Background on the School​

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There are two Travis Hill Schools (Schools) in New Orleans.  One is located inside of the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC), the detention facility for New Orleans teens who are being held pre-trial, and the other is located inside of the Orleans Justice Center (OJC), the pretrial detention facility for adults (and teens charged as adults).  We currently are looking for a Director of Academics and School Culture for the school at JJIC, to start in the late fall of 2019. 

The Travis Hill Schools are run by the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings (CEEAS). CEEAS is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving schools in juvenile and criminal justice facilities across the nation.  The first Travis Hill School opened in August 2016 at the JJIC (it was formerly called the Youth Study Center, or YSC).  In late August 2017, we opened the Travis Hill School at the OJC. Additional information about CEEAS and the Travis Hill Schools is available at our website, www.ceeas.org and www.travishillnola.org/schools.

 

The School, the opportunity​

 

Approximately 40 students are detained at the JJIC on a daily basis.  They range in age from 11 to 17 years old.  All students attend our school located inside of the JJIC.  Nearly 1,200 individuals are held at the OJC. We currently operate a full-time school for approximately 55 students between 17 and 21 years old there, and plan to expand that to approximately 70 students starting in this fall.

 

Nearly all the students have faced school failure--many did not attend school regularly when they were younger, most have been suspended or expelled at some point, nearly all of them are far behind their peers academically, and 30-40% of them have special education needs. Despite this, they all have hopes and dreams, skills and talents, and family and friends who care for them.

 

Our mission at Travis Hill is to create a transformative learning environment where students held at the JJIC or OJC develop the academic and socio-emotional skills they need to become positive, contributing members of their community when they are released.

 

Position Description​

 

The Director of Academics and School Culture at JJIC will lead the School in partnership with the Director of School Operations and the Director of Student Support Services, both of whom work across both campuses. This will be an exhilarating and demanding job--one that requires an individual who is fully committed to the students and who is fully invested in doing anything and everything to make education happen. We are looking for a Director who takes initiative, who has good judgment and is grounded in doing what is right and just, who is collaborative, who is self-reflective and isn’t afraid to ask for help, who is inspirational and creative, and who brings out the best in others.

 

For the right person, this is the job of a lifetime.

 

The Director  will provide day-to-day leadership and support to the School staff, focusing on academics and school culture.  In addition, the Director will work closely with facility leadership and line staff in order to ensure that the institutional climate at the JJIC is right for students and staff, and develop and nurture strong ties with local stakeholders, including parents, nonprofit organizations and the local school community.  The Director will be a part of a site-based and cross-campus leadership team. 

 

Primary Responsibilities:

 

Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

 

• Assuming a leadership role in a range of related functions, including: recruiting, hiring and supporting teachers and other staff, developing and implementing the curriculum and instructional practices for the School, creating school-wide practices designed to support high achievement, mutual accountability, and positive school culture

• Creating and nurturing a collegial professional learning community where staff are inspired to continuously improve their skills and stretch the limits of what they have to offer--in service of the students we serve, in what at times may be challenging circumstances

• Advocating for our students unrelentingly, particularly pertaining to access to school while they are detained at the JJIC

• Supporting and evaluating teachers using Kim Marshall’s rubric and Travis Hill School LEADS Mini-lesson Observation protocol

• Ensuring that the school meets OPSB, CEEAS, state, facility operational and administrative expectations (testing, attendance, grades)

• Setting and communicating the schoolwide academic calendar

• Ensuring that school operates in alignment with CEEAS/Travis Hill Schools expectations around school culture and norms (restorative justice, PBIS, award ceremonies, themes, etc.)

• Collaborating with Director of Student Support & Special Education to execute supports for diverse learners

• Collaborating with Director of Student Transition & School Operations to ensure timely, effective coordination around student transition upon release and effective day-to-day operational matters (facility maintenance and cleanliness, materials and supplies, technology)

• Coordinating with site-based leadership and direct care staff to ensure that the policies and procedures of the secure-facility staff complement the work of the school

• Building positive, lasting relationships with students and families as well as key support networks, including, local attorneys, case management and after care staff

• Building positive, lasting relationships with key community partners and stakeholders, including local middle and high school leaders, nonprofit organizations, and colleges and universities

• Effectively communicating about the work of the School--and responding to information and data requests--to CEEAS leadership, OJC, OPSB, LSDE, City Officials, and community partners and stakeholders

 

Additional Qualifications and Experience:

 

• Have a minimum of five years’ experience in urban education, working with adolescents in an alternative school setting or working with adolescents/young adults who have not succeeded in traditional settings and are functioning significantly below grade level

• Exhibit the ability to articulate a vision of excellence for a school community and to create and maintain the support structures necessary to achieve the vision against all odds

• Experience with and a commitment to developing highly relevant, student-focused curriculum  and instruction

• Experience with and a commitment to using project and thematic-based learning, and  integrating technology and blended learning in curricular and instructional design and implementation

• Experience with and a commitment to meeting the needs of students with significant learning gaps and special education needs, with a focus on building on student strengths and interests while also addressing areas that need intensive, targeted support

• Demonstrate a history of working effectively with staff and school-based partners as well as external stakeholders to create a holistic, achievement-oriented school focus, regardless of challenges

• Have a proven track record of working with and/or designing programs to prepare adolescents to transition from high school to work or postsecondary education

• Experience with and a commitment to working families and other stakeholders, and developing strong partnerships with a wide range of school, community groups, government agencies

• Have experience in and a commitment to establishing performance benchmarks, and then using data and results to drive instruction, programming, change and improvement

• Embrace and nurture a school culture that requires all staff to work beyond the traditional school hours and school year in order to create an environment filled with hope and high expectations, where students will radically improve their academic, employment and social skills

• Possess an unrelenting belief that all students can achieve and succeed

 

Salary and Benefits

 

CEEAS offers a competitive salary and benefits package.  Salary for the Director will be on par with local schools, based on skills and experience.  You are entitled to select the health care coverage offered by CEEAS. We will pay 80% of the employee monthly premiums and 50% of the dependent premium.  Dental and Vision insurance is 100% paid by the employee. CEEAS also offers the option to contribute to a Simple IRA plan; CEEAS will match up to 3% of your salary. 

 

The Director of the School is a 12 month, full-time position.  In addition to school holidays, and school closed days, the Director is eligible for an agreed to number days of paid vacation.

 

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CEEAS is an equal opportunity employer.  We believe that a diverse staff is a better staff.  

 

For additional information about CEEAS and our the Travis Hill School, please visit our website at www.ceeas.org and and www.travishillnola.org/schools.

 

Effective: September 11, 2019