Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 53 schools serving more than 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond. 

The Regional Culture Specialist is responsible for ensuring Boston Schools are a place where students enjoy learning and engage respectfully with their peers, teachers and community. This person will support all regional culture leaders (including Deans of Students, Associate Deans of Students, and School Leaders) to build strong relationships and a positive school culture to ensure that all students embody the school’s values and stay focused on their journey to and through college. The RCS will also lead Dean of Students professional development, ensure strong culture systems throughout our schools, lead initiatives around SEL Curriculum implementation, and provide consistent day-to-day support for our Dean of Students. This person will report to the Assistant Superintendent for Boston and will receive additional coaching from the Director of Dean of Students Development and Support.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

Boston School Culture Development and Support

• Coaching and developing our cultural leaders (including Deans of Students, Associate Deans of Students, and School Leaders) to create a strong school culture at each of their campuses by improving their ability to support students, lead professional development, and coach teachers on classroom management.
• Creating and implementing aligned culture systems across all Boston Schools (e.g. Aligned trackers and logs, Behavior Management Systems at campuses, Close the Loop systems, Dean Office Systems and Positive School Cultural events and incentives)
• Support Boston Deans of Students as needed for student incident escalations and emergency support.

Cross-Regional High School Dean of Students Cohort Development

• Driving cross-regional Dean of Students cohort (sharing resources/best practices, etc.)
• Supporting with requests to coaching deans in other regions
• Ensuring alignment with all regional Special Education policies
• Lead or Co-lead Cross-Regional Dean of Students PD (during the summer and throughout the year)

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Development and Implementation Oversight

• Ensure all schools have the tools and training to be proficient on the Uncommon SEL/DEI Rubric
• Design curriculum to train students and staff on key SEL concepts (e.g. Building and Maintaining Trust and Rapport, Implementation of Mood Meter in Classrooms, Advisory, Dean of Students Office, and other school spaces and Creation of Class and Grade charters)

Administrative

• Weekly check ins with the Assistant Superintendent for Boston Schools
• Monthly check ins with Director of Dean of Students Development and Support

Required Skills & Abilities

• Passionate commitment to the mission of Uncommon Schools and investment in our vision for being an anti-racist organization.
• Unwavering belief in high academic and behavioral expectations for all students.
• Exceptional time and task management skills.
• Ability to create a clear vision for student culture across the region and manage schools to achieve the vision
• Highly proficient at coaching and developing others
• Self-motivation, desire to be a great teammate, and a strong sense of personal responsibility.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong interpersonal skills with students, parents, colleagues, and community members.
• Ability and desire to implement feedback from school leaders and colleagues.
• Requirements:
  • Bachelor’s degree is required;
  • Minimum of four years leading a successful culture at a school
  • Minimum of two years coaching and developing other school culture leaders

Travel Requirements

• 100% in person in schools
• Most days at Boston Schools. Up to 15% of days traveling to High Schools in other Uncommon Regions (Newark, NYC, Rochester, and Camden) 

Our people are what makes us Uncommon.  We believe our compensation philosophy and benefits should reflect our values—equity, transparency, and clarity—to enhance our ability to attract and retain talent and reward their expertise.  Our staff receive best-in-class training, coaching, and support to develop and operate mission-driven schools that provide a high-quality education to our students and families.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in Boston is between $57,00 to $79,500.  The starting pay will depend on various factors that may include but are not limited to professional experience, education, training, certifications, tenure with Uncommon Schools, and work location.  Because we value staff tenure in each role, we do not currently cap salary ranges.  Please note: ranges may differ for staff who work from a location other than Boston.

Benefits: We offer comprehensive, flexible, and competitive benefits that support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our staff and their families.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for important dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.