Middle School Director

Girls’ Day School, 500 Students in Grades 6 – 12

Independent, Nonsectarian, College Preparatory

www.archer.org

The Archer School for Girls challenges and inspires girls in grades 6-12 to discover their passions and realize their true potential. Nationally recognized for its innovative school culture, Archer’s program is collaborative, real-world focused, and research-based. Faculty are highly skilled in using brain-based practices to teach girls effectively. Collaboration, student leadership, intellectual curiosity, cultural engagement, and joyful learning are core elements of the program. The School maintains a deep and abiding commitment to diversity and inclusion and aims to reflect the face of greater Los Angeles. With regard to facilities, the School has just completed the Diana Meehan Center, a state-of-the-art teaching and learning building.

Archer is seeking a dynamic Middle School Director who will lead a skillful faculty in furthering Archer’s model of innovative teaching and curriculum, support students who are accustomed to exercising leadership, and collaborate closely with faculty and administration. Candidates will find a highly engaged group of teachers, students, and parents who are passionate about Archer’s mission and eager to work with the next Middle School Director to take the Middle School to the next level of programmatic innovation.

History

Archer was founded in 1995 by three women, Megan Callaway, Victoria Shorr, and Dr. Diana Meehan, all graduates of girls’ schools and all parents of daughters who were about to enter middle school. Informed by current research on the clear benefits of single-sex education for girls and guided by their founding principles of innovation, community, and diversity, Archer originally opened in a converted Pacific Palisades dance studio with just over 30 6th and 7th grade students.

Nearly 25 years later, Archer is a school of 500 students on a seven-acre campus and internationally recognized as a leader in research-based education. Archer’s mission is aimed at the empowerment of girls and young women.

Fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools, Archer holds memberships in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs, and A Better Chance.

The Campus and Location

Archer is situated on a picturesque, seven-acre campus in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Built in 1931 by famed California architect William R. Mooser, the 95,000-square-foot main building, built in the Spanish Colonial Style, is a historic landmark. The building contains courtyards, intricate tile work, frescoed ceilings, fireplaces, and charming spaces for small group meetings or for students to relax with friends. Facilities include the Saban IDEAlab for Integrated Design and Engineering Arts, modern science labs, a MediaSpace for digital arts, and the brand new Diana Meehan Center.

Mission

The Archer School for Girls empowers young women to discover their passions and realize their true potential in an environment that is both ambitious and joyful.

We sustain a collaborative, student-centered teaching and learning community that explores and contributes to the research on how girls learn and thrive.

We engage girls in a purposeful, inquiry-driven curriculum that fosters critical thinking and life-long intellectual curiosity.

We inspire girls to become confident, ethical leaders, strengthening their voices and capacity to contribute positively to their communities.

We promote challenge-seeking, encourage creative risk-taking, and embrace each girl’s unique possibility.

We support girls to develop meaningful relationships in a diverse and inclusive community rooted in empathy, integrity, and responsibility.

We graduate courageous, resilient young women who take responsibility for their own physical, financial, and emotional well-being.

The Middle School

Archer’s Middle School is characterized by joy and creativity in learning. Archer’s approach to the teaching of science, technology, and math is an example of the School’s experiential and creative approach and commitment to student engagement. Head of School Elizabeth English notes, “Archer is proud to stand at the forefront of advancing girls in STEM and to be working toward a future where women are not only contributors to STEM solutions but leaders in the field.” To this end, Archer’s program challenges students to explore real-world problems involving advanced laboratory techniques, scientific data analysis, and conceptual investigation—even at the Middle School level. Students are prepared to question, test, and analyze a problem in order to build creative solutions and critically assess the credibility of others’ findings. 

An overarching goal of the Middle School program is for students to discover their passions, hone foundational skills, and foster a love of learning and creation. The program empowers students to take intellectual and creative risks in their academic lives, and to develop social/emotional resilience. Therefore, the schedule is designed to give girls the time to process and reflect, develop strong social connections, and discover passions outside the academic realm. While Archer students are encouraged to push themselves to high levels of scholarship, it is never at the expense of their happiness and well-being.

Faculty

In conjunction with the Associate Head and Upper School Director, the Middle School Director oversees approximately 70 teachers, most of whom have advanced degrees and all of whom are committed to excellence in teaching and learning. Beyond competitive pay and benefits, faculty enjoy working in a collegial, highly professional, and joyful learning community. They build strong, positive relationships with students rooted in respect for girls’ intellectual and emotional development. As lead learners, Archer teachers strive to meet the needs of all learners in their classroom, and they relish feedback to improve their practice. Students and parents laud the faculty for their high degree of skill, care for their students, and abundant passion for the subjects they teach. 

Students

Archer girls are described as diverse, ambitious, articulate, tech-savvy, ethical, collaborative, creative, confident, athletic, joyful, and fearless.

Archer is a school in high demand, with five applications for every space. The School’s current enrollment is 500. Archer prides itself on its commitment to equity and inclusivity with 46% of the student body being students of color and representation from 79 different zip codes and 156 different feeder schools. Archer awards over $4M in financial aid annually.

Students genuinely appreciate their teachers and the power of their skillful teaching. In fact, Archer girls routinely thank their teachers at the end of each class and openly express their love for their School. Visitors to campus consistently remark on the positive culture, friendliness, and high degree of engagement among the student body. Archer girls stand out for their confidence, poise, and keen ability to articulate their ideas. The students are eager to connect with and learn from the new Middle School Director.

Leadership Team

Archer’s distributed model of leadership requires a leader with strong communication and engagement skills and a belief in the value of seeking different perspectives. The Middle School Director works closely with the Associate Head of School, Upper School Director, Dean of Student Life, Equity and Inclusion, and Department Chairs to advance the School’s mission. Together, they share a deep commitment to girls’ education and reflect the School’s commitment to the values expressed in its mission and honor code: empathy, integrity, and responsibility.  The Head of School works closely with a collaborative Senior Administrative team. The next Middle School Director will join this experienced and dedicated group of administrators to lead and advance the School.

The Middle School Director Role

The Middle School Director is responsible for the day-to-day operations and experience of students in grades 6-8. As an educational leader, she/he oversees Archer’s ambitious program, supports excellence in teaching and learning, and sustains the School’s developmentally appropriate, joyful, and inclusive culture.

The following will be priorities for the next Middle School Director:

• In close partnership with the Associate Head and Upper School Director, continue to seek and facilitate curricular connections amongst and between grade levels and divisions.
• Integrate and align performance-based assessments and support the use of formative assessment and ongoing feedback to support student learning and reflection.
• Continue to integrate Culturally Responsive Teaching and equity-focused strategies
• Lead the middle school community through remote and hybrid learning to transition safely and strategically back to on campus learning
• Imagine 2025, Archer’s strategic plan, is underway and the new Middle School Director, alongside the rest of the leadership team, will help to operationalize the plan’s goals and aspirations.

Challenges and Opportunities

Committed to ongoing reflection and excellence in teaching and learning, the faculty seeks an instructional leader who can hold forth a vision and support their highly skilled and collegial culture. The School is committed to using research-based teaching practices to guide curriculum design and pedagogy. The next Middle School Director will use this framework to maintain high engagement in the classroom, while supporting teachers in implementing a future-facing curriculum with clear and relevant outcomes. The integration of technology is well established, and the purposeful use of digital tools is central to Archer’s program.

A hallmark of the culture is that professional development is well resourced, ongoing, and often led by members of Archer’s own staff. Archer bases its faculty supervision and support on the principles of the growth mindset; therefore, adult professional development and support will be a key responsibility of the next Middle School Director. The School is currently refining its faculty supervision and evaluation model to better reflect the changing landscape of 21st-century teaching and learning.

With regard to diversity, equity and inclusion, Archer is committed to fostering a healthy, inclusive community where all students have equal access to opportunity and can thrive academically and socially. The next Middle School Director will work with the Dean of Student Life, Equity, and Inclusion and the DEI Leadership Team as well as other school leaders in developing cross-cultural empathy and understanding, which Archer sees as vital to helping all students enjoy a sense of belonging and success.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of the Middle School Director

Supervision

• Maintains a visible presence as an educational leader; works toward resolution of concerns—both routine and unique—as they arise; keeps the Associate Head of School and Head of School informed of opportunities and concerns that impact the Middle School program, students, and faculty.
• Observes, supports, and supervises faculty to assure quality of teaching and learning in the Middle School; provides ongoing feedback and conducts formal performance evaluations.
• In collaboration with the Associate Head and US Director, leads Department Chairs in overseeing the entire academic program, including creating department goals, scope and sequence, course objectives, and methods and means of assessment.
• Leads faculty meetings and summits to support, develop, and enhance the professional learning community.
• Coordinates, supports, and approves faculty professional development.
• In collaboration with Associate Head and Upper School Director, may supervise the following professional staff: School Counselor, Learning Specialist, and/or Librarian
• In conjunction with Associate Head and Department Chairs, coordinates candidate screening and interview process; makes recommendations to the Head of School regarding hiring of faculty.

Students & Program

• In collaboration with the Upper School Director, oversees the academic program, curriculum, and scope and sequence from grades 6-12.
• Oversees the coordination of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities; oversees the planning and presentation of School assemblies and programs; maintains a comprehensive calendar of School events; keeps the School community informed of various programs and activities.
• Provides academic guidance for students; maintains academic records on all students; oversees the grading and reporting of student achievement.
• Works closely with the Dean of Student Life, Equity, and Inclusion on issues and activities regarding student life, social and emotional learning, and disciplinary action.
• Participates in the Student Study Team (SST) to support and monitor progress of students at risk; works closely with School Counselor and Learning Specialist.

Administration & Coordination of Systems

• Collaborates with the Upper School Director, Senior Administrative Team, and Head of School regarding school-wide policies and procedures.
• In collaboration with Associate Head of School and Registrar, prepares a master schedule and assigns teachers and students to classes and other obligations.
• Coordinates and oversees all Middle School student/parent events, including: Back to School Night; Parent-Teacher Conferences; Middle School Awards Ceremony; 8th Grade Recognition; and 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th Grade Parent Nights.
• Coordinates onboarding new students and families in conjunction with the Dean of Student Life, Equity, and Inclusion, Admissions Director, and Grade Level Coordinators.
• Contributes to the Admissions process by serving on the Admission Committee, reading all applicant files, presenting at Open Houses, and supporting events geared toward admissions and enrollment.
• Oversees Department budgets and works with the Business Office on budgetary issues.
• Participates on Safety Committee, upholds Professional Boundary training for teachers/staff, and maintains CPR and safety certification to ensure safety of all community members.

Community

• Attends student events and productions to show School spirit and support for community members.
• Keeps parents informed of events, information, and student progress.
• Maintains relationships with the Archer Parent’s Association (APA), parent volunteers, and parent affinity groups.
• Works with facilities to manage and maintain the physical plant as it pertains to the Middle School.

Lead Learner

• Attends and contributes to ongoing professional development opportunities, national conventions, and professional networks.
• Meets regularly with direct reports to set goals, offer feedback, and support professional growth.
• Oversees course surveys to gain feedback and data from students and stakeholders

Professional Qualities Sought

The Search Committee and Head of School are seeking candidates who can embrace, articulate, and promote Archer’s mission to graduate courageous, committed, and ethical young women who take responsibility for their own physical, financial, and emotional well-being. In addition to excellent communication and organizational skills, successful candidates will have many, if not all, of the following strengths:

• Ability to synthesize and communicate the Middle School’s educational mission while inspiring and motivating teachers, students, and parents to help further that vision
• Understanding of and appreciation for girls’ intellectual, social, and emotional development
• Commitment to educating girls according to the research on how they learn and thrive
• Strong writing, public speaking, and presenting skills
• Experience in teacher development, supervision, and curriculum design
• Skill and experience in innovative, research-based pedagogy
• Strong time management with the ability to prioritize and delegate appropriately
• Desire to work closely with faculty/staff to support and facilitate their collaboration and collegiality
• Passion for engaging with and supporting students in their initiatives and leadership development
• Confidence, empathy, and partnership in working with parents
• A commitment to inclusivity and cultural engagement, with an awareness of the opportunities and challenges that being a part of a diverse learning community presents
• Ability to plan logistics and organize Middle School operations
• Initiative and follow through
• A growth mindset with regard to teacher development and the importance of reflective, innovative practice
• Desire and skill in holding individuals accountable, including having difficult conversations and managing conflict effectively
• The ability to hold high standards, while actively supporting teachers and students in reaching them
• An advanced degree in education
• At least 5 years’ experience as a master educator and 5 years’ experience in educational leadership
• Experience working in an all-girls school preferred

Personal Qualities Sought

 The ideal candidate:

• loves the middle school years
• is a lifelong learner, who eagerly seeks out and implements feedback
• is an authentic, reflective, and approachable leader
• sees change as opportunity and enjoys the process of creative problem solving
• can balance big picture goals with the details of logistics and operations
• enjoys collaboration and seeking out the views of others, yet is decisive when needed
• possesses a healthy sense of humor
• exhibits patience and empathy
• is excited to serve a feminist mission and has a true appreciation for the potential of Archer’s future female leaders
• embodies an optimistic outlook and relishes the opportunity to lead the Middle School community through this next dynamic phase of its growth

Requests for information, written nominations, confidential inquiries, and all application materials should be directed in confidence, to:

Ruth Shoemaker Wood, Partner

Nishant Mehta, Partner

Mark Halligan, Senior Associate

Julia Patton, Senior Associate

Storbeck Search  [email protected]

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The Archer School for Girls values and actively seeks a diverse workforce. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.