Dean of Students

An Invitation to Apply for the Position of

Dean of Students

Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School

Brooklyn, New York

What is the Role?

Coney Island Prep is looking for an amazing Dean of Students to join us for the 2021-2022 school year! Located in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, our upper elementary school was founded in 2019 and operates grades third through fifth grade. The Dean of Students is the staff member primarily in charge of positive student culture, family partnerships, and reactive discipline. This person will be responsible for creating positive incentives for scholars, proactively planning culture events, managing communication between key stakeholders, and maintaining a restorative Dean’s Office. The Dean of Students is also responsible for managing any in-school-suspensions or independent study centers.

What You’ll Be Asked To Do

Whole School Responsibilities

• Work with the Principal, Culture Team, and Operations Team to plan and implement both staff and student orientation.
• Create, evaluate and seek to constantly improve overall school culture, with an emphasis on creating a culture that is academically focused, joyful, safe and secure, and allows scholars the opportunity to develop positive and age-appropriate peer relationships.
• Organize and coordinate incentive parties and key family events
• Lead Community Meeting celebrations, and other whole-school events or meetings.
• Facilitate professional development sessions that focus on and support trauma-informed practices
• Proactively plan and execute systems to drive positive student behavior and create a culture of achievement that is focused on academic success, joyfulness, a safe and supportive school culture, and creating positive and age-appropriate relationships.
• Check uniforms and ensure all scholars meet dress code expectations each day.

Disciplinary Responsibilities

• Use a trauma-informed lens to address and manage behaviors
• Help students internalize and practice the school’s core PRIDE values.
• Monitor student behavior both inside and outside of the classroom.
• Support teachers by taking initiative to address behavioral problems as they arise, ensuring that instructional time is maximized and that students miss as little time in the classroom as possible.
• Engage with parents and families to act as partners in creating successful behavior plans for scholars who may need extra assistance.
• Manage the entire dean referral process, from classroom push-in support to dean’s office processing, to restorative consequences.
• Manage all suspensions, in-school and out-of-school.
• Maintain records of disciplinary actions in Illuminate and Kickboard systems.

Instructional Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Vice Principals to observe and support teacher development
• In consultation with the Director of Special Projects and Social Worker, assist in the internalization, facilitation, and observation/feedback process for Advisory groups. 
• Provide classroom management support and coaching to teachers as needed. 
• Assist and coach teachers on implementing trauma-informed systems in their classrooms
• Manage grade teams and grade level leaders to ensure teachers are collaborating effectively to meet the needs of all scholars.

What You’ll Need

• Passion for education and a dedication to Coney Island Prep’s mission
• Steadfast belief that all students can achieve at the highest academic levels and deserve an opportunity to succeed in the college and career of their choice
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Cultural competencies to work in low-income communities and a willingness to examine own biases across lines of sameness and difference
• Maintains professionalism through excellent organizational skills, timeliness, regular communication, and meeting deadlines
• Self reflective and open to feedback, with the ambition and desire to grow one’s professional practice
• An entrepreneurial spirit, embracing the opportunity for creativity and hard work
• A positive, solutions-oriented attitude and drive for excellence
• Eagerness to work collaboratively as part of a team
• A strong track record of building positive relationships across various stakeholder groups demonstrating a value towards diversity and inclusivity

Who Are You?

You’re all in. You believe there is no more urgent task than to educate students from low-income backgrounds, so you are committed to the core. Our work is high-energy, fast-paced, tiring and sometimes all-consuming, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You own your work and when you reach your goals, you reach higher. You work incredibly hard, and are inspired by the urgency of what we do. You aren’t afraid to ask for help, feedback, and support; you’re equally eager to give all of the above. You’re driven by personal accountability, data, and results, and you’re not above doing whatever’s asked. You make friends at work, smile through hectic days, and add a little levity along the way. You have the opportunity to work with students, and there’s always someone who’s got your back from coaching you through a challenging day to helping you grow professionally. And while the environment can be fast paced and ever-changing, you’ll have all of the technology and caffeine you need to get the job done.

Who Are We?

Coney Island Prep is a college preparatory public charter school in Brooklyn, New York. Merging growth, performance, and commitment, the Coney Island Prep community takes its responsibility to prepare students for the college and career of their choice very seriously, but not ourselves. We balance our sense of ownership and responsibility with humility and levity and support each other every step of the way. Coney Island Prep currently serves over 1,000 scholars across its four schools, including:

• 200 scholars in kindergarten – second grade at the lower elementary school
• 220 scholars in third – fifth grade at the upper elementary school
• 280 scholars in sixth – eighth grades at the middle school
• 340 scholars in ninth-twelfth grade at the high school

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Coney Island Prep is committed to building a team that collectively reflects the various backgrounds, experiences, and identities of our scholars. We recognize and respond to different points of access, so that everyone maximizes their highest potential. We also recognize that because of institutionalized racism and systemic oppression, historically marginalized groups are at a disadvantage when it comes to most application and hiring processes. We want to ensure that all candidates, regardless of their identity, are able to demonstrate their qualifications and are not limited by a lack of opportunity or access. We are also committed to creating a space where everyone feels like all aspects of their identity are acknowledged, respected, and welcomed. We are intentional about creating an environment where people feel comfortable being their authentic selves at work by constantly examining our organization culture and challenging our traditions.

Our Response and Responsibilities During the Pandemic 

Recognizing how this pandemic disproportionally affects communities of color, we have taken steps to meet our mission in a number of ways. In addition to sharing our blueprint in approaching virtual and at distance learning, we have allocated resources for familial support, distributed hundreds of devices to sustain techquity amongst students, and provided over 100,000 meals throughout the south Brooklyn neighborhood to date. 

As we strive towards a future where we can resume in-person teaching, we have designed and executed on plans to provide testing resources and contingency plans for campuses. Furthermore, our teams are leveraging technology, trauma informed practices, & health & safety protocols to ensure we are meeting our mission of putting students first. Despite the constraints that distance learning provides, educators are still responsible for connecting with students, fostering critical thinking, sustaining high expectations all while operating safely, efficiently, and effectively.

Benefits and Compensation

• Employees at Coney Island Prep are provided with a generous salary and an annual retention bonus after their first year. Our salaries are highly competitive, set through a lens of equity, and based on an individual’s skills and experiences relevant to the role. The salary range for this role is $80,000-$90,000, based on experience.
• As a regular full time employee of Coney Island Prep, you will be eligible for benefits that include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance as well as a 403(b) retirement benefit package with match and Paid Family Leave.
• Teachers are provided with a MacBook Air and access to all the necessary technology, resources, and hugs needed to succeed in the classroom.

Are you “All In?” This role starts July 2021. To apply, head to our Careers Page!

Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, national origin, citizenship or disability. We want Coney Island Prep to be a place where students and staff of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities feel as though they feel valued and can excel.