MID-PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL · creating a small, nurturing, student-centered school on the Peninsula. With public schools feeling the effects of reduced funding from Proposition 13,

MID-PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOLMenlo Park, California

Director of Teaching, Learning, and EquityStart date: July 2020

www.mid-pen.org

2The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates

Founded in 1979 for students and families desiring an educational experience in a culturally rich and intentionally close-knit community, Mid-Peninsula High School (Mid-Pen) prepares students to make a difference in the worlds they inhabit. For 40 years, Mid-Peninsula High School has successfully supported students in a manner that de-emphasizes stress and emphasizes a love of learning. At Mid-Pen, students are afforded close relationships with their teachers and one another, and these interpersonal connections, in turn, empower them to realize their full potential as learners and as people.

All Mid-Pen does and has done stems from the belief that “students belong with expert and compassionate teachers.” The Mid-Pen faculty, of course, is what transforms this philosophy into a reality. The faculty members are knowledgeable educators who constantly seek best practices to improve their skills as they design units and classes that deeply engage their students. With the extraordinary leadership of the Mid-Pen faculty, each student in the Mid-Pen community recognizes that compassion and empathy are the cornerstones of a meaningful educational experience. Mid-Pen considers these values to be of the utmost importance to students and families in the Bay Area of California—a place where education can often be characterized by competition, exceptionally high standards, and significant stress. Thus, Mid-Pen has become something of a beacon in this region. It is a deliberately small, cohesive school where every facet of school life has been designed thoughtfully so that students can be their best selves each and every day.

OVERVIEW


FAST FACTS

STUDENT RECEIVING FINANCIAL AID:

29%

STUDENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS PEOPLE OF COLOR:

43%

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE:

9.7 students

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO:

8.1:1TOTAL STUDENTS:

135


When Mid-Peninsula High School opened its doors in 1979, its founders were intent on creating a small, nurturing, student-centered school on the Peninsula. With public schools feeling the effects of reduced funding from Proposition 13, the need for a supportive, flexible school grew more urgent. Families on the Peninsula wanted an environment where their children could build relationships with compassionate teachers and cultivate valuable skills of peer-to-peer collaboration. The school’s curriculum is still very much a product of this history, yet it is also dynamic; the community is always open to enhancing what it teaches and how it supports the learning process.

Across disciplines and grade levels, Mid-Pen’s curriculum seeks to provide students with personalized academic experiences that maximize opportunities to explore and hone their talents, while minimizing the obstacles they may encounter on their path to a smooth and successful transition into colleges and careers. Mid-Pen classes are all small—typically under 15 students—and are intended to be interactive, collaborative, and creative spaces in which students are challenged to define and realize their goals and dreams. When students commit to and participate in Mid-Pen’s enriching academic program, they learn how to focus and balance their intellectual and emotional considerations. Teachers provide close guidance, but, more importantly, they challenge students to monitor their own choices and behavior. That way, students can discover their personal motivation, character, and self-discipline.

ACADEMICS AND CULTURE


Part of what makes the curriculum at Mid-Pen work so well is Core. Every Mid-Peninsula student is assigned a Core Teacher, who serves as academic advisor, guidance counselor, advocate, community builder, and family contact. Core meets every day, giving students an opportunity to set goals, understand and develop their unique learning styles, strategize with their teachers about progress toward graduation and college, think about life beyond Mid-Pen, and obtain support, counsel, information, and referrals.

While Mid-Pen’s curriculum covers all of the “essentials,” it also deliberately invites in creativity and adventure. For example, Mid-Pen’s “DragonWeek” is purposefully designed to invigorate students’ spirits halfway through the school year. DragonWeek is a week-long intersession between first and second semester that provides students and teachers the opportunity to pursue personal interests through ungraded, immersive experiences in the arts, humanities, science, and technology. This year, offerings include Bay Area ecology, bicycle building, trips to Greece and Los Angeles, and songwriting, among others.

Another pillar of the Mid-Pen experience is community service. Service to one another and to the outside community has always been at the heart of Mid-Pen’s culture. Each semester, students and staff participate in a day of service with a community organization that serves the local population. Additionally, all students serve individual hours throughout the year with non-profit organizations in the area.

Mid-Peninsula High School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (the only recognized accrediting body for secondary schools in California) and the California Association of Independent Schools. The curricula meet standards of admission for the University of California, California State institutions, and private institutions of higher learning.


Right in the heart of Silicon Valley, the community of Menlo Park has been steadily gaining attention for being an exceptional place to live—and one with easy access to the rich culture and buzzing intellect that makes the Bay Area in Northern California so special. Menlo Park is likely most-often recognized for being home to the Facebook headquarters and the city where Google was founded. Though Menlo Park has long been an affluent community, Facebook has been an economic asset; it is currently the city’s largest employer. Other than Facebook, much of Menlo Park’s economy revolves around an assortment of companies on Sand Hill Road, consisting of venture capital, private equity, financial services, law firms, and other professional service companies and investment vehicles focusing on technology. Given this line-up, it’s not surprising that Menlo Park is home to one of the most educated populations in the nation and that the areas nearby are marked by sprawling campuses, including that of Stanford University and Fortune 500 companies like Google and Apple.

San Francisco, north of Menlo Park, is a world-famous city on the tip of a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. Residents and tourists alike love San Francisco for its year-round fog, iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and colorful Victorian houses. San Francisco has approximately 885,000 residents and is one of the most densely populated cities in the United States. It is home to The Giants, a Major League Baseball Team, and The 49ers, part of the National Football League. San Francisco also boasts numerous art museums, musicians, and culinary delights. While there are numerous attractions within Silicon Valley and San Francisco, there is much to discover in the surrounding Bay Area, too. From the Pacific Coast to Yosemite National Park to Napa Valley, Northern California exploration yields endless opportunities to suit a wide array of interests. Visitors and locals often enjoy a getaway in Napa Valley, hopping between wineries to dabble in myriad varietals of wine and learn the magic of winemaking. Napa also boasts some of the finest restaurants in the country, as well as luxurious spas and unparalleled scenery. Nature enthusiasts can keep their momentum going with a quick trip over to the coast for some fishing, kayaking, sailing—or, perhaps, just some relaxation on a sandy beach. There truly is no end to possibilities in Northern California, which means that Menlo Park is more than a nice place to live; it is a jumping-off point for all of this and more!

MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA


The Director of Teaching, Learning, and Equity is a new position at Mid-Pen. The Director will play a significant role in implementing the new strategic plan, which supports access, equity, and excellence in all aspects of school life. Reporting to the Head of School, Phil Gutierrez, and collaborating with the leadership team, the Director will join an inclusive community that celebrates diverse talents and individualizes learning in order for all students to thrive. The social emotional well-being of every child will guide all aspects of the Director’s work.

The Director will lead work in these three mission-critical arenas:

TeachingMid-Pen’s mission states that “all students belong with expert and compassionate teachers.” The new Director will serve as a coach and thought partner to the faculty as they expand interdisciplinary, project-based, and experiential learning opportunities and make iterative improvements to existing programs. In collaboration with the administrative team, the Director will articulate the Mid-Pen vision for excellent teaching and provide regular and actionable feedback for teachers. The Director will also work closely with new faculty to ensure their success.

LearningThe Director will serve as an important professional development resource, steering faculty toward learning opportunities specific to their disciplines and working with the administrative team to determine shared, full-faculty professional development goals. The Director will plan, facilitate, and evaluate in-house professional development programs. The Director will also support faculty with differentiated instruction and best practices to serve the needs of a neuro-diverse population. The Director will support Mid-Pen’s commitment to deeply individualized education, evaluating how the overall program delivers knowledge and skills while allowing students to explore their passions and experience real-world applicability.

RESPONSIBILITIES


Interested candidates can contact the consultant for additional information and a discussion of the position. To be considered, applicants will need to submit (electronically as separate PDF documents) the following materials:

• Cover letter expressing interest in the position.• Current résumé.• Statement of educational philosophy and leadership practice or a recent piece of writing

relevant to the candidate’s current leadership work.• List of five references with name, phone number, and email address of each (references

will be contacted later in the process and only with candidate permission).

To:Karen WhitakerSearch [email protected]

TO APPLY

EquityThe Director will help Mid-Pen bring greater equity to all aspects of its community with special emphasis on three areas in the immediate future. Mid-Pen serves a diverse population of learners, and the Director will lead the faculty in making the curriculum more equitable in both content and delivery. Mid-Pen aspires to hire teachers, coaches, and advisors who reflect the diversity of the student body and understand the lived experience of students. The Director will work closely with the administrative team on all future hires with the goal of increasing faculty and staff diversity. The Director will serve as an ally to students and families.

• Minimum five years of classroom teaching experience.• Master’s degree and administrative experience preferred.• Understanding and appreciation of students with diverse learning needs.• Emotional intelligence and the ability to build strong relationships with teachers, students,

and families.• Ability to lead and make difficult decisions with compassion and clarity.• Proven ability to steward a project from ideation to implementation.• Openness to feedback and growth mindset.• Sense of humor.• Proficiency in Spanish is a plus.

QUALIFICATIONS ANDDESIRED CHARACTERISTICS

Documents

MID-PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL · creating a small, nurturing, student-centered school on the Peninsula. With public schools feeling the effects of reduced funding from Proposition 13,