When Judy Cunningham was named principal of the new South Lake Middle School in Irvine, California (not far from where she has been principal of Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, a Coalition member), she wrote up a job description for district teachers applying for positions on the school’s certificated team. (“Candidates only needed to walk on water and not get wet,” Cunningham jokes.) The posted notice read as follows:

Specific focus areas are Humanities (includes Social Science and Language Arts), Physical Education, Mathematics, and Science. While each position will have a focus area, there are common elements which include:

• A love and understanding of the early adolescent.
• Knowledge, understanding, and successful exhibition of learning strategies to support all students in learning to use their minds well.
• Knowledge, understanding, and successful demonstration of integrating curriculum and providing connectedness for learners.
• Knowledge, understanding, and successful demonstration of providing a challenging learning experience in a heterogeneous setting.
• Knowledge, understanding, and successful demonstration of authentic assessment based on specific student outcomes.
• Successful demonstration of working as a flexible, contributing member of a team of professionals.
• Creative.
• Knowledgeable about national and state restructuring efforts.
• Comfortable working with the business community and parents.
• Energetic and thrives on change.
• Understands the use of technology to support learning.
• Actively pursues continual professional growth and is committed to support colleagues in their growth.