Chief Academic Officer - Columbia, MO

Job Title: Chief Academic Officer

School District: Columbia Public Schools

City/State: Columbia, MO

Where to Apply: https://columbia.schoolspring.com/?jobid=5019562

Position Open Until: 4/30/2025

Job Description:

PURPOSE

The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) is a leadership role that will report to the Superintendent of Columbia Public Schools. The CAO provides leadership and executes the vision and strategic direction for Columbia Public Schools curriculum, instruction, assessment and school improvement initiatives. Responsible for our core instructional program, the Chief Academic Officer ensures that all scholars become independent learners who are curious, engaged, and growing in all aspects academically, socially, and emotionally.

 The Chief Academic Officer supervises and provides direct coaching and concrete, actionable feedback to the district academic team, as well as collaborates with the Chief Human Resources Officer and Superintendent to foster a district-wide growth mindset of continuous learning and professional development. The Chief Academic Officer ensures the professional development and coaching of instructional faculty is aligned to Columbia Public Schools priorities to achieve high-quality, culturally relevant instruction within a warm, inclusive, and academic rigorous environment across our schools within the district.

The Chief Academic Officer is a highly motivated and collaborative leader who takes initiative to solve problems and address challenges through an equity lens, centering the needs of all scholars on the pathway to achieving their full potential. The Chief Academic Officer models the core values of scholarship, merit, community, and responsibility and embodies a growth-mindset.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Domain I: Vision and Supporting Systems

• Build a culture of collective efficacy and positively impact instructional practice by maintaining a focus on rigor, high expectations, growth, and achievement for all.
• Collaborate with the Superintendent, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Chief Schools Officer to ensure there is a common vision for student learning, high-quality instruction and the professional development and coaching required for instructional staff to put all Columbia Public Schools scholars on a predictive path to college completion.
• Drawing on work done over the last several years, as well as Columbia Public Schools Strategic Plan, refine and implement a vision for strong instruction and curriculum across our district grounded in our mission and vision.
• Provide leadership for all aspects of the Columbia Public Schools instructional program, including curriculum and assessment, instructional quality, and use of both instructional and non-instructional data.
• Assess the quality and impact of organizational structures related to curriculum and instruction, researching best practices, and providing actionable feedback that can be implemented to increase leader, teacher, and student outcomes.

Domain II: Rigorous Instruction and Learning

• Develop a scope and sequence of professional learning for school leaders, instructional staff and student support teams to ensure consistent, normed implementation of Columbia Public Schools expectations of high-quality instruction, family engagement and positive behavior systems to achieve high levels of student engagement and learning through a continuous loop.
• Drawing on work done over the last several years, as well as Columbia Public Schools Strategic Plan, leads the advancement and cohesive development of an aligned, district-wide K-12 curriculum that ensures all scholars are challenged to think and work hard every day.
• Leads the effort to review, adapt and change academic frameworks and intervention programs based on student needs, within a MTSS framework.
• Designs, implements, and evaluates systems to assess student achievement.

Domain III: Drive Results

• Sets ambitious goals and leads process of change with specific and measurable outcomes to strengthen overall academic program, in alignment to Columbia Public Schools Strategic Plan
• Positively impacts a data informed culture in schools by ensuring laser-like focus on teaching, learning, and increasing achievement and growth for all students.
• Assesses the strength of the academic program at all schools through observations, achievement and survey data; identify trends and align district-wide strategy, opportunities and support for leaders and teachers.

Domain IV: Authentic Leadership

• Demonstrate personal leadership by employing reflective practices while building and encouraging strong, trusting relationships through the application and modeling of appropriate and effective communication strategies.
• Directs instructional leadership training for content supervisors, principals, academic directors, coordinators, and aspiring leaders.
• Represents the school to a variety of audiences and supports all necessary functions for school management and success.
• Provides instructional/curricular input to district-wide and school-based new teacher orientation and mentoring programs.

Domain V: Strategic Talent Management

• Manage academic directors to unlock their potential and drive a strong instructional programming across all content areas through curriculum development, assessment, professional development, and instructional coaching.
• Build capacity, in their team members and across teams, by strategically leveraging relationships while observing, supporting, and coaching them toward success and holding them accountable to a vision of excellence for all scholars.
• Work collaboratively with a variety of consultants and strategic partners to ensure alignment to district goals/priorities and build the internal capacity of the team.
• Ensures that each member of the Academic team has a development plan aligned to their performance goals and expectations.

Perform other duties as necessary to support the mission and vision of Columbia Public School District.

SALARY

Salary range: $160,000 – $200,000.

DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS

All employees of the District are expected to adhere to the policies and regulations of the Board of Education, maintain appropriate certification and competencies necessary for the position, and demonstrate the values of the district at all times. For information on polices, regulations and values, visit http://www.cpsk12.org.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To:      Superintendent

Supervises:      Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Executive Director of School Improvement, Executive Director of Assessment, Instruction and Data, Executive Director of Special Services, and Secretary to the Chief Academic Officer.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum:   Master’s Degree; possess or be eligible for a Superintendent’s Certificate; seven to ten years of progressive leadership experience in public school systems.

Preferred:    Doctorate Degree.