KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 285 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 175,000 students and alumni with more than 15,000 educators. 

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently educates more than 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth. With a mission to, together with families and the community, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -- college, career, and beyond --  KIPP has maintained excellence in its growth, and will improve upon that standard – proving what is possible in public education.

KIPP Columbus continues to see incredible academic results, including in our early literacy program where more than 80% of kindergarten and first grade students ended last school year reading on grade level. In addition, in our first four graduating classes (in spring 2020 -2023) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service and 100% graduated. 

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years. 

Interested in learning more about our school?  Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

The Director of Data, reporting to the Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction, is responsible for setting and leading the vision for the use of data and analytics in support of KIPP Columbus’ mission.  The primary role for the Director of Data is in leading and supporting the use of data systems for the collection, reporting, and use of data to inform instructional practices and decision making at KIPP Columbus.  The Director of Data builds and maintains the data architectures;  coordinates high-quality data practices across the organization; develops the rigorous analytical reports and tools that will successfully mine student and teacher data and drive decision-making and instructional practices; and communicates such findings to key stakeholders both internal and external to KIPP Columbus.  Critical platforms to support include Tableau; Clever;  Renaissance; Illuminate, and PowerSchool.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Strategic planning and accountability

• Lead the implementation of the regional data vision and strategy that is aligned to KIPP Columbus’ commitment to academic excellence and data driven instructional practices.
• Lead data governance and security strategy to develop organizational resilience to data exposure incidents.  Interpret and implement compliance strategies for data privacy laws such as FERPA, HIPAA, etc.
• Collaborate with academic leaders to inform decision making, implementation planning and ongoing support around instructional technology initiatives and products  These include student assessment platforms, learning management systems and a broad set of instructional technology tools such as Clever, Illuminate, Renaissance, GoGuardian. Google Classroom, ClassDojo, etc.
• Build deep relationships with our regional academic leader and each of our school leaders, investing significant time to understand each school’s priorities, challenges, systems and structures

Data and Accountability Leadership

The Director of Data will directly manage the Assistant Director of Data and Analytics, and have ownership over the following:

• Direct the crafting of high quality analyses and tools allowing KIPP Columbus to draw implications from student, teacher and organizational data related to student assessments, teacher evaluations, and other information that will be used to inform instructional practices and strategic decisions for regional and school leaders
• Design, implement, and monitor the use of real-time data dashboards and platforms to support strategic decisions at the regional and school levels
• Manage and ensure the quality of KIPP Columbus’ data.  Critically evaluate both quantitative and qualitative data collection, verification and storage methods across KIPP Columbus
• Manage and ensure the safety and security of KIPP Columbus. 
• Collaborate with regional and school leadership teams to develop annual performance plans as well as accountability mechanisms (eg, metrics, targets, reports) to measure progress against performance goals
• Provide reporting to enable the Superintendent and Board to track progress against organizational goals and priorities.  Help ensure key metrics aligned to regional goals are shared regularly with the Superintendent and used to hold itself accountable as well as to evaluate performance of the organization
• Serve as the primary contact for all internal and external data requests
• Collaborate with School Leaders to create and implement a tiered professional development roadmap (the right training for the right people). Design and deliver professional development to all stakeholders on using data to improve planning and drive student achievement.
• Build and maintain relationships with the KIPP Foundation to ensure all data relating to KIPP Columbus is accurate and aligned across sources.  Facilitate and coordinate all logistical aspects of statistical reporting needs for regulatory agencies, the KIPP Foundation, and KIPP Columbus’ sponsor.

• A Bachelor’s degree (required).
• Proven leadership in setting and implementing a vision for how data is used in a school setting
• Systems-level thinking with the ability to solve problems and build scalable solutions
• At least five years’ experience in quantitative data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting with strong focus on data quality and continuous improvement processes. Experience with Tableau and Illuminate strongly preferred.
• Customer-service orientation, with an interest in assisting schools and end-users as they seek to provide and access and understand data.
• Significant database or SIS management experience at the school and regional level.
• Knowledge of the education field, including familiarity with current student assessment platforms.  Experience with Illuminate, Cleveris a plus 
• Ability to make data appear clear and accessible to a wide variety of audiences. Tableau experience is preferred.
• Experience with database management and integration. Experience with SQL and Python strongly preferred.
• Expertise in using spreadsheet tools (e.g. Excel, Sheets) to collect, manipulate, and report data.
• Outstanding organizational skills and high attention to detail; outstanding written and oral communication skills. 
• Ability to manage the ambiguity and multiple priorities inherent in an entrepreneurial environment.
• Excellent problem solving skills, with an ability to understand impact of short-term and long-term solutions
• An integrated systems builder with the ability to both build and scale best practices across multiple schools 

• Exceptional organizational skills, particularly in developing and implementing multi-year plans 
• Ability to take and quickly implement feedback 
• Adept at thinking strategically, translating plans into action, and exhibiting excellent judgment 

Compensation and Benefits

At KIPP Columbus we strive for clarity, equity, and to be highly competitive with our compensation and benefits offered to our team.  KIPP Columbus offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances as well various voluntary benefits (such as short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, and participation in the Ohio SERS/STRS retirement plan.)  We also offer seasons of life support with 10 weeks paid maternity leave and 4 weeks paid spousal leave/adoption leave.  

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.