THE PARK SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE

UPPER SCHOOL DEAN OF STUDENTS

FALL 2022

Devoted to intellectual inquiry, a collaborative spirit of learning, and an appreciation for the diversity of human experience, The Park School of Baltimore is a community founded on positive expectations of our students and respect for individual differences.

 We cultivate children’s innate curiosity by nurturing their interests and engaging them as active participants in their own education.

 We support young people in becoming confident questioners and responsible citizens of the world. ~The Park School Mission

 The Park School is a non-sectarian, independent, coeducational day school of 845 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Founded in 1912 as one of the early progressive schools, The Park School continues to practice a distinct educational philosophy. The core values today, as in 1912, are a belief in children’s capacity to love learning, to grow academically and emotionally when inspired by highly qualified, caring teachers, and to develop self-discipline, confidence, and creative problem-solving skills through deep exploration and constant challenge. At every grade level, from Pre-Kindergarten through Upper School, Park actively encourages questioning and conversation as essential elements of the learning process. The school philosophy emphasizes a belief in positive expectations and expects that students, as they mature, will take increasing responsibility for their own learning.

 The Position:

The Park School seeks a dedicated, experienced Upper School educator for the position of full-time Upper School Dean of Students.

The Upper School Dean of Students’ most important responsibility will be to cultivate relationships with students, faculty, and parents/caregivers, and to help create a joyful, stimulating, and rewarding upper school experience for each Park student. This person must also support and partner with the divisional principal, assisting and handling various administrative duties and student issues as needed. Teaching experience preferred, to support teaching needs as they arise.

 Responsibilities:

• Provides coordination, planning, and follow-up among teachers, advisors, families, and resource staff to facilitate student life programming.
• Works in close contact and collaborates with the divisional administrative team, including the divisional principal.
• Works with advisors to handle student-related conflicts and disciplinary issues, as well as long-term academic or behavioral issues.
• Meets with Child Life Team and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion to support students, faculty, and families.
• Advocates for the social/emotional development of students, balancing our academic standards with our goals for healthy social and emotional growth.
• Represents the Upper School at parent coffees, outreach and after-school events, admissions events, communications meetings, and on various committees.
• Data collection and analysis on select aspects of Upper School operations and student life.
• Acts in an omnibus manner for faculty and staff vis-a-vis school practices and policies.
• Additional responsibilities, including teaching responsibilities, as assigned by the divisional principal.

Qualifications:

• Passionate about Park’s progressive mission, and an advocate for diversity work and the promotion of health and wellness.
• Must have the ability to form relationships based on a high degree of trust with all types of people and help those in the most challenging of situations: the students, the faculty, the parents, and administration.
• Must be highly organized, an excellent communicator, and able to respond promptly to student issues and faculty needs.
• Must be able to manage low-level disciplinary/disruptive situations with the support of the counselors, advisors, and the Upper School Principal.
• Should be able to support, coordinate, and oversee various events and meetings (grade level teams, assemblies, activities, advisory, special events, etc.).
• Should have experience working with Upper School age students.
• Candidates from diverse backgrounds or who have experience in cultural competency work are strongly encouraged to apply.

Context:

Park’s Upper School is committed to progressive principles of education. Respect for children, and confidence in their natural capacity to learn are key. The program at all grade levels centers on experiential learning within an integrated curriculum. Our approach emphasizes open-ended inquiry and problem solving, collaborative projects, and exposure to a wide range of learning activities and materials, anchored by a focus on essential understandings and attention to basic skills.

Administrators and faculty collaborate in developing programs to meet students’ academic and social/emotional needs. The faculty role is a fully professional one: in addition to taking full responsibility for students’ learning in core subject areas and their emotional growth, classroom teachers individually and collectively are the creators of the curriculum. With oversight by the Upper School Principal, they engage in ongoing curriculum development and review, both as grade level teams and in cross-grade level and division-wide initiatives. Faculty and administrators are also very involved in divisional and school-wide diversity initiatives.

Salaries and Benefits:        

Park salaries and benefits are highly competitive with those in other leading area independent schools.  For new appointments, salaries reflect experience and training equated to Park’s scales.

In addition to normal retirement and health benefits, the school offers the following distinctive programs:

Tuition Remission:  Under current policy, employees who have been employed at Park full-time for two years are eligible to receive full tuition remission for their children who attend Park. All applicants, including employee children, must meet Park’s standards for admission. During the first two years of employment, employees can apply for support through the need-based financial assistance program.

 Application Process: Due to the large volume of incoming resumes, we cannot accept phone calls. Interested candidates are asked to send a letter of interest, personal statement, resume and list of references via email or US mail.

Contact Person:        

Priscilla Morales

Associate Head of School

The Park School of Baltimore

2425 Old Court Road

Baltimore, MD 21208

FAX (410) 339-4125

academicresources@parkschool.net

The Park School of Baltimore does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, ancestry, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or any physical or mental disability unrelated to a reasonable performance of an employee's duties.