About Choice Schools Associates

At Choice Schools Associates, we believe every child deserves an exceptional education and every school deserves exceptional leadership. Our Superintendents are central to fulfilling that promise.

Choice Schools Associates is seeking an experienced, mission-driven Classical Schools Superintendent to lead and support a portfolio of classical charter schools throughout Michigan.

The Classical Schools Superintendent is responsible for helping each academy faithfully carry out its unique mission while advancing the principles and practices of a classical education. This leader will work closely with school leaders, academy boards, authorizers, and the Choice Schools team to cultivate schools characterized by academic excellence, strong character, knowledgeable teachers, effective leadership, and an orderly and purposeful school culture.

This is not simply an oversight position. We are seeking a leader who understands that a classical school must be intentionally led and carefully cultivated. The Superintendent will develop school leaders, strengthen instructional practices, protect fidelity to the classical model, solve complex challenges, and ensure each school has the leadership, systems, resources, and support necessary to thrive.

The Classical Schools Superintendent will also serve as a key member of the Choice Schools leadership team, helping shape organizational strategy and strengthening Choice Schools' growing portfolio of classical academies.

Champion the Mission of Classical Education

• Serve as a strong advocate and steward of each academy's classical mission, vision, and educational philosophy.
• Ensure school leaders understand and faithfully implement the principles of a classical education.
• Promote an education grounded in the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty and designed to develop knowledgeable, thoughtful, and virtuous citizens.
• Support schools in cultivating students' intellectual abilities, moral character, personal responsibility, and appreciation for the Western intellectual and cultural tradition.
• Ensure the school's curriculum, instruction, culture, policies, and practices remain aligned with its classical mission and Board-approved educational model.
• Develop a deep understanding of the curriculum and instructional approach utilized by each academy and help leaders maintain appropriate fidelity to those models.
• Build strong relationships with classical education partners and remain knowledgeable about best practices and developments within the classical education movement.

Develop Exceptional Classical School Leaders

• Coach, mentor, supervise, and evaluate assigned school leaders.
• Develop leaders who understand that the school leader is both an instructional leader and a steward of the school's mission and culture.
• Strengthen school leaders' understanding of classical education, curriculum, pedagogy, school culture, and leadership.
• Develop school leaders who confidently make decisions, solve problems, communicate expectations, and lead their teams.
• Help school leaders build strong leadership teams and develop teachers and future leaders from within their schools.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability while providing leaders with the coaching, resources, and support necessary to succeed.
• Foster a culture of humility, professional growth, thoughtful reflection, open communication, and continuous improvement.
• Support leaders through difficult employee, student, family, and organizational situations while ensuring decisions remain consistent with the school's mission and values.

Advance Academic Excellence

• Ensure schools provide a content-rich, academically rigorous classical education and make meaningful progress toward academic goals and charter expectations.
• Maintain a strong understanding of each school's curriculum, instructional model, academic programs, assessments, and student achievement data.
• Work with school leaders and academic teams to strengthen classroom instruction while maintaining fidelity to the school's classical educational model.
• Promote strong teacher content knowledge, effective classroom instruction, thoughtful questioning, meaningful discussion, and high expectations for student learning.
• Support schools in developing students who can read carefully, write clearly, reason thoughtfully, communicate effectively, and engage seriously with important ideas.
• Ensure effective academic and behavioral Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are in place without compromising the integrity of the school's curriculum or instructional model.
• Identify areas of academic concern and partner with leaders and Choice Schools teams to implement appropriate interventions and improvement strategies.
• Promote the thoughtful use of student achievement data while recognizing that the purpose of education extends beyond standardized measures of performance.

Cultivate Strong School Culture and Character

• Support school leaders in establishing safe, orderly, joyful, and academically purposeful learning environments.
• Promote school cultures characterized by respect, personal responsibility, self-government, intellectual curiosity, and high expectations.
• Ensure school routines, student expectations, discipline practices, traditions, and celebrations reinforce the academy's mission and values.
• Help leaders establish consistent expectations for student behavior and classroom culture that protect teachers' ability to teach and students' ability to learn.
• Encourage meaningful school traditions and practices that strengthen belonging and reinforce the identity of each academy.
• Support leaders in developing strong partnerships with parents and helping families understand the purpose and distinctive nature of classical education.

Develop and Support Excellent Teachers

• Partner with school leaders and Choice Schools teams to recruit, develop, and retain educators who embrace the mission of classical education.
• Promote professional development that strengthens teachers' knowledge of subject matter, classical pedagogy, classroom management, and the curriculum they teach.
• Encourage school leaders to create a culture in which teachers are continually learning, studying their craft, and developing greater mastery of their disciplines.
• Support effective observation, feedback, coaching, and evaluation practices.
• Help schools build sustainable pipelines of teachers and future leaders who can carry forward the academy's mission.

Build Strong Board and Authorizer Relationships

• Develop collaborative, transparent, and productive relationships with academy boards, authorizers, and other key stakeholders.
• Help each Board bring its unique mission and vision to life while maintaining strong governance practices.
• Support Boards in understanding academic performance, classical program fidelity, school culture, operations, finance, enrollment, and strategic priorities.
• Lead and support charter renewal, reauthorization, accreditation, and educational service provider evaluation processes.
• Ensure schools operate in alignment with charter contracts, Board policies, strategic plans, applicable laws, and authorizer expectations.
• Serve as a knowledgeable resource regarding Michigan charter school governance and the Open Meetings Act.
• Clearly communicate both school successes and areas requiring additional attention or intervention.

Strengthen Family and Community Relationships

• Promote strong partnerships among schools, families, and their communities.
• Help school leaders clearly articulate the purpose, expectations, and distinctives of classical education to current and prospective families.
• Build relationships with community leaders, educational partners, foundations, government officials, and other key stakeholders.
• Partner with school leaders and communications teams to strengthen enrollment, retention, marketing, and community engagement.
• Support school leaders in thoughtfully addressing parent concerns and resolving conflicts.
• Celebrate and communicate the accomplishments, traditions, and contributions of students, employees, and schools.

Oversee Operations, Finance & Organizational Excellence

• Maintain a strong understanding of school budgets and financial statements and effectively communicate financial information to school boards and leaders.
• Ensure school resources are thoughtfully stewarded in support of the academy's mission and long-term sustainability.
• Ensure school operations and financial practices align with Board policy, charter requirements, and organizational expectations.
• Partner closely with Choice Schools' Finance, Human Resources, Operations, Special Education, Academic, Communications, and other support teams.
• Support school safety, facilities, enrollment, compliance, and operational initiatives.
• Monitor school performance and proactively activate additional support when schools or leaders require intervention.
• Promote continuous improvement across academics, leadership, operations, finance, culture, enrollment, and human resources.

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Choice Schools leadership team and contribute to the strategic direction of the organization.
• Help Choice Schools strengthen and responsibly grow its portfolio of classical academies.
• Identify opportunities to improve systems, resources, professional development, and organizational support for classical schools.
• Collaborate across departments while ensuring decisions remain responsive to the individual missions and needs of each academy.
• Represent Choice Schools and its classical academies professionally with Boards, authorizers, educational partners, prospective school communities, and other stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master's or Doctoral Degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• Current Michigan School Administrator Certification or enrollment in an MDE-approved School Leader Preparation Program leading to certification within six months of employment.
• Successful experience as a teacher and school leader in a classical school.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing educational leaders strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of classical education, classical curriculum, or the liberal arts tradition is highly desirable.
• Experience with Hillsdale College's Barney Charter School Initiative or another established classical education network or curriculum is highly desirable.
• Michigan charter school leadership experience is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with school boards, authorizers, parents, employees, and community stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to academic excellence, character formation, strong school culture, and mission-driven leadership.

Additional Information

This is a full-time, exempt, 12-month position requiring frequent travel to assigned schools and communities throughout Michigan.

The Superintendent reports to Choice Schools leadership and directly supervises assigned school leaders and other designated team members.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of all required background checks and employment eligibility requirements.

About Choice Schools Associates

As a comprehensive education service provider, Choice Schools offers a student-centered approach to tailored school operations support. Much like a superintendent's office, Choice Schools provides invaluable assistance in various crucial areas, including instruction, professional development, curriculum, human resources, finance, compliance, communications, and enrollment.