Deputy Chief, Academic Programs

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 54 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 32,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more fair world.

Founded in Houston in 1994 and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, we are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. KIPP Texas is a team and family with an unwavering commitment to creating classrooms, offices, and communities rooted in belongingness, academic success and joy.

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 278 schools with nearly 16,500 educators and 190,000 students and alumni.

KIPP Texas Public Schools Academic Programs exist to prevent, respond to, and minimize the barriers to learning that KIPP Texas students may experience and to maximize the college enrollment and college success rates of KIPPsters across the state. The Deputy Chief will provide strategic leadership, long-term vision, and direction as the administrator responsible for the multi-disciplinary team composed of Special Education and Multilingual Education. The Deputy Chief of Academic Programs is a lead learner that works to further the mission of KIPP Texas by ensuring all students have the tools and support they need to learn to be prepared to matriculate to the college and/or career option of their choice. This position reports directly to the Chief Academic Officer and will collaborate closely with colleagues within  Academics, Finance, Operations, and School Management as well as with other regional and school shareholders to ensure all students have their unique support in alignment with KIPP Texas goals, purposes, and priorities. This leader will be relentless in ensuring the organization meets the unique demands of all learners and all associated compliance regulations. Serving as a thought partner, problem solver, and change agent to internal and external stakeholders with steadfast commitment to action, this leader will pursue high quality instruction and support services. The Deputy Chief of Academic Programs and other key shareholders, will advocate for all students’ learning y through the provision of comprehensive, collaborative, and integrated support to KIPPsters and their families. 

As the Deputy Chief of Academic Programs, you will be accountable to:

Student Academic Outcomes

• Meet or exceed the annually established target for the percentage of K-2 Special Education and Emerging Bilingual students reading on grade level;
• Meet or exceed the annually established STAAR performance targets in Reading and Math for Special Education and Emerging Bilingual subgroups, based on prior year’s performance data;
• Meet or exceed year-over-year TELPAS growth targets, with ≥95% EB student participation.

Compliance Outcomes

• Achieve 100% compliance with all required federal Special Education indicators (SPP 7, 11, and 13);.
• Maintain ≥95% on-time compliance with annual ARD and Section 504 meetings;.
• Achieve 100% compliance with SHARS documentation and claims processes, resulting in full capture of eligible Medicaid reimbursements to reinvest in Special Education services;.
• Maintain ≥95% on-time compliance with LPAC meetings and associated PEIMS snapshot timelines.

Division Leadership Health

• Maintain 100% financial sustainability by ending the year at or below the approved Special Education and Multilingual budget while maximizing resource allocation for student outcomes;
• Achieve ≥80% participation rate and ≥80% positivity score on the Two Step Culture Survey;.
• Maintain an average rating of ≥3 on targeted KIPP Texas Leadership Competencies.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Academic Program Strategy

• Develop vision with clear goals and action plans for Special Education and Multilingual Education that addresses current and future needs to provide comprehensive support for all students using a collaborative approach to clear and specific performance targets.
• Develop, implement, and monitor statewide Special Education and Multilingual Education strategies that ensure compliance with federal (IDEA, ESSA, Title III) and state regulations, driving equitable access and transformational student outcomes.
• Lead the analysis of program performance data (e.g., TELPAS, STAAR Alt, IEP progress, language proficiency growth) with school, regional, and state leadership teams to inform instructional adjustments and accelerate student growth.
• Design and oversee inclusive instructional models that integrate Special Education and Multilingual Education best practices into general education settings, promoting full participation and achievement for all learners
• Coordinate and maintain research-based instructional programs and ensure that high-quality teaching and learning strategies for students with disabilities and multilingual learners are evident, effective, and supported.
• Produce high-quality annual and quarterly reports that clearly communicate progress toward all program goals and targets.

Instructional Leadership

• Work with departmental and regional teams to build instructional leadership capacity of School Leaders and school leadership teams with particular focus on special population pedagogy, multilingual pedagogy, data analysis, intervention, and professional development of school teams so that the unique needs of all learners are met.
• Establish and manage systems for timely and accurate completion of IEPs, LPAC documentation, progress monitoring, and other legal requirements, maintaining 100% compliance with state and federal deadlines.
• Create processes and gather insights to address immediate program needs while anticipating future-facing priorities across Academic Programs departments.
• Identify, plan, and lead professional learning for educators and leaders focused on differentiated instruction, culturally and linguistically responsive practices, responsive education strategies, and effective intervention models.
• Guide the integration and effective use of assistive technology, language acquisition supports, and accessibility tools to enhance student learning experiences.
• Lead crisis response and intervention planning for high-need cases, ensuring timely and coordinated resolution with regional and school-based teams.
• Ensure compliance with, and approve reports for, all state, federal, and local agencies.

Team Leadership

• Manage, develop, and lead multiple teams to ensure best in class instructional support for students in specialized cohorts as well as strong compliance procedures are operationalized and met.
• Develop, coach, and evaluate departmental Managing Directors, setting and monitoring progress toward statewide strategic priorities, benchmarks, and growth goals.
• Oversee recruitment, retention, and development of specialized staff, including bilingual teachers, interventionists, speech-language pathologists, diagnosticians, and other key personnel.
• Routinely evaluate the performance of the KIPP Texas Special Education and Multilingual Education programs to ensure objectives are met and continuously improved.

Interdivision/Departmental Communication

• Ability to inspire, inform, and collaborate across the organization to ensure the instructional needs of our most at risk KIPPsters are supported and met.  
• This leader needs to build deep and trustful relationships in the organization in service of their departmental goals.
• Collaborate cross-departmentally and with external agencies to ensure alignment in staffing, curriculum, enrollment, school selection, and communication strategies that support Special Education and Multilingual Education success.
• Partner with Team Finance to develop and manage program budgets, ensuring effective allocation of resources to maximize student outcomes and maintain expenditure control.

Performs other duties as assigned. Responsibilities and tasks outlined in this document are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the network.

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree preferred
• Five (5) years of progressive systems-level leadership experience required (Special Education experience required)
• 3-5 years of school leadership experience with demonstrated results required
• Experience and knowledge with federal and state regulations as it pertains to Special Education and Multilingual Education required.
• Experience and knowledge of Special Education and Multilingual Education funding and accountability structures required.
• Experience with the implementation of Special Education and Multilingual Education programming required.
• Experience and knowledge of Section 504 Law and Regulations required.
• Experience and knowledge of the essential elements of high performing Response to Intervention systems and structures required.
• Proven success in leading district-wide efforts to transform the provision of services for students with disabilities in urban setting preferred

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to work collaboratively to support school improvement and seek and value diverse perspectives.
• Identify opportunities for streamlining systems across functions at KIPP Texas Public Schools.
• Manages fiscal and physical resources responsibly, efficiently and effectively by using data to inform budget decisions and to equitably and adequately allocate resources to support KTX goals and student learning needs
• Strong demonstrated instructional leadership capabilities and dynamic adult teaching skills.
• Strong management, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong collaboration skills to ensure external partnerships are maintained and cultivated.
• Ability to develop, execute, and monitor strategic plans, annual goals and quarterly benchmarking for school improvement.
• Ability to problem solve, analyze and achieve results for all learners.
• Innovation oriented, team oriented, and data driven leader with high levels of energy and deep commitment to urban youth.
• Ability to lead programs in service of the organizational goals, potentially without deep functional expertise of some of the areas they lead

What We Bring to the Table

The starting point for the salary range for this position is $140,000 with the opportunity to earn more based on considered experience at an accredited K-12 institution and internal-equity.

• Competitive vacation and flexible paid time off (PTO) policies.
• Paid family leave.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with varying coverage for employees and their families, inclusive of virtual physician visits. High deductible health plan with HSA also offered.
• Employee assistance programs. 
• Participates in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS).
• Retirement option
• KIPP also offers the following employee-paid benefits: legal plans, LifeLock identity protection, life insurance and disability insurance.
• Flexible spending account or high-yield HSA.

Physical Requirements

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions
• Considerable time spent at a desk using a computer/laptop
• Attending conferences or training sessions

Work Environment

• Hybrid - 3 days working from the regional KIPP Texas office and 2 days working from a home office.

Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel within the state and nationally, travel time up to 30%.

KIPP provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.