Devoted to intellectual inquiry, a collaborative spirit of learning, and an appreciation for the diversity of human experience, The Park School of Baltimore is a community founded on positive expectations of our students and respect for individual differences.

We cultivate children’s innate curiosity by nurturing their interests and engaging them as active participants in their own education.

We support young people in becoming confident questioners and responsible citizens of the world. ~The Park School Mission 

The Park School is a non-sectarian, independent, coeducational day school of 845 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Founded in 1912 as one of the early progressive schools, The Park School continues to practice a distinct educational philosophy. The core values today, as in 1912, are a belief in children’s capacity to love learning, to grow academically and emotionally when inspired by highly qualified, caring teachers, and to develop self-discipline, confidence, and creative problem-solving skills through deep exploration and constant challenge. At every grade level, from Pre-Kindergarten through Upper School, Park actively encourages questioning and conversation as essential elements of the learning process. The school philosophy emphasizes a belief in positive expectations and expects that students, as they mature, will take increasing responsibility for their own learning.

The Position

The Park School seeks a dedicated, experienced Middle School educator for the position of full-time Middle School Dean of Students. 

The Middle School Dean of Students’ most important responsibility will be to cultivate relationships with students, faculty, and parents, and to help create a joyful, stimulating, and rewarding middle school experience for each Park student. This person must also support and partner with the principal, assisting and handling various administrative duties and student issues. 

Park’s Middle School offers a dynamic curriculum and diverse co-curricular programming that allows adolescents to experience coursework, overnight trips, activities, outdoor education, advisory groups, artistic and athletic endeavors, and most importantly—the formation of life-long relationships. While building robust academic skills, our students develop strong identities, learn about the communities in which they work and live, and learn to advocate strongly for themselves and others. The Middle School Dean of Students will work to coordinate many of these elements. 

Responsibilities

• Provides coordination, planning, and follow-up among teachers, advisors, families, and resource staff to facilitate student life programming
• Supports grade-level trips, field trips, school dances, service activities, and serves as advisor to Student Government and Student Congress  
• Uses Restorative Practices to work with advisors in handling student-related conflicts and disciplinary issues, as well as long-term academic or behavioral issues
• Meets with Child Life Team and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to support students, faculty, and families
• Advocates for the social/emotional development of students, balancing our academic standards with our goals for healthy social and emotional growth
• Represents the Middle School at parent coffees, outreach and after-school events, admissions events, communications meetings, and in various committees
• Data collection and analysis on select aspects of Middle School operations and student life
• Acts in an omnibus manner for faculty and staff vis-a-vis school practices and policies
• Serves as advisor for 6-8 students, monitoring their academic progress, communicating with parents, and supporting their social and emotional growth

Qualifications

• Passionate about Park’s progressive mission and an advocate for diversity work and the promotion of health and wellness
• Must have the ability to form relationships based on a high degree of trust with all types of people and help those in the most challenging of situations: the students, the faculty, the parents, and administration
• Must be highly organized, an excellent writer and communicator, and able to respond promptly to student issues and faculty needs
• Must be able to manage disciplinary/disruptive situations with the support of the counselors, advisors, and the middle school principal
• Should be able to support, coordinate, and oversee various groups, events and meetings (grade level teams, assemblies, middle school government, activities, advisory, special events, etc.)
• Should have experience working with middle school age students 
• Candidates from diverse backgrounds or who have experience in culturally responsive work are strongly encouraged to apply

Context

Park’s Middle School is committed to progressive principles of education. Respect for children, and confidence in their natural capacity to learn are key. The program at all grade levels centers on experiential learning within an integrated curriculum. Our approach emphasizes open-ended inquiry and problem solving, collaborative projects, and exposure to a wide range of learning activities and materials, anchored by a focus on essential understandings and attention to basic skills.

Administrators and faculty collaborate in developing programs to meet students’ academic and social/emotional needs. The faculty role is a fully professional one: in addition to taking full responsibility for students’ learning in core subject areas and their emotional growth, classroom teachers individually and collectively are the creators of the curriculum. With oversight by the Middle School Principal, they engage in ongoing curriculum development and review, both as grade level teams and in cross-grade level and division-wide initiatives. Faculty and administrators are also very involved in divisional and school-wide diversity initiatives. 

Salaries and Benefits

Park salaries and benefits are highly competitive with those in other leading area independent schools.  For new appointments, salaries reflect experience and training equated to Park’s scales.

In addition to normal retirement and health benefits, the school offers the following distinctive programs:

Faculty and Curricular Advancement (FACA) Program

This program supports summer professional work by faculty on a distinctive scale. Established in 1989, FACA is supported by a $5.6 million endowment; currently, over 40% of all Park faculty participate in projects annually. Grants cover full salary and benefits for group or individual projects selected through a formal review process.

Tuition Remission

Under current policy, employees who have been employed at Park full-time for two years are eligible to receive full tuition remission for their children who attend Park. All applicants, including employee children, must meet Park’s standards for admission. During the first two years of employment, employees can apply for support through the need-based financial assistance program.

Application Process

Due to the large volume of incoming resumes, we cannot accept phone calls. Interested candidates are asked to send a letter of interest, personal statement, resume and list of references via email or US mail.

Contact Person:

Priscilla Morales
Associate Head of School
2425 Old Court Road
Baltimore, MD 21208
410-339-4159
academicresources@parkschool.net

The Park School of Baltimore does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, ancestry, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or any physical or mental disability unrelated to a reasonable performance of an employee’s duties.