KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

You can see all our job opportunities at https://kipptexas.org/join-our-team/.

The Deputy Chief of Academic Programs is a lead equity learner that will further the mission of KIPP Texas as it helps ensure that all students have the tools and support they need to learn to be prepared to matriculate to the college and/or career option of their choice. This leader will work across multiple departments of the organization to ensure that all students are supported with their unique learning needs including developing a career readiness strategy to support all of our KIPPsters. As a champion of equity, this leader will be relentless in ensuring the organization meets the unique demands of all learners and all associated compliance regulations.  This leader will pursue high quality instruction and support services, serving as a thought partner, problem solver, and change agent to internal and external stakeholders with steadfast commitment to action.

Position Overview

KIPP Texas Public Schools Academic Programs exists to prevent, respond to, and minimize the barriers to learning that KIPP Texas students may experience and to maximize the college enrollment and college success rates of KIPPsters across the state. The Deputy Chief will provide strategic leadership, long-term vision, and direction as the administrator responsible for the multi-disciplinary team composed of: Special Populations, Multilingual Education, and KIPP Forward. This position reports directly to the Chief Academic Officer and will collaborate closely with colleagues within  Academics, Finance, Operations, and School Management as well as with other regional and school shareholders to ensure all students have their unique support in alignment with KIPP Texas goals, purposes, and priorities. The Deputy Chief of Academic Programs and other key shareholders, will champion equity through the provision of comprehensive, collaborative, and integrated support to KIPPsters and their families. 

General Role Description

• Strategy: Develop vision with clear goals and action plans for multiple departments that addresses current and future needs to provide comprehensive support for all students using a collaborative approach to clear and specific performance targets.
• Instructional Leadership: Work with departmental and regional teams to build instructional leadership capacity of School Leaders and school leadership teams with particular focus on special population pedagogy, multilingual pedagogy, data analysis, intervention, and professional development of school teams so that the unique needs of all learners are met.

• Team Leadership: Manage, develop, and lead multiple teams to ensure best in class instructional support for students in specialized cohorts as well as strong compliance procedures are operationalized and met. Additionally, leading the team to ensure our alumni are graduating their post-secondary education within ideal time  and preparing for a career that will support alumni in leading fulfilling lives

• Communication: Ability to inspire, inform, and collaborate across the organization to ensure the instructional needs of our most at risk KIPPsters are supported and met.  This leader needs to build deep and trustful relationships in the organization in service of their departmental goals.

Goals for 2024 and Beyond

• 95% of K-2 Students are reading on grade level.
• KTX achieves 90/75/40 on Reading STAAR.
• KTX achieves 90/75/40 on Math STAAR.
• Meet all special education federal compliance indicators (SPP 7, 11, and 13). 
• 85% or higher on-time compliance with annual ARD and Section 504 meeting dates. 
• 85% or higher on-time compliance with LPAC meetings and associated PEIMs snapshot timelines.
• KTX meets the percentage of year over year growth for TELPAS with 95% or higher EB student participation.  
• 80% of state and regional academic programs staff employed in the current school year will be retained and will return for the following school year.
• 80% of students matriculate to a 4-year college. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the analysis of Academic Program data with school leadership, regional leadership and the state academics team, resulting in school improvements
• Create processes and gather information that address immediate needs of Academic Programs departments and anticipate the future-facing needs
• Collaborate with other KIPP Texas academics team directors to establish an arc of professional learning for regional leaders, school teams and teachers
• Develop, coach, and conduct performance evaluations of departmental Managing Directors and set and monitor progress toward growth goals aligned to the teamwide strategic priorities and benchmarks
• Coordinate and maintain quality programs and ensure research-based instructional teaching and learning strategies for students with disabilities are evident and supported. 
• Identify, plan, and lead professional development for stakeholders that are in alignment with the strategic direction of the Academic Programs departments.
• Work with the Chief Academic Officer to plan professional development of all administrators and teachers, ensuring an understanding of special populations, student support systems, and intervention strategies that benefit all students.
• Collaboration with Team Finance regarding grant designations and allocations. Develops budget recommendations and maintains expenditure control on established budgets. 
• Works with the Human Resource and school leadership teams to ensure full quality and compliance of teacher and support staff supervision, evaluations, and improvement process plans are in place, ensuring that all requirements and deadlines are strictly adhered to and followed.
• Provides high quality annual reports and quarterly status reports that clearly communicate performance toward all annual targets to ensure that annual goals and targets are met.
• Routinely evaluates the KIPP Texas Academic Programs departments to ensure that objectives for the departments are met.
• Ensure compliance with, and approve reports for, all state, federal, and local agencies.
• Other duties as assigned by the Chief Academic Officer.

Education/experience

• Master’s Degree preferred
• 3-5 years of school leadership experience with demonstrated results
• Three (3) years of appropriate experience (Special Education or ESL experience preferred)
• Proven success in leading district-wide efforts to transform the provision of services for students with disabilities in urban setting preferred

Skills and Competencies

• Strategic vision and courage to ensure that all students achieve.
• Ability to work collaboratively to support school improvement and seek and value diverse perspectives.
• Identify opportunities for streamlining systems across functions at KIPP Texas Public Schools.
• Ability to use the budgeting process to further departmental impact.
• Manages fiscal and physical resources responsibly, efficiently and effectively by using data to inform budget decisions and to equitably and adequately allocate resources to support KTX goals and student learning needs
• Strong demonstrated instructional leadership capabilities and dynamic adult teaching skills.
• Strong management, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong collaboration skills to ensure external partnerships are maintained and cultivated.
• Ability to develop, execute, and monitor strategic plans, annual goals and quarterly benchmarking for school improvement.
• Ability to problem solve, analyze and achieve results for all learners.
• Experience and knowledge with federal and state regulations as it pertains to Special Education and Multilingual Education. preferred
• Experience and knowledge of Section 504 Law and Regulations. preferred
• Experience and knowledge of the essential elements of high performing Response to Intervention systems and structures. preferred
• Experience and knowledge of Special Education and Multilingual Education funding and accountability structures. preferred
• Experience with the implementation of Special Education and Multilingual Education programming. preferred
• Experience with college completion and career success. preferred
• Innovation oriented, team oriented, and data driven leader with high levels of energy and deep commitment to urban youth.
• Ability to lead programs in service of the organizational goals, potentially without deep functional expertise of some of the areas they lead

Compensation and Benefits

As a full-time KIPP Texas employee you are eligible to participate in all KIPP Texas’ benefit plans. KIPP Texas offers a robust variety of benefits choices with competitive rates, including medical, dental, and vision options, life insurance, and disability plans.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.