Our Founding Executive Director will:
Dream big and out loud. Above all, you must believe strongly that we must educate young people differently at XTH and empower them to make an impact now, not just someday in the future. You’ll stay focused on that, even in the face of skepticism and setbacks. We need you to be our cheerleader-in-chief in Memphis and beyond.
Listen. As much as we want you to shout our story from the rooftops, we also want you to listen to what echoes back at you. Parents, teachers, community members, and especially students should have a voice in what happens at XTH, and you will need to be all ears.
Make it happen. By hiring and leading a capable and dynamic team to help you, you will ensure that XTH opens on time and on budget, fully ready to serve the inaugural class of 125 ninth graders.
Connect and collaborate. We anticipate that our students will work outside of our school walls almost as much as within them. Our leader must make the case to partners, both inside and outside of Crosstown Concourse, that not only do we need our students to learn from them, but that they will learn with and from our students.
Believe in the potential and promise of every kid. XTH will be a uniquely diverse learning environment in Memphis, and that means that students will come to us with different strengths and challenges. They will learn best in different ways and not at a lockstep pace. They will have wildly varying interests and passions. We need you to pull out all the stops to provide students with the personalized instruction and support they need to thrive as individuals so that we can all become better together.
Be a fighter. Almost everything about this school will challenge long-held norms about how public schooling is done. You must be willing to take on those who want to box us into the old way of educating students.
Never stop learning. We have learned a lot in the process of rethinking what high school should be like. But we know that our model is not future-proof. We are committed to continuous improvement and we need you to set the example for our students as a constant learner.
Ideally, our leader will have prior experience in school leadership as a division head, head of school, or principal at a charter, traditional public, or independent school. A successful candidate will likely hold a master’s degree or higher in Education, Education/Business Administration or a related field. Experience in starting an ambitious effort from the ground up, fundraising, as well as hiring and leading a diverse staff, are preferred.
Please take some time to learn more about our vision for Crosstown High (http://crosstownhigh.org/category/12-days-of-xth/). If it’s as exciting to you as it is to us, we’d love to get to know you better by hearing your thoughts on the following questions.
Which elements of the traditional way we do school are most ripe for change?
Which elements of traditional schooling should we maintain and build on?
What about the Crosstown High opportunity most speaks to you?
What do you foresee as some of the biggest challenges for Crosstown High and how can they be addressed?
What are the things you do particularly well and how will those strengths help us build XTH?
Where do you look for inspiration in developing your school and in your own personal growth?
Please submit no more than three pages or a short multimedia presentation that helps us understand your thinking on these topics.
Submissions can be sent, along with your resume, to Barry Rowland at Carney, Sandoe & Associates (barry.rowland@carneysandoe.com) by October 15, 2016.