New Leaders for New Schools
Principal Job Description
Organization Description:
Great schools are led by great principals. New Leaders for New Schools is a national nonprofit that promotes high academic achievement for every child by attracting, preparing and
supporting the next generation of outstanding leaders for our nation’s urban public schools.
New Leaders aggressively recruits extremely talented individuals to become urban public
school principals. Through a combination of rigorous coursework delivered by nationally
recognized experts, a full-time year-long residency with a strong mentor principal, and
intensive work with a dedicated Leadership Coach, New Leaders get unique preparation to
enter the urban principalship. At the end of the year, we help place our participants in urban
public schools and provide them with ongoing support, networking, and a lifelong
community of peers. Each New Leader receives three years of fully-funded training and
support. New Leaders currently has 328 leaders serving over 160,000 students in
Baltimore, California’s Bay Area, Chicago, Memphis, Milwaukee, New York City, and
Washington, DC. Additionally, this year we launched three new program sites: Milwaukee,
New Orleans, and Prince George’s County, MD. Additional information about New Leaders
for New Schools can be found on our website: www.nlns.org.
Position Description:
New Leaders for New Schools strives to build the next generation of exceptional school
leaders who will ensure that every child achieves academic excellence. Once accepted into
the New Leaders for New Schools program, participants partake in an intensive three year
program that involves:
 Summer Foundations—A rigorous six-week training institute with New Leaders from
across the nation. Taught by outstanding educators and national education and
business leaders, the program focuses on developing instructional and organizational
leadership skills.
 Residency Year—Year-long, full-time, paid residency in an urban public school
working alongside a mentor principal. With the support of a Leadership Coach,
residents are full members of school leadership teams and are directly responsible
for raising student achievement and leading teachers. The year also includes
intensive, academic studies that further develop leadership skills.
 Ongoing Support and Leadership—New Leaders receive job search support and are
supported by mentors, coaches, and the entire new Leaders Community for the first
two years as a principal.
 Leading and Beyond—Life-long membership and active participation in the New
Leaders Community, building and supporting our shared mission. New Leaders
benefit from continual feedback, support, and exchange of best practices from the
New Leaders network.
New Leaders commit to serving in their school districts for at least 3-4 years as an urban
public school principal. In return, New Leaders receive approximately $70,000 in
coursework, instruction, and support at no cost to them. Additionally, residents are paid
directly by the school districts or charter systems for which they work and receive the same
salaries and health benefits as assistant principals.
Qualifications:
Our New Leaders are diverse in every respect and come from varied backgrounds.
However, successful candidates have:
 An unyielding belief in the potential of every child to achieve academically at high
levels.
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Instructional expertise in a K-12 classroom
A record of success in leading adults, and
The capacity to define a vision, build teams to get results, and achieve despite
tremendous obstacles.
All applicants must meet our rigorous Selection Criteria
(http://www.nlns.org/NLWeb/Criteria.jsp). There are minimum application requirements
that vary by program city, as well.
 All applicants must possess a minimum of 2-3 years of full-time K-12 classroom
teaching experience. Our New Leaders have between 2 and 25 years of classroom
experience.
 A teaching certificate is required in some of our program cities. Please see our
website for city-specific information.
How to Apply:
For more information, please visit our website at www.nlns.org, email us at info@nlns.org,
or call (646) 792-1070. All applications must be submitted online at www.nlns.org.