As the second largest school district in the state of Ohio, Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) serves approximately 35,000 scholars across 99 schools, including 65 schools serving PreK through 8th grade, 31 High Schools, and 3 remote or virtual school options. Our district is grounded in the progress achieved since the introduction of our community-driven reform framework – – and we are poised to continue these essential efforts to ensure that all public school scholars have a high-quality, equitable education in schools that inspire joy in learning. Our families have the opportunity to choose which schools their scholars attend, with extensive options that include STEM, the arts, single-gender education, International Baccalaureate, Montessori, and early college. Our Vision for Learning is personalized for each scholar and designed to engage scholars deeply with increased autonomy on their respective learning journeys. Rooted in the elements of Competency-Based Education, Anytime/Anywhere Learning, Whole Human Learning, and Personalized Learner Pathways, we aim to amplify the experience and opportunity for each scholar and family we are honored to serve. Strong community partnerships support our efforts to help scholars select, prepare for and access futures of their choice through Say Yes Cleveland’s wraparound support and tuition scholarships, advising through College Now, and Planning and Career Exploration (PACE).

In the spring of 2023, the Board appointed new CEO Dr. Warren Morgan to lead the district into its next chapter. In the coming year, Dr. Morgan is looking to thoughtfully assess the current state of the district and build a clear vision moving forward. He is establishing a leadership team that is laser-focused on building the conditions for student success, and ensuring that all schools have the resources, services and supports needed to ensure high-quality instruction in every classroom and every school.

What You’ll Do

The Senior Chief Education Officer is a key leader on the CEO’s cabinet spearheading the district’s efforts to ensure high-quality instruction in every classroom, in every school. The Senior Chief Education Officer leads the district’s academics functions which include Organizational Learning, the Chief Schools Office, Strategic Implementation, Teaching and Learning and Student Supports. We are seeking a leader who can build trust and authentic lines of communication that strengthen the district’s ability to successfully meet our scholars’ needs.

Your Key Responsibilities

Instructional Vision and Stewardship

• Oversee the development and vision for all academic programming including curriculum and instruction, career and college success, early childhood, and fine arts.
• Ensure that the core curriculum instruction addresses the needs of diverse learners and is supplemented by enrichment and support programs when needed.
• Facilitate and promote consistent instructional practices and routines across schools.
• Oversee a comprehensive program for students with disabilities and diverse learning needs, which assesses the needs of students, establishes objectives and priorities, develops strategies to achieve objectives, and evaluates programs.
• Apply research and best practices to inform the development of theories of pedagogy, intervention services, integrated health, and special education and related services.
• Oversee innovative and comprehensive student support services and programming which address a spectrum of student needs to maximize the delivery of educational programs.
• Ensure all program areas are in compliance with governing federal, state and local regulations.

Instructional Program Design and Effectiveness

• Ensure the use of evidence-based, data-driven programs, including the use of research and program evaluation when appropriate to provide the highest quality services to our schools.
• Develop and implement plans for the academic systems, design, and organizational structure to achieve the district’s priorities for student achievement.
• Continuously measure and assess the effectiveness of all processes within the education departments, including developing and regularly tracking progress toward ambitious team goals that support student learning.
• Partner with Network Support Leaders and visit and observe schools to evaluate instruction, climate, student behavior, and leadership to ensure a deep understanding of the comprehensive academic needs of the district’s schools.
• Ensure high-quality professional development opportunities are offered to schools, principals, and other staff aligned to the district’s priorities and academic vision.
• Ensure the effective oversight of schools including that our six (6) Network Support Leaders manage, coach, and mentor school leaders in ways that drive continuous student achievement gains.

Academics Team Leadership

• Attract, supervise, develop and retain talented and diverse senior staff who are responsible for specific academic and educational functions, setting performance standards and objectives, providing proper training and professional development opportunities, and evaluating performance.
• Foster a culture of high expectations with shared strategic goals around measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.
• Oversee and coordinate the development of budgets related to the education divisions including staffing needs, instructional materials and resources, and provision for the activities of the district
• Encourage and promote collaboration across all functional areas, internal and external partners.
• Represent the CEO, as needed, with respect to academic and instructional matters related to the district.

Stakeholder Partnerships and Engagement

• Ensure systems and processes exist to allow for high-quality family and community engagement across the district.
• Present information through oral and written reports cogently and clearly to the Board; mayor and Chief Education Officer, legislators; city, state, and federal officials, philanthropic partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure the academic aspects of the district demonstrate a high level of customer service with students at our core, support the district’s priorities, and are aligned with CMSD’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.

The Skills You’ll Need to be Successful

Teaching and Learning Expertise

• Deep knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and interventions with diverse learners, including demonstrated practice for improving student learning.
• Ability to plan and administer academic and instructional programming involving coordination across schools and departments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state regulations and compliance related to students with special needs.

• Demonstrate strong planning, organization and project management skills, with the ability to identify numerous dependencies and develop a comprehensive, technical plan of action.
• Analyze data strategically and make or recommend decisions and courses of action as indicated.

Extraordinary Communication

• Connect purposefully and intentionally with others. Express ideas with clarity, respect, and awareness in conversations and interactions with others.
• Demonstrate transparency and authenticity in communication with stakeholders at every level. Invites, includes, and engages others in the spirit of equity and empowerment.
• Engage with diverse staff, leadership, and constituents to promote trust, collaboration, and partnerships, both internal and external to the organization. Courageous and successful at challenging and influencing peers to approach all work through the lens of equity.
• Leads from the perspective of a service provider, policy advisor, thought partner, and capacity-builder for school leaders.

Champion of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

• Challenge assumptions, understanding alternative perspectives and beliefs, addressing inequities, and employing a variety of strategies to develop trust across the organization.
• Foster, promote and drive inclusion across the organization. Developing and implementing DEI performance indicators is an example of your fierce commitment to assessing and addressing the district’s equity practices.
• Deep content knowledge of research on critical pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy, and social justice pedagogical practices. Comfortable engaging peers in difficult and courageous conversations related to inequities around race, gender, sexual orientation, and ability status.

• Embrace opportunities to create clarity in vision and mission.

Visionary & Strategic Change Leadership

• Maintain a laser focus on data-driven results through relentless pursuit of improvements in school leadership, instruction, and operations; driven by a desire to produce quantifiable student achievement gains.
• Excel in constantly changing environments and adapt flexibly in shifting projects or priorities to meet the needs of a dynamic transformation effort; comfortable with ambiguity and non-routine situations.

• Lead innovative practice, engage in entrepreneurial thinking, and launch organizational design efforts.
• Lead organizational effectiveness; initiating, sponsoring, and implementing organizational change; and supporting others to support and advocate for CMSD’s vision and mission.

• Build trust readily, accept responsibility, maintain transparency, and lead by example.

Student-Centered, Data-Driven Decision Making

• Possess an understanding and awareness of the impact of trauma and behavioral health on student learning outcomes. Strive to create conditions for every student to access necessary support, and to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically in a consistently inclusive environment.
• Demonstrate belief that each scholar can achieve at the highest levels; hold self and others accountable for promoting high expectations for the academic achievement of CMSD scholars.
• Lead courageously and intentionally to seek the voices of marginalized communities to invite diverse input regarding decisions that impact stakeholders directly.
• Engage in transparent decision-making and share with stakeholders how their input informs district decisions.

What You’ll Bring

• Successful experience working in diverse economic, multicultural, and multilingual communities and environments. Proven cultural-competence skills with a history of inclusive and relevant equity practices.
• Demonstrated track record of success with improving student and/or organizational outcomes and data-driven decision making ideally in an urban public school district setting.
• Advanced knowledge of public school policy and law, procedures and management. Thorough understanding of national, state and local educational goals and standards required to advance high quality, accessible, equitable public education.
• A demonstrable commitment to the importance of public education and advocacy for all scholars, especially scholars of color living in highly impacted environments.
• Ten (10) years of senior leadership experience at progressive levels of responsibility with evidence of successful development and organizational outcomes.
• Has had a successful track record as an educator, building leader, and central office leader.
• At least a Master’s degree in education or related field.
• A growth mindset and belief that continuous improvement happens through purposeful, relevant, differentiated learning experiences that set all scholars up for success.
• Ability to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity in times of tremendous change, and to prioritize work efforts to achieve overall strategy as defined in collaboration with the Board of Education and Mayor.

Salary range for this integral leadership position is $190,000 to $229,000 and commensurate with prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package will be included in the ultimate offer for the identified sole finalist. We look forward to discussing details with you as the interview process progresses.

We believe that equity and inclusion at CMSD is an essential call to action, a catalyst to ensure value and appreciation among all our employees, so we may be fair and welcoming now and in the future. CMSD provides equal opportunities for employment, retention and advancement of all personnel by administering all terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex, disability or genetic information, age, citizenship status, military status, sexual orientation or expression, socio-economic status, title, other dimensions of identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The District’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Discriminatory Harassment, and Sexual Harassment and the District’s Title IX grievance procedures, including information on how to report or file a complaint of discrimination, how to report or file a formal complaint of sexual harassment, and how the District will respond, may be accessed on the District’s Civil Rights Notices webpage, available at . The District’s Title IX Coordinator/Director of Equal Employment Opportunity may be reached at:

• 1111 Superior Avenue East, Suite 1800
• Cleveland, Ohio 44114
• (216)-838-0070