Head of School /Principal

Boston Latin Academy, , MA

About

Boston Latin Academy (BLA) is one of three prestigious exam schools in the Boston Public School system. The school has a 140-year history of academic excellence with an outstanding college placement rate of over 98 percent. Our students come from all Boston neighborhoods to attend classes with a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum. More than 40 percent of students are eligible for the federal free or reduced lunch program. The student body of 1800 students in grades 7 through 12 reflects the economic, linguistic and racial diversity of the City of Boston. BLA is a vibrant, diverse, academically rigorous school where the Classics Club is just as popular as the football team.

Our Next Leader

Boston Latin Academy seeks a proven visionary leader for the next decade who can embrace and enhance the warm, supportive, respectful culture of our building while supporting faculty to facilitate a rigorous, relevant college-preparatory curriculum, and extracurricular programs for our students. Our future leader will work with all of our diverse community stakeholders to establish a compelling vision for our school that enables students to grow from middle school onwards into active, engaged participants who are learning from and contributing to the life and work of our great city. We seek a leader who can appreciate the strengths of our institution and our rich history but push us to grow and adapt to the needs of our changing times; who can listen; who can connect with and inspire students, staff, parents and community partners. Our next leader also needs to have a proven commitment to diversity and equity, and the ability to oversee a diverse team to manage the operations of a large, complex, urban educational institution.

BLA’s Core Values and Beliefs

The Boston Latin Academy students, parents, faculty, and staff share a vision and commitment to excellence. Our curriculum is rooted in the study of the classics, the liberal arts, and the fine arts, with a selection of other critical courses to ensure that all students are well prepared for success in college and in life. We have a very active alumni association, a supportive parents association and a 501(c)3 fundraising entity.

Our goal is to sustain an environment where students can think critically - to question, to read, to empathize, to self-assess, and to make choices based on sound, ethical principles. We believe that this can be best accomplished within a disciplined, caring, and supportive school environment. In addition to our emphasis on academics, we offer a broad spectrum of support services that provide academic, social-emotional and psychological support to all our students.

We believe:

. Teachers must collaborate effectively to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. . Students must be responsible and respectful to each other and to the larger community, as well as be actively engaged in building a safe, caring, and inclusive community. . Students must be given opportunities for leadership and decision-making to become informed participants in a democratic society. . Students must analyze and synthesize content in order to access higher level thinking skills, using a variety of media, in preparation for global competition.

Our Curriculum

Our classical and liberal arts education allows students to become successful participants in a diverse and challenging society. Students entering in 7th grade take four years of Latin; those entering in 9th grade complete three years. In history and humanity courses, students tackle challenging, real world issues. Our new science labs allow students to gain hands-on knowledge of theory and practice. In addition to Latin, students can choose from Spanish, Arabic, Chinese/Mandarin, French, and Japanese. Students can explore the arts through courses in band, orchestra, and theater. Students in the upper grades can choose from a range of Advanced Placement courses.

Qualifications

In addition to the qualities identified above, the successful candidate must possess Boston Public School core requirements for a Principal/Headmaster that include:

Required:

. Master’s degree; . Possession of a valid School Principal License or proof of successful completion of MA-PAL; . Ability to provide an accessible, strong presence and demonstrate leadership by example; . Three years teaching experience and three years successful administrative experience; . Demonstrated success in leading a diverse environment; . Demonstrated commitment to equity; . Demonstrated leadership qualities, interpersonal skills, and personal characteristics necessary for working effectively with students, teachers, administrators, and parents; . Demonstrated skills in creative problem solving; . Experience supervising and/or evaluating staff; . Demonstrated ability to manage a budget; . Experience working in complex, unionized environment; and . Current authorization to work in the United States – candidates must have such authorization by his or her first day of employment.

Preferred

. Teaching experience in an urban public school setting; . Bilingual; and . Boston resident.

How to Apply

Applicants for the Headmaster position at Boston Latin Academy should submit an application to become a school leader via the regular posting. In the application, be sure to:

1. Indicate in your cover letter that you are specifically interested in the position at Boston Latin Academy; and

2. In response to the prompt: “Please describe how you learned about this position,” indicate that you are responding to a Boston Latin Academy ad, and interested in the Headmaster position at Boston Latin Academy.