Middle School Director the Agnes Irwin School Rosemont, Pennsylvania
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Middle School Director The Agnes Irwin School Rosemont, Pennsylvania Founded by Miss Agnes Irwin, the first Dean of Radcliffe College and the great‐great granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, The Agnes Irwin School has been a leader in fostering the intellectual and personal growth of girls and young women since 1869. Serving 620 girls in Pre‐Kindergarten through 12th grade, AIS is an independent day school offering a lively and stimulating environment in which to work and learn. Situated on a beautiful and well‐equipped campus For a position to begin in July of 2017, AIS is in Philadelphia’s western suburbs, The Agnes seeking a talented middle school educator who Irwin School is dedicated to the mission of will be an enthusiastic advocate for the benefits of empowering girls “to learn, to lead, and to live a all‐girls education. legacy.” This is an exciting career opportunity for a middle Enrolling nearly 200 girls in grades 5–8, the Middle school expert with outstanding communication School offers an engaging learning experience skills, a collaborative approach to leadership, a featuring collaborative classroom environments, a commitment to thoughtful educational innovation, thematically based course of study, and and a joyous spirit. interdisciplinary teaching. APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 10, 2016 MISSION STATEMENT The Agnes Irwin School empowers girls to learn, to lead, and to live a legacy. TO LEARN Agnes Irwin provides girls with a deep foundation in the humanities, mathematics and science, wellness and athletics. In an inclusive setting that values diversity, students develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, self-expression, effective communication, and collaboration. A rich and varied approach to instruction, team and individual endeavors, inquiry, and assessment enables girls to solve problems, design solutions, create meaning, and prepare for a complex and challenging world. TO LEAD We believe that all girls and young women have the capacity to lead and that leadership can take many forms. Therefore, through our instruction, our community interactions, and our daily choices, we affirm this belief and provide an environment that challenges girls to develop the core values of leadership: empathy, integrity, resilience, independent thinking, and commitment to action. TO LIVE A LEGACY Agnes Irwin students are a part of the global community of girls and women. They are also the trustees of our School’s heritage and traditions. By adopting values that foster equity, justice, social responsibility, civic mindedness, and integrity, and by nurturing positive relationships and intentional decision making, our students and alumnae engage in bold and meaningful ways to impact our interconnected world. VITAL STATISTICS FOUNDED: 1869 LOCATION: 18-acre suburban campus 10 miles west of Philadelphia ENROLLMENT: 620 girls Lower School (PK–4): 139 Middle School (5–8): 198 Upper School (9–12): 283 STUDENTS OF COLOR: 25% ENDOWMENT: $17.2 million FULL-TIME FACULTY: ACCREDITATION: Middle States Association of Colleges School-wide: 84; 83% with advanced degrees and Schools/Pennsylvania Association of Independent Middle School: 23; 95% with advanced degrees Schools MS/US Crossover: 24; 80% with advanced degrees MEMBER: National Association of Independent Schools, AVERAGE FACULTY TENURE AT AIS: 17.5 years National Coalition of Girls’ Schools MIDDLE SCHOOL TUITION: $32,000 FINANCIAL AID: $3.4 million to 27% of student body ON THE WEB: school-wide www.agnesirwin.org 2 SIGNATURE STRENGTHS & UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES As one of the first schools in the United States devoted to the education of girls and young women, The Agnes Irwin School is approaching its 150th anniversary with its pioneering spirit still on full display. Teachers at AIS draw on a range of teaching approaches, incorporating innovative educational concepts designed to support the ways in which girls learn best. Hands‐on activities, independent and team projects, and cross‐disciplinary learning invite girls to come at problems from multiple angles. Beginning in the earliest grades and continuing through graduation, girls are mentored to support one another. The development of strong character is emphasized throughout the program. In 2010, the school launched an effort to extend its commitment to excellence in all‐girls education to a broader audience. The Center for the Advancement of Girls, an Agnes Irwin research initiative overseen by the Assistant Head of School, is committed to supporting girls in developing the cognitive and social‐ emotional tools and resilient mindset needed to lead healthy, balanced lives while empowering them to be leaders in a global community. The Center sponsors a range of programs and research efforts designed to directly benefit AIS students and contribute more broadly to the development of a vision for the education of girls in the 21st century. In the Middle School, for example, CAG sponsors a series of weekend workshops during which fifth‐ and sixth‐graders focus on identifying and practicing their leadership skills. The next Middle School Director will join AIS at a particularly exciting point in its evolution. Head of School Wendy L. Hill, Ph.D., joined AIS in 2014 after a highly successful career as Provost and Dean of the Faculty and the Rappolt Professor of Neuroscience at Lafayette College. With the support of a dedicated faculty and a seasoned administrative team, she has overseen the development of a new strategic plan that will be unveiled in a few short months. The plan will further AIS’s longstanding commitment to all‐girls education and lay out a research‐based vision for best practices in the years ahead. THE STUDENTS AIS serves a bright, sophisticated, and academically diverse student body drawn from 75 zip codes throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Twenty local school districts provide free bus transportation, and the school is readily accessible by public transportation. Because AIS is the only independent school in the area that begins its Middle School in fifth grade, new students are admitted at every Middle School grade level, with grade 6 an important entry point. The school is increasingly diverse, with 25 percent of students now self‐ identifying as students of color. Economic diversity is supported by $3.4 million in financial aid funding, about one‐ quarter of which is allocated for Middle School students. The academic performance and college placement record of AIS graduates provides evidence of the school’s success in preparing girls well for the next step in their educational careers. The middle 50% range of ACT composite scores for the Class of 2016 was 25–30, and the middle 50 percent ranges of SAT scores for that class were 580–700 Critical Reading, 570–680 Math, and 610–730 Writing. Sixty‐two percent of the Class of 2016 earned AP Scholar designation. Between 2012 and 2016, three or more AIS graduates matriculated at the following colleges and universities: 3 American University Dartmouth College New York University University of Pennsylvania Boston College Drexel University Pennsylvania State University University of Pittsburgh Brown University Duke University Princeton University University of Richmond Bucknell University Elon University Saint Joseph’s University University of Southern Carnegie Mellon University Franklin and Marshall College Southern Methodist University California Case Western Reserve George Washington University Stanford University University of Virginia University Georgetown University Syracuse University Vanderbilt University Clemson University Gettysburg College Tufts University Washington and Lee University Colby College Harvard University Tulane University Washington University in St. Colgate University Lehigh University University of Delaware Louis Columbia University Massachusetts Institute of University of Miami (FL) Wesleyan University Cornell University Technology University of Michigan THE FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION The AIS faculty school‐wide is a well‐credentialed (83 percent hold advanced degrees) and dedicated corps of professionals with an average tenure at the school of 17.5 years. The Middle School faculty, including 23 who teach full time in the division and 24 who teach in both the Middle and Upper Schools, are a collegial and collaborative group who thoroughly enjoy working with this age group. The Middle School Director is part of the 15‐member senior administrative team, reporting directly to the Head of School. This multitalented group includes two former Heads of School, one serving as the Director of Enrollment Management and one as the Upper School Director. The Middle School Director and eight other senior administrative leaders meet weekly with the Head of School as the Head’s Cabinet. The three division directors, the Assistant Head, and the Head of School meet weekly as the program team. LOCATION, CAMPUS, AND FACILITIES The Agnes Irwin School is located in the affluent western suburbs of Philadelphia collectively known as the Main Line because they were built along the path of the Pennsylvania Railroad. AIS’s 18‐acre Rosemont campus is situated 10 miles from downtown Philadelphia, a half mile from Villanova University, and just minutes from the SEPTA train stops at Villanova and at nearby Haverford College. The Middle School shares a building with the Upper School, each located in its own wing. The Lower School occupies a separate building. A transformational campus improvement project completed in 2013 added 85,000 square feet of new academic,