About Élan Academy
Élan Academy Charter School is an academically challenging, disciplined, and joyful elementary school in New Orleans, LA. Through a classical curriculum, high-quality instruction, and leadership development, Élan Academy Charter School ensures that all students have the foundation necessary to thrive in secondary school, succeed in college, and access lives of opportunity.
Position Overview
The Dean of Culture will work closely with the Head of School to ensure that all students demonstrate dramatic student achievement gains and internalize the school’s values. This individual will also help lead and support efforts around school culture, culturally responsive teaching, and student and family engagement.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Working closely with the Head of School to establish a positive, structured, achievement-oriented, and creative school culture.
Supporting teachers to hold all students to high and consistent behavioral expectations.
Serving as the point person for dealing with behavioral crisis intervention and acute behavioral issues.
Acting as a resource to teachers in their instructional practice, especially as it relates to issues of discipline, relationships with students, classroom management, and school culture.
Assisting teachers, students, and parents in the effective creation and implementation of individual behavior plans.
Leading staff efforts to ensure all students have excellent attendance and arrive at school on time, and working aggressively with students and parents to ensure excellent attendance.
May participate in summer home visits highlighting the responsibilities of parents, teachers, and students.
Arranging for efficient homework collection in the morning, and ensuring homework is delivered to staff from students appropriately and accurately.
Helping to reinforce the effective use of a school-wide behavior plan, including managing the school’s demerit and rubric systems.
Serving as the point person for discipline/culture issues.
Ensuring that the physical environment of the school reinforces school culture and facilitates student achievement
Being highly present and visible during school hours, relentlessly ensuring the school has an exceptional school culture.
Proactively circulating throughout classrooms and hallways during the day, to gain valuable context on student behavior and help support positive school culture Monitoring behavioral pull-out and in-school suspensions.
Modeling the school’s values and the standard for professional behavior.
Coordinating student apologies and school culture messages at Community Meeting.
Supervising breakfast, lunch, in-between class transitions, enrichment, and dismissal, making sure students are always where they are supposed to be, and ensuring a professional school culture at these times.
Keeping accurate student discipline records, documenting all conferences, suspensions, and phone calls for behavior.
Teaching at least one whole or small-group class.
Tracking behavior on the school bus, ensuring students are exemplary bus riders to and from school.
Supporting Social and Emotional learning and character development programming.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree is required; a Master’s degree is preferred.
Minimum of two years teaching experience in an urban district or charter school setting.
Drive to improve the minds and lives of students in and out of the classroom.
Practice diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of performance.
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong interpersonal skills with students, parents, colleagues, and community members.
Understanding of the nuances of urban school environments and school culture.
Belief in and alignment with Élan’s core beliefs and educational philosophy is non-negotiable.