves 388 students from Pre‑K 3 through grade 6. At Breakthrough Montessori PCS, we believe in the unbounded potential of all children; students of all races, classes, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and backgrounds deserve a personalized education. Our school is grounded in an institutional commitment to development, prevention, and community. We support human development through a strict application of the time-tested Montessori instructional model. We support prevention through early learning, support, and intervention, enabling us to quickly and effectively address learning challenges. Finally, we support the community through an intensive approach to family engagement.

Breakthrough Montessori PCS is committed to equity in all areas of our school's work. We believe in the unbounded potential of all children. Therefore, we are a supportive environment that seeks to employ a diverse staff reflective of all genders, races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and backgrounds.

Breakthrough Montessori PCS is a coaching school; all team members receive and give coaching to support professional growth.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Principal, the Montessori Primary Assistant Principal is a member of the school administrative team. The Assistant Principal creates a community of reflective practitioners and ensures high fidelity implementation of the Montessori method. The Assistant Principal further promotes the school’s anti‑racist, anti‑bias goals by ensuring an equitable, culturally‑responsive program for all students.

The Montessori Primary Assistant Principal coaches all seven primary classroom teams in order to create and sustain an outstanding school culture that supports human flourishing. The Assistant Principal furthermore offers philosophy/curriculum support to families through presentations and demonstrations as needed.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

The Montessori Primary Assistant Principal is a 12‑month position. Working hours are Mondays from 8:00 am‑4:30 pm and Tuesday‑Friday 8:00 am‑4:00 pm.

Responsibilities include the following:

Development and Implementation of Montessori Curriculum

• Ensures that the educational program is delivered according to the school’s mission and vision and increases access to Montessori education. This occurs within the parameters set forth by the Principal.
• Works with educators to ensure equity in access to quality lessons, materials, and experiences throughout the school.
• Models grace and courtesy in all interactions with children, adults, and families.
• Integrates the how and the why of Montessori pedagogy through actions and beliefs about human potential.

Academics

• Leads regular Lesson Study meetings for Primary.
• Supports Principal in disproportionality study.
• Consults and supports summer school programming.

Planning and Management

• Coordinates daily substitute coverage for all Primary classrooms.
• Collaborates with Principal in Primary staff performance assessments.
  • Responsible for performance assessments of primary Montessori Assistants and Classroom Assistants.
  • Provides input for Montessori Guide assessments conducted by the Principal.
  • Collaborates on the recruitment, selection and orientation of academic school staff.
• Supports the processes for primary classroom placement for students.
• Collaborates with the Principal to establish and support procedures and routines of the school.
• Collaborates on the creation of a school schedule that supports the implementation of the Montessori approach.
• Helps to determine priorities for use of time in the daily, weekly, and yearly calendars.

Staff Selection and Development

• Conducts bi‑weekly observations and one‑on‑one meetings with classroom teachers.
• Conducts bi‑weekly group meetings with all non‑leads, such as Montessori Assistants and Classroom assistants.
• Collaborates with the Principal to create and facilitate a year‑long scope and sequence for staff professional development.
• Organizes and facilitates weekly professional development.
• Meets regularly with all adults that interact with children and families to ensure consistency of Montessori practice.
• Ensures that consistent Lesson Study is followed and implemented with fidelity.
• Helps teachers develop and implement classroom‑based, developmentally appropriate interventions for individual children and groups of children to enhance their acquisition of social/emotional and cognitive skills.
• Helps teachers implement and follow‑through grade‑level benchmarks.
• Prepare and support Primary guides for conferences and in writing progress reports.
• Proofread progress reports prior to publishing.
• Foster collaboration and teacher leadership.
• Demonstrate the importance of feedback, documentation and informal development discussions which supplement the annual performance review.

Data and Assessment

• Collects data about student work engagement and academic performance through regular observation of all primary classrooms.
• Uses a variety of data points (including classroom observations, lessons plans and records, mastery checklists, and i‑Ready results) to drive conversations about classroom practice and planning.
• Informs all academic coaching and professional development related to Montessori Curriculum through the use of Breakthrough’s monthly goals aligned with CCSS.
• Analyzes student outcomes data regularly to track progress towards school wide goals.

Collaboration, Communication and Community Relations

• Engages directly with families through participating in school wide routines, events, and celebrations.
• Collaborates with the Principal and supports Guides in planning, preparing, and organizing monthly family education workshops.
• Collaborates on school‑wide communications, including progress reports, newsletters, and ad hoc updates to the family community.
• Fosters dialogue about culturally responsive teaching, current events, and serving all children within our community.
• Addresses minor family concerns.

Testing Coordinator

• Holds standardized assessment and its implementation through scheduling testing windows, proctoring, uploading data, and data reporting for kindergarten students.
• Keeps abreast of assessments needed for primary, with the support of the Principal.
• Ensures assessment materials and equipment are present for testing.
• Works with the Operations department to ensure all roster information is correct in various databases.
• Ensures that assessment systems (such as mClass and i‑Ready) are ready by testing dates.
• Prepares schedules and assessment training for staff, as needed.

Required Competencies and Qualifications

• Deeply committed to the Montessori philosophy and expanding its accessibility to all children.
• Have a firm commitment to upholding the school’s mission and anti‑bias/anti‑racist pedagogy.
• Proven ability to work as a member of a diverse team of educators.
• Continuously engages in ongoing Montessori professional development.
• Works collaboratively, respectful of differing opinions, with flexibility and a willingness to learn.
• Demonstrates the capacity for independent work, flexibility, and the ability to handle multiple demands.
• Possesses a friendliness to error and is willing to confront challenges with a solutions‑oriented approach.
• Actively engages in reflective practice, gives and receives feedback regularly, and consciously develops a high level of emotional intelligence.
• Demonstrates the ability to diagnose complex problems, identify key issues and root causes, and appropriately prioritize steps to solve the problems.
• Commitment to upholding the confidentiality of students and parents.

Education and Experience

• Experience working with diverse populations of students, parents, and families
• Montessori certification in the Primary level
• Masters in Education
• Five years of Montessori classroom experience
• Three to five years of experience coaching
• ABAR training or background a plus

Benefits

We provide employees with a robust leave policy that includes:

• Paid personal time off
• Paid COVID sick leave
• Paid family leave (in addition to DC paid family leave)
• Paid bereavement leave
• Paid leave for the observation of a religious holiday

Breakthrough invests heavily in the professional development (PD) of our faculty through:

• A weekly early release schedule with professional development and collaborative planning time from 1:30‑4:30 pm every Monday;
• An individual professional development budget of $250/year to pursue additional PD opportunities;
• Conference participation and
• A Continuing Education grant program that provides grantees up to $20,000 to complete Montessori teacher training, an advanced degree or other license.

Other benefits include:

• Health, dental, vision
• Retirement (Vanguard Retirement)
• AFLAC

For information on Breakthrough Montessori PCS, including more information on employee benefits and our company culture, visit our website at www.breakthroughmontessori.org.

Breakthrough Montessori PCS is an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.