Dean of Students

DEAN OF STUDENTS

About Us

Dream Academy Charter School is a public charter school founded by A4L Charter Inc. in partnership with Arts for Learning Maryland (A4L)—a nationally recognized leader in arts-integrated education. Together, we are redefining what school can be by blending rigorous academics with the transformative power of the arts. Located in Baltimore City, Dream Academy serves as a model for equitable, joyful, and innovative learning, where artists and educators collaborate to nurture creative thinkers and confident learners. Our approach is grounded in the belief that creativity and academic excellence go hand in hand—and that every child deserves an education that honors both their intellect and imagination.

Mission

Dream Academy Charter transforms teaching and learning through a vibrant, arts and artist-integrated approach that empowers every student to achieve. By fostering intentional collaboration among artists, educators, families, and the community, we create an equitable and joyful environment where intellectual curiosity, creative expression, and authentic student voices thrive. Our innovative methods ensure that students achieve academic excellence while developing the skills and confidence needed to succeed as creatives, citizens, and lifelong learners.

Position Overview

Dream Academy Charter School is seeking a skilled, compassionate, and highly responsive Dean of Students to lead the school’s response to significant, repeated, or escalating student behavior. The Dean of Students will help ensure that Dream Academy remains a safe, joyful, and academically focused learning community while approaching student accountability behavior through accountability, relationship-building, restoration, and meaningful opportunities for growth.

The Dean of Students will primarily lead Steps 3 and 4 of Dream Academy’s Positive Discipline Protocol: Related Consequences and Discipline Referrals. The Dean will coordinate appropriate responses when classroom-based redirection and restorative interventions have not resolved a concern or when immediate intervention is necessary because behavior has significantly disrupted learning or affected the safety of the school community.

With a goal to safely return students to their classroom environment, this position will administer related consequences, oversee Dream Way Academy, manage discipline referrals, facilitate restorative conferences, coordinate student reentry, engage families in problem-solving, and ensure that behavioral agreements are implemented and monitored. The Dean will work closely with school leaders, teachers, Culture Coaches, mentors, student-support staff, students, and families to ensure that consequences are consistent, connected to the harm or disruption caused, and paired with the support students need to return successfully to their learning communities.

The Dean of Students is employed by A4L Charter, Inc. and reports to the Principal, with collaboration and organizational oversight provided by the Executive Director and charter leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

Student Behavior Response and Accountability

• Respond promptly to significant, repeated, or escalating student behavior that disrupts instruction, harms the school community, or creates safety concerns.
• Assess discipline referrals and determine the appropriate next steps in consultation with school leadership and in accordance with Dream Academy’s Positive Discipline Protocol and applicable policies.
• Ensure that students are treated fairly and consistently while maintaining high behavioral expectations.
• Identify natural or related consequences that help students understand the effects of their choices and take meaningful responsibility for repairing harm.
• Communicate expectations, decisions, and next steps clearly to students, staff, and families.
• Support behavioral crisis response and assist the school leadership team in determining when additional administrative or emergency intervention is required if necessary.
• Coordinate with existing internal and external resources to ensure that wrap-around services are activated, and immediately notify school leadership of serious safety incidents, injuries, threats, parent complaints, or circumstances that may require suspension or another formal administrative response.
• Maintain a visible and active presence during arrival, dismissal, transitions, lunch, recess, and other times or locations where additional behavioral support is needed.

Dream Way Academy and Related Consequences

• Lead the operation of Dream Way Academy for students in grades 6–8, ensuring that the time is structured, reflective, meaningful, and productive.
• Review Dream Way Academy referral forms and use the information provided by teachers to plan appropriate reflection, restoration, academic work, or related consequences.
• Coordinate limited recess consequences for elementary students in accordance with the Positive Discipline Protocol.
• Ensure that assigned consequences are completed, documented, and followed by appropriate reentry and follow-up.
• Coordinate with teachers so students can complete essential academic work missed while participating in a consequence or intervention.
• Monitor patterns in assigned consequences to identify students who may need a more individualized or intensive plan.

Discipline Referrals and Case Coordination

• Manage discipline referrals after teachers and staff have implemented and documented the preceding steps of the Positive Discipline Protocol, except when the seriousness or urgency of an incident requires immediate administrative action.
• Review documentation of classroom interventions, restorative conversations, related consequences, and family contact connected to each referral.
• Follow up with referring staff when additional information, classroom-level action, or relationship repair is needed.
• Maintain clear records of referrals, interventions, consequences, family communication, agreements, reentry plans, and follow-up.
• Coordinate behavior-response cases involving multiple teachers, grade levels, student-support staff, or administrators.
• Develop and monitor individualized accountability or behavior-support plans for students with repeated or significant or serious behavior concerns. Update concerns to the Principal and appropriate student-support personnel when a student may need services or interventions beyond the Dean’s role.

Restorative Conferences and Reentry

• Facilitate restorative conversations, student reflection sessions, problem-solving circles, and formal conferences following incidents of disruption or harm.
• Use Dream Academy’s restorative questions to help students examine what happened, who was affected, what harm occurred, and what must happen to make things right.
• Facilitate Family-Teacher-Mentor-Administrator Conferences when a formal process is needed to help a student return to successful participation in the school community.
• Develop clear agreements that identify student responsibilities, adult supports, related consequences, and follow-up steps.
• Use the Return to Class Restorative Discipline Form to document student reflection, commitments, requested support, and teacher response.
• Prepare students and staff for reentry following removal from class, Dream Way Academy, suspension, or another significant intervention.
• Follow up with students and teachers to determine whether agreements are being honored and whether additional support or action is necessary.
• Center accountability to the student and classroom community while recognizing unmet needs and creating a path toward repaired relationships.

Family Partnership

• Ensure timely family contact following significant incidents, related consequences, Dream Way Academy assignments, or and discipline referrals.
• Use a restorative framework that clearly explains what occurred, how the student and community were affected, and what must happen to improve the situation.
• Build trust with families through preparation, honest communication, sincere questions, clearly articulated next steps, and consistent follow-through.
• Invite families into collaborative problem-solving while maintaining clear school expectations.
• Facilitate or participate in family conferences concerning repeated or serious student behavior.
• Maintain accurate records of family communication and all commitments made by the school or family.

Staff Partnership and Protocol Implementation

• Help staff implement Dream Academy’s Positive Discipline Protocol consistently and faithfully.
• Provide guidance on related consequences, referral procedures, documentation, restorative responses, and successful student reentry.
• Support teachers in developing practical strategies and agreements for students with recurring behavioral challenges.
• Review referrals for evidence that relationship-building, positive redirection, restorative questions, compassionate conversation, related consequences, and positive family contact have been attempted when appropriate.
• Work with staff to repair strained teacher-student relationships that may interfere with successful intervention or reentry.
• Model calm, respectful, firm, and restorative responses during challenging interactions.
• Participate in grade-level, student-support, and school leadership meetings as requested.
• Identify schoolwide patterns and recommend proactive adjustments to routines, supervision, staff support, or behavioral systems.

Data, Documentation, and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain a current and confidential record of discipline referrals, consequences, restorative processes, family contacts, agreements, and follow-up actions.
• Track the frequency, location, time, type, and recurrence of behavioral incidents.
• Monitor whether related consequences, conferences, and student agreements are completed and whether behaviors improve following intervention.
• Regularly analyze behavior data to identify individual, classroom, grade-level, and schoolwide trends.
• Provide school leaders with regular updates regarding significant incidents, recurring concerns, response times, outcomes, and areas requiring additional attention.
• Use data and stakeholder feedback to strengthen the school’s behavior-response systems and reduce repeated loss of instructional time.
• Protect student confidentiality and comply with all applicable laws, policies, and professional standards.

School Community Responsibilities

• Function as a full-time member of the Dream Academy community and participate in staff meetings, professional development, school events, and other required activities.
• Build positive and respectful relationships with students, families, teachers, teaching artists, Culture Coaches, administrators, and community partners.
• Contribute to a school culture grounded in creativity, connection, community, innovation, and joy.
• Support schoolwide routines and activities when student safety, behavior, or successful participation requires additional assistance.
• Perform other related responsibilities assigned by the Principal or charter leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or three years of relevant experiences in education, social work, counseling, human services, criminal justice, youth development, or a related field.
• At least three years of successful experience working with children or adolescents in a school, youth-development, behavioral-support, restorative-practice, or closely related setting.
• Demonstrated ability to respond calmly, respectfully, and effectively to stressful, emotionally charged, or escalating situations.
• Experience addressing significant student behavior while maintaining clear expectations and positive relationships.
• Ability to facilitate difficult conversations involving students, families, teachers, and school leaders.
• Strong judgment and the ability to distinguish between behavior that can be addressed through restorative or school-based intervention and behavior requiring immediate administrative, safety, or mental-health support.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple active student cases, deadlines, communications, and follow-up responsibilities.
• Ability to maintain accurate, confidential documentation and use behavioral data to identify patterns and guide decisions.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Commitment to equitable, restorative, culturally responsive, and relationship-centered approaches to student accountability.
• Ability to complete all required federal and state background checks.

Preferred

• Experience implementing restorative practices, positive behavioral interventions, behavior plans, de-escalation strategies, or trauma-informed approaches in a K–8 school.
• Experience facilitating restorative circles, reentry conferences, family conferences, or student accountability agreements.
• Experience supporting students and staff in an urban public-school environment.
• Knowledge of applicable student-discipline requirements and protections.
• Training in restorative practices, crisis prevention, de-escalation, mediation, or conflict resolution.
• Experience analyzing discipline data and helping to improve schoolwide behavior systems.

Compensation and Benefits

The starting salary range for the Dean of Students is $65,000-$70,000 for a 10-month position.

Full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.

Application Process

Qualified candidates must submit:

• A completed online application, including three professional references: each reference’s name, title, organization, email address, and telephone number.
• A current resume demonstrating relevant education and/or professional experience.
• A cover letter explaining their interest in the position, their understanding of restorative student accountability, and what they hope to bring to the Dream Academy community.
• Copies of applicable degrees, certifications, or professional credentials.

All employees will be subject to federal and state background checks in accordance with applicable laws.

A4L Charter, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and equitable workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, veteran status, and disability. All qualified applications will be given equal opportunity.

Medical, dental and vision insurance offered, 401k account with matching, paid time off