High School Principal

High School Principal

(Start Date: January 2027)

Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School

Brooklyn, New York

What is the Role?

Coney Island Prep is seeking an exceptional instructional and culture leader to serve as our next High School Principal during an exciting and transformative chapter in our school's history. As our High School transitions into a brand-new building, the incoming Principal will have a unique opportunity to establish a strong vision for academic excellence, student and adult culture, and school-wide systems that will shape the experience of our students, staff, and families for years to come.

Leading through an equity lens, the Principal will be responsible for driving exceptional academic outcomes, developing and coaching school instructional leaders and teachers, and cultivating a joyful, rigorous, and inclusive school community. The Principal will set and execute a cohesive academic and culture vision, ensuring that every student is prepared for success in the college and then career of their choice.

The Principal will directly manage and develop Vice Principals and members of the School Culture Team, while co-leading the school alongside the Director of Operations, who oversees the building's operational systems and team. Together, they will lead the successful transition into our new facility, establishing the structures, routines, and expectations necessary to ensure a safe, welcoming, and academically excellent learning environment.

The incoming Principal will report directly to the Chief Schools Officer.

What You'll Be Asked To Do

Center Our Mission and Values: School Leadership

• Reinforce Coney Island Prep's mission with staff, students, and families, inspiring all members of the school community to act on our mission every day; demonstrate strategic urgency, excellence, and optimism, and use our mission as a foundation for school-based decisions.
• Establish and execute a compelling vision for high school academic excellence, student culture, and adult culture, ensuring alignment with CIP's broader K-12 vision and Graduate Profile.
• Lead the successful transition into a new school building, establishing strong systems, routines, traditions, and expectations that foster a sense of pride, ownership, and belonging and belief among students, staff, and families.
• Exercise strong judgment and strategic decision-making, consistently prioritizing actions that will have the greatest impact on student achievement, school culture, and long-term school success.
• Build a cohesive, high-performing leadership team that shares collective responsibility for student outcomes and approaches challenges with urgency, collaboration, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Oversee curriculum implementation and instructional programming in collaboration with Vice Principals, the Academics Team, and the Chief Academic Officer.
• Develop and maintain strong systems for monitoring school performance, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring consistent follow-through on school-wide priorities.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement by actively seeking feedback, reflecting on leadership decisions, and adjusting practices and systems in response to evidence.
• Actively participate in Principal and School Leader Development meetings, collaborating with colleagues, sharing best practices, and participating in school collaboration visits.
• Partner closely with the Chief Schools Officer to establish and execute school-wide academic, instructional, and culture priorities.
• Co-lead with the Director of Operations to ensure a successful building transition, proactive operational planning, strong daily systems, and effective resolution of campus challenges.
• Ensure the safety and security of all students, staff, and visitors, while maintaining compliance with CIP policies, procedures, and applicable regulations.

Build a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive School Community

• Cultivate a school community rooted in strong relationships, joy, academic excellence, and a deep sense of belonging for students, staff, and families.
• Establish a positive and inclusive adult culture in which staff feel valued, supported, challenged, and collectively responsible for student success.
• Lead the development of school-wide traditions, celebrations, and community-building experiences that establish a strong High School identity and college going culture within the new campus.
• Demonstrate cultural competence and a deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in leadership decisions, school systems, and daily interactions.
• Foster strong partnerships with students and families, ensuring their voices and perspectives inform the school's culture and continued growth.
• Build meaningful relationships with community stakeholders and organizations to expand opportunities and experiences for high school students.
• Model professionalism, integrity, humility, and accountability while serving as a visible and trusted leader throughout the school community.

Develop Talent: Teacher and Leader Coaching

• Directly manage, coach, evaluate, and develop Vice Principals and school culture leaders to ensure consistently strong instructional leadership and student support.
• Build the capacity of Vice Principals to serve as exceptional instructional coaches who drive measurable improvements in teacher practice and student achievement.
• Establish clear, measurable, outcome-oriented goals for school leaders and ensure consistent progress monitoring and accountability.
• Develop and oversee strong systems for lesson internalization, classroom observations, teacher coaching, professional development, and instructional planning.
• Regularly observe classroom instruction and provide specific, actionable feedback that strengthens instructional rigor, student engagement, and independent mastery.
• Use student achievement data, student work, classroom observations, and teacher performance trends to identify the highest-leverage coaching priorities for leaders and teachers.
• Develop leadership capacity through intentional modeling, practice, feedback, and opportunities for increased ownership and responsibility.
• Design and facilitate high-quality professional development that responds to demonstrated instructional needs and school-wide priorities.
• Establish a culture of continuous improvement in which teachers and leaders regularly reflect on their practice, respond to feedback, and take ownership of student outcomes.
• Hold school leaders and teachers accountable for implementing high-quality, research-based curriculum and instructional practices that prepare students for college-level academic expectations.
• Collaborate with the Director of Academic Inclusion and relevant school leaders to ensure students with disabilities and multilingual learners receive rigorous, appropriately differentiated instruction and support.

Deliver Exceptional Academic Results: Teaching and Learning

• Set and drive ambitious academic achievement goals aligned with CIP's mission, Graduate Profile, and college and career readiness expectations.
• Establish a data-driven instructional culture in which student work, assessment results, and evidence of mastery consistently inform instructional decisions.
• Ensure the consistent implementation of rigorous, standards-aligned instruction across all high school content areas.
• Oversee systems for lesson internalization, assessment, data analysis, and instructional response to ensure that teachers are effectively planning for and responding to student learning.
• Monitor student achievement across grade levels and content areas, identifying trends, addressing gaps, and ensuring timely instructional interventions.
• Oversee systems to monitor credit accumulation, course performance, graduation progress, and readiness for postsecondary opportunities.
• Partner with school leaders and the Academics Team to ensure strong preparation for Regents examinations and other relevant academic assessments.
• Establish high expectations for student independence, critical thinking, academic discourse, and the ability to engage meaningfully with complex, grade-level content.
• Ensure that students who are not demonstrating mastery receive targeted, timely, and effective academic support.
• Build strong systems of accountability that ensure all students are progressing toward graduation and success in the college and then career of their choice.

Operate with Effectiveness: Cultivate an Exceptional Student Culture and High School Experience

• Establish and maintain a joyful, academically rigorous, and inclusive student culture grounded in strong relationships, clear expectations, restorative practices and a deep belief in every child.
• Develop a cohesive school-wide culture vision that reflects CIP's Graduate Profile and prepares students to demonstrate independence, responsibility, leadership, and accountability.
• Lead the establishment of consistent student culture systems and expectations within the new school building, including arrival, transitions, classroom routines, common spaces, and dismissal.
• Maintain high expectations for student attendance, punctuality, behavior, academic performance, and engagement.
• Ensure that school culture systems are implemented consistently and equitably, with a focus on accountability, reflection, repair, and student growth.
• Coach and develop school culture leaders to proactively identify student needs, respond effectively to challenges, and implement targeted student support plans.
• Foster meaningful student leadership opportunities and establish traditions that build school pride, connection, and a strong sense of community.
• Partner with families to strengthen student engagement, address challenges proactively, and celebrate student growth and achievement.
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations to ensure that the physical environment reinforces the school's academic and cultural expectations.
• Support the Director of School Recruitment and Enrollment and Director of Operations in student recruitment efforts with the goal of reaching annual enrollment projections.
• Create a high school experience that supports students' academic, social-emotional, and personal development while preparing them for life beyond graduation.

Operate with Effectiveness: Lead a Successful Transition into Our New High School Building

• Partner with the Chief Schools Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Operations, and network leadership to ensure a thoughtful, well-coordinated transition into the new facility.
• Establish a clear vision for how the new physical space will support academic excellence, student culture, staff collaboration, and community engagement.
• Lead the development and implementation of school-wide routines, expectations, and systems that maximize instructional time and ensure a strong student and staff experience.
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations to proactively identify and resolve challenges related to building readiness, student movement, space utilization, safety, and daily operations.
• Engage staff, students, and families in building a shared sense of ownership, pride, and excitement around the new campus.
• Establish new traditions, celebrations, and opportunities for student leadership that contribute to a distinctive and lasting high school identity.
• Ensure that the transition into the new building is grounded in strong planning, clear communication, consistent execution, and a relentless focus on student success.

What You'll Need

• Deep passion for education and a demonstrated commitment to Coney Island Prep's mission, values, and commitment to anti-racism.
• A steadfast belief that all students can achieve at the highest academic levels and deserve access to the opportunities necessary to succeed in college, career, and life.
• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field preferred.
• Demonstrated success as a school leader, preferably at the high school level, with a strong track record of improving academic achievement and developing effective teachers and leaders.
• Deep knowledge of secondary instruction, curriculum, assessment, and the systems necessary to prepare students for graduation and postsecondary success.
• Proven ability to build and sustain a strong school culture grounded in high expectations, belonging, student accountability, and positive relationships.
• Experience developing, coaching, and managing instructional leaders and teachers to achieve measurable improvements in performance.
• Strong data analysis skills and the ability to translate student achievement, teacher performance, and school culture data into actionable priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to establish effective school-wide systems, manage complex priorities, and execute with consistency and attention to detail.
• Experience leading significant school improvement initiatives, organizational change, or school launches and transitions strongly preferred.
• Cultural competence and a willingness to continually examine personal beliefs and biases across lines of difference.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to build trust and lead effectively across diverse stakeholder groups.
• A reflective, growth-oriented leadership approach characterized by humility, curiosity, resilience, and openness to feedback.
• A positive, solutions-oriented mindset and the ability to lead with urgency, optimism, and sound judgment in a dynamic school environment.
• A strong commitment to developing a school community in which students, families, and staff feel valued, supported, and challenged to achieve excellence.