SY 26-27 Principal in Residence

Ascendlearning; New York (NY); On-site; USD 95,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Learning is seeking a Principal in Residence to partner with a mentor principal, lead academic and cultural initiatives, and develop staff across a high-performing charter school network. The PIR will participate in Saturday PD sessions, lead an assistant principal role, and advance rigorous instruction and inclusive school culture.

The role emphasizes mentoring staff, aligning curriculum, and driving equity-centered improvements within the school community.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 3+ years of teaching with a track record of elevating student achievement.
• 2+ years leading, managing, and coaching a team of adults.
• Strong collaboration, interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work with diverse backgrounds.
• Ownership over outcomes and a willingness to drive change.

Responsibilities

• Develops curriculum and instruction aligned to standards.
• Leads school culture initiatives to foster equity, inclusion, and student agency.
• Leads and coaches a team of leaders to support pedagogy and student outcomes.
• Plans professional development to improve pedagogy and student achievement.
• Uses data to drive instruction, monitor progress, and inform decisions.
• Partners with staff and families to support whole-child development.

Skills

Leadership

Instructional leadership

Data-driven instruction

Staff coaching

Equity & inclusion

Curriculum alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree, advanced degree preferred

Job description

About Ascend

Ascend is Brooklyn’s premier K–12 public charter network, committed to graduating high-achieving students who have access to boundless choice in their futures—not only through college acceptance, but through meaningful preparation for career readiness and thriving adult lives.

Across our schools, we pair rigorous academics with strong systems, supportive adult culture, and a deep belief in students’ brilliance and potential. Our work is grounded in the understanding that preparing students for long-term success requires excellence in instruction, intentional culture-building, and disciplined execution at every level of the organization.

At Ascend, adults are held to high standards because our students deserve nothing less. How we teach, lead, collaborate, and make decisions every day directly shapes the opportunities our students will have tomorrow.

Join us in shaping learning environments where curiosity is nurtured, excellence is the norm, and every student is prepared for a lifetime of boundless choice.

About the Role

Ascend Principals in Residence (PIRs) work closely with their mentor principal as the academic and cultural leaders of an Ascend school. Our PIRs are passionate about developing their staff and rally their teams to achieve ambitious school goals. Through the intentional creation of vibrant school communities, PIRs inspire staff and students to engage in rigorous and purposeful learning. They succeed when those under their care succeed, and they develop enduring and joyful relationships with students, teachers, and parents.

In addition to shadowing their host principal, PIRs participate in hands‑on, collaborative professional development sessions on Saturdays, which are led by network directors with backgrounds in school leadership or other relevant specialized expertise. As part of this training, PIRs engage in individualized stretch projects that support a growth area aligned to the needs of the school. Additionally, they serve as an assistant principal for at least one grade or department within their host school, leading and managing all aspects of the assistant principal role.

The Principal in Residence role is an ideal opportunity for a dynamic and visionary individual to play a central leadership role in growing and shaping one of our high‑performing public charter schools, part of a broader network committed to ensuring our students have the knowledge, confidence and character to succeed in college and beyond.

Responsibilities

Curriculum and instruction

• Develops school’s ability to foster a culturally responsive classroom
• Collaborates with curriculum team to plan and execute curriculum and instruction that fosters student growth, creativity, and agency through aligned, culturally relevant materials and pedagogy
• Partners with principal to lead a team of secondary leaders to strengthen teachers knowledge of highest priority standards and inquiry‑based instructional practices
• Manages partnership of leadership team and special educations team to ensure that all students, including those with exceptionalities, have the access and support needed to achieve

School culture

• Establishes and leads a culture that results in a love of learning, student agency, and full range of student learning and growth
• Builds an engaged, diverse, and inclusive school community
• Creates, leads, and maintains a culture where team members innovate in an effort to ensure equity gaps are eliminated and college and career readiness is a reality for all students

Racial equity mindset

• Creates and sustains a race equity culture, including skill building and leading self and others through awareness, growth, and development
• Continuously strengthens personal and staff knowledge and expertise in effective instructional design and academic standards with DEIA considerations in conjunction with the curriculum team

Effective teaming

• Establishes, manages, and develops strong teams that collaborate, communicate, and work together for Ascend students and community
• Observes and coaches instructional staff, and leaders leading to pedagogical growth and student achievement
• Plans and leads professional development that results in improved pedagogy and student achievement
• Utilizes meaningful feedback of students, staff, families, and community to strengthen school programs and policies
• Creates, executes, and evaluates diagnostic assessments, plans, coaching, and evaluations to ensure development of all staff

Strategic leadership

• Works collaboratively and flexibly to create, evaluate, and improve systems and decision‑making processes that strengthens outcomes
• Creates and strengthens a data‑driven and data‑hungry culture that relentlessly seeks continuous improvement
• Creates, strengthens, and maintains academic and culture systems and procedures

Whole student focus

• Establishes, foster, and sustains a culture of academic success and social‑emotional development through partnerships with students, staff, families, and community
• Creates and sustains a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment for scholars, families and staff
• Creates and implements a vision that exhibits a deep belief in the potential of all students and leads to improvement for all learners
• Engages families and communities in support of child’s learning and school learning goals

Operational management

• Supervises effective use of resources and creates and executes on systems and processes to support the short and long term goals of the school
• Develops systems and structures to hire and retain diverse, highly‑effective staff

Technological fluency

• Selects and uses technological tools and coaches others in their use to strengthen school results and student achievement
• Leverages technology platforms to inform planning and decision‑making in support of school goals and operations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, with advanced degree preferred
• At least three years teaching experience with a proven track record of elevating student achievement
• At least two years of experience leading, managing, and coaching a team of adults that demonstrates ability to drive results through others
• A hunger for feedback and self‑improvement
• A high level of ownership over the overall outcomes of the scholars they lead
• Strong collaboration, interpersonal and communication skills, including working effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives
• Strong organizational, self‑management, and problem‑solving skills with the ability to handle many responsibilities simultaneously
• Self‑awareness, with an ability to treat all members of the school’s community with respect and an accurate idea of one’s own strengths and weaknesses
• Ability to be a bold, tireless, and engaging change agent and culture‑creator
• Skilled in content and pedagogy as evidenced by quantitative and qualitative data
• Demonstrated success using data to drive instruction
• Alignment with the educational philosophy and core beliefs of Ascend Learning

Staff and Reporting Relationships

SY 26‑27 Principal in Residence reports directly to the principal.

Compensation

The salary for this position begins at $105,000. Several factors, such as work experience, education/training, job‑related skills, internal peer equity, and market and business considerations, may influence the base pay offered. This salary reflects a position based in New York City.