Bancroft School Worcester, Massachusetts Head of Upper School Start Date
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BANCROFT SCHOOL WORCESTER, MAssACHUSETTS HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL START DATE: JULY 2020 WWW.BANCROFTSCHOOL.ORG Mission Bancroft, an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory day school, prepares talented, well-qualified, and motivated college-bound students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, to pursue and realize their academic, personal, and social potential. We provide a comprehensive, caring, and creative curricular and extracurricular program that fosters an experience of excellence for each student. Inspired students, a superior faculty, and engaged families thrive in our diverse, safe, and supportive community. We afford students the opportunity to discover their passion in life and to learn to embrace confidently and responsibly the moral and ethical challenges of being lifelong learners, teachers of others, and citizens of an increasingly complex global community. OVERVIEW Bancroft School is a community of students, faculty, administrators, and parents working together to create an atmosphere of engaged and active learning where students can discover their unique paths with joy and confidence. The Bancroft experience empowers students and employees to develop connections and embrace their talents in order to emerge as leaders, humanitarians, and globally engaged citizens. Bancroft is a PreK – Grade 12 independent day school located in Worcester, Massachusetts – a thriving city with a rich history and a bright future and one in which the school is deeply invested. Bancroft is a workshop constantly in motion—an open and inclusive campus that inspires learners to engage with one another, their communities, and the world in meaningful and impactful ways. The school is a laboratory that motivates curious minds to form the insights, skills, and character they will need to thrive far beyond graduation. Bancroft students ask questions, share ideas, and solve problems together through research, experimentation, and reflection. Superb teachers and coaches take great care to foster confident, collaborative thinkers and problem-solvers and help to balance high expectations with reassuring support, inspiring learners to work hard to uncover their full potential. Bancroft graduates are ready to make independent decisions and manage multiple priorities because they have had plenty of practice. With every class, field trip, practice, or performance, Bancroft students take ownership of their learning. The school is committed to cultivating a community that embraces diversity and an inclusive campus in which each individual is safe, known, and valued. Bancroft students and faculty alike are committed to honoring the dignity of the individual and the celebration of difference. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 2 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Fast Facts Total student enrollment: 377 Upper School enrollment: 191 Total faculty: 79 Upper School faculty: 34 Faculty who hold an advanced degree: 67% Students who receive financial aid: 47% Students who identify as a person of color: 31% Bancroft seeks a Head of Upper School who will empower and invest in faculty who provide innovative teaching for active learning; communicate effectively; demonstrate a passion for working alongside bright students, hard-working teachers, and invested parents; and nurture a diverse independent school community of global citizens and life-long learners. STRATEGIC THINKING AND INNOVATION Founded in 1900 by a group of Worcester parents interested in providing a quality education for their children, Bancroft is the oldest co-educational Pre-K–12 independent day school in central Massachusetts. While the school has always been known for its superior academic reputation, it has recently made a concerted effort to redesign the student experience around a more holistic approach, allowing students the opportunities to take ownership of their learning and enabling them to pursue their passions. The school’s commitment to being a leader in innovative education also allows dedicated faculty to explore and refine their classrooms and curriculum. In recent years, the School has also made significant investments in campus enhancements to improve energy efficiency, air quality, and public safety; create flexible, multi-functional spaces in the music wing of the Performing Arts Center and new Field House facility; and enhance its ability to attract new students and families. Bancroft is set to unveil its next strategic plan in early 2020. The plan is a product of extensive internal investigation and collaborative discussion among the School’s many constituents. The plan calls for a process that will continue to engage community members, support a more equitable environment, inspire more active teaching and learning, and provide for the long term sustainability of the School. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 3 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com THE SCHOOL Using an active, student-centered teaching approach called the Learning Laboratory Method (LLM), Bancroft helps students develop the voice, skills, knowledge, and character to thrive in today’s global community. A flexible daily schedule, a wide range of elective courses, community partnerships, local field trips, international travel opportunities — every aspect of the school — is in service to an active environment in which students own their learning. As a place that strives to empower both students and faculty members, Bancroft believes learning can happen anywhere and everywhere. Teachers of all disciplines are known to take lessons beyond the classroom setting — whether it’s to the nearby lake or the Worcester Art Museum — in order to experience learning in action. This “hands-on” approach helps all members of the community improve problem-solving skills and understand how to apply school-based knowledge to real-world situations. Choice is another hallmark of a Bancroft education and is particularly important in the Upper School as it enables students to explore the depth and breadth of subjects that inspire them. To that end, the Upper School schedule is purposefully designed with periods for collaboration with project partners or faculty, homework or independent research, and community building initiatives. The schedule also facilitates the development of time management skills and intrinsic motivation that serves students well beyond high school and provides extensive opportunities to discover new interests and further explore areas of passion. Bancroft is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and a member of the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 4 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com College Placement Bancroft’s college counseling office provides students and families with hands-on assistance and guidance through all aspects of the admissions process from exploration to submitting applications. The following is a selection of colleges and universities to which members of the Classes of 2015-2019 have been accepted: American University Boston University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University Columbia University Cornell University Duke University Elon University Fordham University Georgetown University Harvard College King’s College London Lehigh University CADEMICS Loyola University Maryland A Middlebury College Academic programming at Bancroft is meant to provoke New York University Northeastern University critical and analytic thought, while offering students the Northwestern University challenges and exposure to diverse topics they need to be The Ohio State University effective citizens of the 21st century. The curriculum includes Pennsylvania State University course offerings that invite students to discover passions, Purdue University identify interdisciplinary connections, and explore how and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute why the world operates the way it does. Rollins College Saint Louis University Sarah Lawrence College The science and history departments have created unique Skidmore College courses that encourage inquiry, practice research, and Syracuse University engage each student with experts in their field of inquiry to help Trinity College mentor their work. Upper level language courses connect Tufts University students to native speakers and provide opportunities for a University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles deepened cultural understanding through local partnerships University of Chicago and projects such as the Latino History Project in Worcester University of Connecticut and the annual French Immersion Day. University of Miami University of Oregon Bancroft supports students with a range of learning styles and University of Pennsylvania needs. In the Upper School, academic support coordinators University of Toronto are available to work with students either one-on-one or University of Vermont in small groups to help maximize their academic potential. University of Wisconsin, Madison Vassar College Faculty and these specialists identify each student’s strengths Wake Forest University and challenges and design strategies for success. Thus, any Washington University in St. Louis student in need is offered a developmentally appropriate, Wesleyan University coordinated, and proactive academic program. Whittier College The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 5 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com ARTS AND ATHLETICS