School Leadership

School leaders are committed to creating supportive and nurturing learning environments, developing and coaching educators, and building an inclusive school community. KIPP DC operates two school leader development programs to select, train, and empower our next generation of academic leaders. Current KIPP DC staff members and experienced educators are encouraged to explore and apply for these school leader development programs.

Applications for 2025-26 Principal-in-Residence program and 2025-26 Vice Principal Leadership positions are open! Interested in learning more? Sign up to attend a webinar to learn more about these opportunities with KIPP DC! 

Upcoming webinars:
Option 1: Thursday, November 21 from 5:30 – 6:15pm ET
Option 2: Wednesday, December 11 from 5:30 – 6:15pm ET

 

 

Vice Principal

All students can learn and achieve at high levels when provided joyful, identify affirming learning experiences. As a vice principal, you would be expected to develop a more impactful, innovative, and inclusive school community. Vice principals lead both instruction and school culture as the leaders of subsets of teachers and students in specific grade levels and/or departments. Ideal vice principal candidates are interested in developing the leadership skills necessary to build great schools and uphold our mission. View FAQs about the vice principal application process.

All vice principals participate in Rising Leaders, a year long development program that includes: 

  • Mentorship: Vice principals are a key member of their school leadership team. Their principal will provide the job training which will fuel their growth and development.
  • Coaching: All first year vice principals will participate in bi-weekly coaching sessions with a leadership coach.
  • Cohort Professional Development: All first year vice principals will participate in the Rising Leaders cohort, both in the summer and throughout the school year. Rising Leaders is a year-long professional development program informed by to the leadership toolkit.
  • Project-Based Learning: All first year vice principals will have the opportunity to complete projects aligned to the toolkit and receive meaningful, practical feedback on their work as a vice principal.

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"Rising leaders is a great leadership development for vice principals. Every session I take away 3-5 things that I am going to implement in my daily coaching practice."

Gabbie Ciarcia, Vice Principal, KIPP DC College Preparatory

"Rising Leaders is an opportunity to refine your coaching skills while also rejuvenating in a safe space with other leaders. It has been an amazing outlet that I didn't know I'd needed."

Jeremiah Johnson, Instructional Coach, KIPP DC Lead Academy

"KIPP DC's leadership development programs are a great opportunity to learn from your peers, people experiencing the same work as you. In my first year as a vice principal, it has great to have the opportunity of being coached by talented people that are interested in my growth."

Amber Aladenika, Vice Principal, KIPP DC Spring Academy

"PIR was great for me because it allowed me to build on my years of experience as a vice principal with school leader moments that felt new – running part of our budget, coaching a new leader, and hiring new teachers. I also worked with my principal in more of a mentor relationship, and got better insight into what her role is like on a day to day basis."

Jessica Pertuz, Principal, KIPP DC Lead Academy

Principal in Residence

The Principal in Residence (PIR) program is a two-year, regionally-operated leadership development residency to prepare aspiring principals with the adaptive, technical, and managerial skills to lead a KIPP DC school. This leadership program is designed to provide PIRs with in-depth support via direct coaching and mentorship by instructional experts; enabling them to emerge with executive experience and best practices involved in school leadership. Principals in Residence are full-time members of their residency school leadership teams and will have daily opportunities to practice the skills and competencies required to lead high-performing schools. View FAQs about the principal in residence application process.

 PIRs are on a two-year track to school leadership, pending vacancies and availability.

As a Principal in Residence, candidates will receive:

  • Mentorship: PIRs are a full-time member of their residency school leadership team. They will be supported in their development by a mentor school leader who acts as your coach and model for exceptional school leadership.
  • Coaching: PIRs will receive ongoing coaching by a mentor school leader. There may also be additional leadership coaching provided.
  • Cohort Professional Development: PIRs will receive formal professional development aligned to KIPP DC’s leadership competencies and targeting specific developmental needs alongside a cohort of peers who will lead our schools in coming years.
  • Readiness Checkpoints: Readiness checkpoints provide an opportunity for the PIR and support team to reflect on progress towards becoming a school leader.
  • Transition Planning: PIRs receive support in planning to step into a school leader position within the KIPP DC network following the residency year.

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KIPP DC Leadership Toolkit

Our leadership toolkit is what it sounds like — a collection of tools that will help school leaders maintain a vision for excellence for their roles and to continue to develop along the way. With this toolkit, the leadership development team hopes to provide a tool that is accessible, reflects the importance of a transparent and equitable leadership pipeline, and is designed to evolve.

View Toolkit

School Leader Professional Development

 

Vice Principal Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • What is the role of a vice principal? 

    The vice principal’s job is to support the school in driving academic outcomes, care, and a sense of belonging for our students as a key member of the school’s leadership team. We expect our vice principals to lead both instruction and school culture as the leaders of subsets of teachers and students in specific grade levels and/or departments.

    Vice principals are an exempt role and report to the principal of the school, and serve on the school leadership team.

     

  • When will the vice principal application be open?

    The application is open from Tuesday, November 12, 2024 through January 5, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

     

  • How do I apply for a vice principal position?

    Candidates can apply via the link at the top of this page.

     

  • Who should apply for a vice principal position?

    KIPP DC is looking for vice principal candidates who are committed to KIPP DC’s mission that all students can learn and achieve at high levels, have a strong teaching background, a commitment to creating identity-affirming learning experiences, and are looking to develop the leadership skills necessary to lead great schools. Specifically, candidates should have:

    • Bachelor’s degree
    • Minimum of four years lead teaching, school leadership, or direct student support (i.e., MHP, related service provider) experience
    • Demonstrated academic results
    • Demonstrated leadership experience
    • Demonstrated record of timeliness, good attendance, reliability and responsiveness
    • Experience teaching core subjects (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Special Education) (preferred experience, not required)
    • Unquestioned integrity and commitment to KIPP DC’s mission and to advancing its anti-racist ambition through their work with staff, students, alumni, and families

     

  • What will the vice principal selection process entail?

    The selection process consists of four stages and will conclude in April. Applicants will be notified after each stage of the process about whether they will progress to the next stage.

    • Online Application
    • Teaching Video Submission
    • Panel Interview (Reference Checks – external candidates only)
    • School Leader Interviews

     

  • How do I learn more about the Vice Principal selection process?

    Sign up for an information session here to learn more about required qualifications and experience, differences in the PIR and VP application process, and key dates

  • Will my school leader know that I have applied?

    Yes. For internal KIPP DC team members, candidates are not required to speak to their school leaders prior to applying; however, we encourage all internal candidates to have a conversation with their school leaders about their interest in school leadership as all school leaders will provide feedback as part of the application process.

    For external candidates, we will reach out to your school leaders for references as part of the process.

     

  • Can external candidates apply for a vice principal position?

    Yes. External candidates will apply in the same window as internal candidates, from November 12, 2024 through January 5, 2025 at 11:59pm EST. 

     

  • What is the vice principal recommended pool? 

    If a vice principal candidate successfully completes the first three stages of the application process, they will be invited to the recommended pool.  Principals with vice principal vacancies for the following school year will interview candidates for their open positions from the recommended pool as the fourth stage of the selection process.  

    There will be a separate recommended pool for each grade level band, but candidates may elect and be selected into multiple grade level band pools (for example, someone may be eligible to interview for both early childhood and elementary vice principal openings). 

     

  • If I advance to the recommended pool, am I guaranteed a vice principal position next year?

    Successfully completing the centralized selection process and advancing to the recommended pool does not mean that a candidate is guaranteed a vice principal position.  In order to become a vice principal, a candidate must both complete the selection process and be offered a position by a school leader through the school leader interview process. Candidates will remain in the recommended pool for the duration of the school year and will automatically be placed into the pool the following year. If after the second year, the candidate is not hired into a vice principal position they will have to reapply to the process the following year if still interested in pursuing the role.

     

  • What does the school leader interview process look like?

    Candidates will receive notification of their application status after the panel interviews. For those candidates who advance to the recommended pool, you will have the opportunity to indicate your school leader interview preferences. At the same time, school leaders will review candidates from the recommended pool to make decisions about who they would like to interview. 

    Candidates will communicate to the selection committee one of the following preferences: 

    • Candidates can indicate they would like to remain at their school next year and therefore will only interview with their current school leader. 
    • Candidates can indicate they are open to interviewing with multiple school leaders. School leaders will then select candidates to interview from the recommended pool based on how well candidate profiles and experience match the unique needs of their school.

     

  • When are school leader interviews?

    Interviews with school leaders will take place in March. Following interviews, the selection committee will work with school leaders and members of the academic team to complete the match process. Human resources will then send out official offer letters in early April. 

     

Principal in Residence Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • What is the Principal in Residence Program? 

    The KIPP DC Principal in Residence (PIR) program is a two year, regionally-operated residency to prepare aspiring principals in the adaptive, technical, and managerial skills to lead a KIPP DC school. Principals in Residence are full-time members of their school leadership teams and will have daily opportunities to practice the skills and competencies required to lead high-performing schools. PIRs will spend two years participating in this intensive and supportive development program.

     

  • What is the role of a Principal in Residence? 

    A Principal in Residence (PIR) is an aspiring principal preparing to lead a KIPP DC school in a one to two year timeframe, although this may depend on vacancies and alignment. PIRs are committed to and actively contribute to the success of their placement school and act in alignment with the school leadership team’s vision and priorities. Placement schools are usually the current school where an individual already works, if they are a current KIPP DC employee, but this may also depend on need and match. When and if an unexpected principal vacancy presents itself, KIPP DC may look to the group of current PIRs to step into a principal role on a shorter timeline than described above.

    The PIR’s role mirrors that of a vice principal for the majority of the development program, namely: coaching and developing teachers, teacher leaders and, deans and contributing to the overall academic and cultural vision of the school. Towards the end of their time as a PIR, the role mirrors more of a school leader, with clear responsibilities fully owned by the PIR at the school-level.

    In addition to their school-based performance goals, PIRs are actively developing the leadership skills and competencies outlined in a development roadmap. They actively seek growth through participation in high-quality, meaningful formal and informal professional development, invaluable on the job training, transformative coaching, and cohort based learning experiences with leaders across KIPP DC.

    The PIR is an exempt role and reports to their school leader in year one of the program and either a school leader or a deputy chief academic officer in year two of the program.

     

  • When will the Principal in Residence application be open? 

    The application will be open from Tuesday, November 12, 2024 through January 5, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

     

  • How do I apply for the Principal in Residence program? 

    Candidates can apply via the link at the top of this page.

     

  • Who should apply for the Principal in Residence program? 

    KIPP DC is looking for PIR candidates who are committed to KIPP DC’s mission that all students can learn and achieve at high levels, have a strong instructional background, a commitment to creating identity-affirming learning experiences, and are looking to develop the leadership skills necessary to lead great schools. Specifically, candidates should have:

    • Bachelor’s degree
    • Minimum of five years combined of lead teaching and school-level instructional experience (with a minimum of one year of school-level leadership experience in addition to the current school year)
    • Demonstrated academic results
    • Demonstrated leadership, management and coaching experience
    • One year of experience as a vice principal or equivalent role (preferred)
    • Experience teaching core subjects (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Special Education) (preferred experience, not required)
    • Unquestioned integrity and commitment to KIPP DC’s mission and to advancing its anti-racist ambition through their work with staff, students, alumni, and families

     

     

  • What are the stages of the Principal in Residence selection process?

    The selection process consists of three stages and will conclude in April. Applicants will be notified after each stage of the process about whether they will progress to the next stage.

    • Online Application (Teaching Video Submission – external candidates only)
    • Performance Task
    • Panel Interview (Reference Checks – external candidates only)

     

  • How do I learn more about the Principal in Residence selection process?

    Sign up for an information session here to learn more about required qualifications and experience, differences in the PIR and VP application process, and key dates

  • Will my school leader know that I have applied?

    Yes. For internal KIPP DC team members, candidates are not required to speak to their school leaders prior to applying; however, we encourage all internal candidates to have a conversation with their school leaders about their interest in school leadership as all school leaders will provide feedback as part of the application process.

    For external candidates, we will reach out to your school leaders for references as part of the process.

     

  • Can external candidates apply for the Principal in Residence program?

    Yes. External candidates will apply in the same window as internal candidates, from November 12, 2024 through January 5, 2025 at 11:59pm EST. 

     

  • Do you need experience as a vice principal in order to be eligible for the Principal in Residence program?

    Candidates must have a minimum of one year of school-level leadership experience in addition to the current school year in order to apply to the program. While this experience could be in another position such as a dean, instructional coach, or student support role–serving as a vice principal is preferred, although not required, given its similarity and relevance as a stepping stone to the principal job.

  • Do PIRs need to complete their residency in the same grade band as their future school leadership role?

    We will try to ensure that PIRs complete at least a portion of their residency in the same grade band as their future school leadership role.  However, it is not required that they complete their residency in their future grade band.

     

  • Who supports the PIR?

    A PIR will be managed by a mentor principal and supported by our network’s director of leadership development and the deputy chief academic officer for that grade band.  A PIR may also participate in additional leadership coaching.